Take a close look at the tree and determine what height of the crown will suit you. Mentally mark this height and imagine that all the branches above it are removed.
If the tree has at least two-thirds of the growing branches left and you only need to make two or three large cuts and about a dozen small ones, go ahead with the task.
However, if after pruning only stubs of bare branches are left sticking up, refrain from such severe pruning. Slightly raise the "bar".
This is how you should look for, if not a final, then an intermediate option for reducing the crown. This is the most difficult part. The technique is very simple. You only need to cut part of the central leader or a branch sprawling over the center of the crown, redirecting it to a lateral shoot. If you are concerned that the branch to which you are redirecting may wither, make the cut slightly higher. Leave a stub. Later, after the start of the growing season, you can cut it off along with the new shoots that appear on it.
Even removing part of the leader or the branch that replaces it will already have an effect. The crown will lower slightly, light will flood into the center, and conditions for growth and fruiting will improve. However, many branches will be positioned significantly higher than desired. Prune them to the lateral branches that go from the center to the periphery. Make cuts at 0.3-0.5 m and higher than on the central leader.
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