Here's a closer look

for what purpose????

fruit production.. go talk to the peeps in the fruit forum ...

otherwise.. lets get down to brass tacks.. it really should go ... in that space..

it already looks like it was 'topped' once... you can see the prior wounds ... i suppose.. you have nothing to lose by having it done again ...

where are you???

ken

I'm in Southern California. The tree on the left of the detail photo is the apricot and it fruited really nicely the year before last, but nothing this year. I thought maybe it was because it needed to be pruned properly. I don't know the history of its pruning, as its a rental property.
So, yeah, I would love it to produce some fruit again. I'll ask the fruit forum about it.
But the other tree is also a question unto itself...I'm not sure what kind of tree it even is. It has blossoms similar to the apricot but the leaves are different and has zero fruit production. I think the blossoms are a deep pink color. Any suggestions?
You say the trees should be taken out? Why is that? I'm not sure the owner would even entertain that but I'm very curious why that would be. I love learning more about this stuff!

Post on the Fruit tree forum and the California forum. There are a lot of knowledgeable fruit tree types on the CA forum, for example. Good luck!

Ken part of the problem in CA is lack of water - no summer rain and generally water-scarce in terms of aquifers and entrapment. You would not want to take care of 5 acres if you had nothing to water it with. And contemplate 5 acres with no lawn. Add to that the cost of the land and voila: small lots. The large lots are typically those outside city limits that have pasture or woodland or something that does not require the kind of cultivation that you can accomplish with summer rain and ample irrigation.

Apricots might be alternate-year bearers - not sure.

This thread has degenerated to topics that are likely of no help to the OP!

Small place to have 2 trees. The problem is, trying to reduce their size after years of no pruning is like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. It is theoretically possible, but good luck with that.

Apricots are not alternate year bearers, but most varieties make only a few without another tree for pollination, hence the 2 trees. If there are other Apricots around, then you may only need one tree.

It looks like the tree was last pruned about 3 years ago. Trees produce the best fruit when regularly pruned, so at the very least you can thin the branches. Since it is not your tree, you should get the owners permission before attempting pruning. It will involve drastic reduction (but not all at once) of the amount of tree you have there. Good lick. I would start by reducing the canopy by 1/3. Or, you can save yourself the headache, do nothing, and enjoy the nice flowers and the occasional fruit.

Thanks so much everyone! All very interesting insights and very helpful to me. I love GardenWeb!