Fruit tree pruning and thinning workshop

I attended a workshop hosted by Common Ground Garden in Palo Alto. I've taken multiple workshops from them before, and always learn plenty. This one was specific to stone fruit tree pruning and thinning. Some things I learned:

• Summer pruning is more about cutting the outer canopy. The goals are to improve this year's crop, next year's harvest, and increase sun and light on the fruit.
• Do summer pruning once the fruit is set (about the size of your thumb).
• Prune out long, young whippy branches. Reduce branches with fruit to about 2-3 leaves above the fruit.
• Always prune out dead/diseased branches and fruit, any time of the year.
• Fall pruning is about shaping the tree, and you cut out more of the inner canopy. You should be able to see dappled light under the tree, rather than solid blocks of shade.
• You want to leave strong branches that will support fruit next year.
• Do fall pruning after fruit has fallen. Recent research shows that the tree will be healthier if it is done sooner rather than waiting until winter.
• Prune no more than about 30% of a tree in a year. That means that you might need to prune a neglected tree down over the span of 2 years.
• Fruit thinning is done to improve fruit size, color, and quality. It will reduce overbearing (too much weight on a particular branch) and stress on the tree. It will also help avoid heavy/light fruiting cycles.
• Do fruit thinning at the same time as summer pruning (once fruit is set).
• Remove fruit where it's growing too close together or it's too far out on the branch and might damage it.
• Practice, practice, practice.

I plan to practice on my parents' fruit trees! And on my tiny mandarin. Citrus trees can be pruned for shape at any time because they don't have a dormant season - often an individual tree never has a point in time when it doesn't have flowers and/or fruits growing.