We have an apple tree in our back yard. Last year it produced more apples then we knew what to do with. We pruned it after last season and then this year was an off year and we only had a few apples. My question is do we need to prune it every year or only after a very productive year? We are very new at this so any pruning tips you have would be great as well!!
Many factors may have affected the fruit production on your apple tree, but the general rules on pruning are to prune young trees very lightly, and old trees more heavily, particularly if they have shown little growth.
Pruning is usually done when the tree is dormant (i.e., winter), but sometimes apples are pruned during the summer growing season (the main reasons to do this would be to improve fruit quality and quantity, to regulate growth and control vigor, and to reduce pest and disease problems). An excellent resource we have here is Training and Pruning Apple and Pear Trees by C.G. Forshey, American Society for Horticultural Science, c1992. Another thing to consider is whether your tree is a dwarf, semi-dwarf, or standard apple tree. Pruning differs for each of these.
The following factsheet gives basic guidelines for pruning fruit-bearing trees:
Pruning Apple and Pear Trees from Clemson University Extension
Below are useful webpages about pruning fruit trees, and apples in particular:
Pruning Tree Fruit from WSU Extension
Spring and summer pruning for apples from Oregon State University
We have many great books on this subject in the library if you need additional guidance.