If you missed the dormant period - when they finally drop their leaves and befire they bid out again - then wait until summer. Generally, winter or dormant season pruning is done to encourage good structural growth while a lighter summer pruning is done to thin or open up the canopy to allow more light to hit the fruit, to encourage the development of fruiting spurs and to remove any water sprouts.

Thank you. The thing is, they dropped a lot of leaves but were still full of other leaves. We expected them to be bare of leaves. Is any leaf drop in winter enough to consider them dormant?

Jenny, your husband is right -- you should prune in January, or early February the latest. There may still be some leaves on the tree, but it's not actively growing so you can call it dormant.

Summer pruning of established trees is not recommended for California. It removes leaves necessary for food production, so it will slow down the ripening process and may cause sunburn. Unless you want to slow down your tree on purpose.

UC Davis has great info online for backyard orchards.

Thank you. I should clarify that the trees are full of green leaves, and also lots of blossoms. It looks like it does in summer, but without fruit. So, it has never appeared to be in the winter-dormant state that my husband waited for to signal it's time for pruning. It seems we should prune it now, even though it is late in the season.

In warm climates deciduous trees may drop their leaves and grow new ones sort of at the same time (new growth pushing out old growth). So if it's hard to tell what's going on with the tree, just go by the calendar and always prune in January.

Pruning later in the year is not harmful to the tree, especially if you're removing badly placed branches or excessive growth, but it's harder to see where to make the cuts.

Thank you. I'll remove some of the wayward branches and excessive growth.

When we don't get much chill, it may be necessary to force dormancy in the winter by removing the leaves. Winter is usually the best time to prune. A good reference book is How to Prune Fruit Trees and Roses by R. Sanford Martin. Dave Wilson Nursery also has good information on pruning.

I would prune them right after you harvest the apples.
The concept of dormant pruning is a East Coast thing. it keeps the tree from getting frostbitten with tender new growth. We don't have that problem in most of California. Some fruit trees you CAN'T prune dormant here, like apricots, because they'll get infected with bacterial diseases. Apricots have to be pruned in August/September.
It's easier to see the framework of the apple tree with no leaves, but it's not mandatory.
Carla in Sac

Just to clarify, it sounds like a lot of people here don't have experience with Anna or Golden Dorsett. Their "dormant" season in California can be as short as a couple of weeks or in San Diego, never.

Kuffel Creek specializes in growing apples in warm areas (including Africa) and they have some interesting articles about stripping leaves to force dormancy.

http://www.kuffelcreek.com/applenursery.htm

Carla in Sac