Summer Pruning Apple Trees.

My dwarf apple tree has put on more growth this year than it has ever done before so now is time for it to have a haircut. I usually prune it in July to restrict its size, taking it back to 3 buds. This year I might take it back to half, zero buds and half, one bud. Sadly there only seems to be about half a dozen apples on it, despite having a reduced crop last year. Storms, gales, cold weather and lack of pollinators as it was covered in blossom.
The year before I took 3 mushroom trays of apples to the Village Green and left them for people to help themselves.
My second apple tree which I grew from a whip has also put on a huge amount of growth so needs a good prune and thin out, again, no fruit that I can see. An old variety called Cornish Long Keeper, on its own stock so very vigorous.
Neither of them carry apples which store for long but have a delicious flavour.

 

Do you know whether they're tip bearers or spur bearers, @Goldenlily26? You need to know that in order to adapt the pruning technique accordingly. There's a risk of pruning out the fruiting bits otherwise

 

That's interesting, @Goldenlily26 .
We inherited two enormous, mature apple trees when we moved here five years ago, which I've been pruning in summer to enable us to get up the path to the compost heap. Until this year the early cooker has had great crops, but like yours, a combination of factors (bullfinches eating fruit buds & lack of pollinators) has meant we have only a handful of fruit to look forward to. The eater (a Cox or similar) is a bit of a biennial bearer and has only 2 fruit remaining this year. I doubt if my pruning has much effect, because I can only reach the lowest branches of the trees.
However, you've inspired me to try summer pruning on my 4 year old apple trees, because they've put on lots of vegetative growth and I need to keep them small...
One of mine is a partial tip-bearer, @noisette47 , so I'll be bearing that in mind.

 

They are both spur bearers.