[header] How to prune old apple trees [title] Make sure that the tree is healthy. [step] Pruning an old apple tree can encourage it to develop new growth and fruit. If the tree is brittle, dead, or diseased, then pruning it won't help. 
To determine whether or not your tree is worth saving, look for the following : [substeps] Grayish or crinkled branches: these branches are dead or diseased. If more than half of the tree's branches appear like this, then the tree is not worth saving.