Anyone can successfully prune their own fruit trees if they follow a few simple rules. First, remember that annual pruning can enhance fruit production and control the size of the tree.
Learn the difference between fruiting wood and vegetative growth. It’s possible to prune out too much of the fruiting wood or spurs, resulting in few blossoms and little fruit. There’s a great chart at https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8057.pdf that tells where fruiting buds are located on various kinds of fruit trees.
When you prune, use a ladder. To avoid damage or broken branches, do not climb the tree or pull branches toward you. Try not to remove more than twenty-five percent of the tree canopy in a single year. Severe pruning can shift the tree from fruit production to growth.