This prevents it from becoming weighed down on one side. Having too many branches on one side could cause the tree to become permanently crooked. Many gardeners don t even think about pruning their trees until they start to bear fruit. This is a big mistake, and you should never neglect to care for a tree just because it hasn t yet begun to produce. There are seven main tree shapes that all have their own benefits for certain situations. During the growth of the tree, simply cut off the unneeded branches, tie the wanted branches into the proper shape, and you will be able to shape it however you want. Usually, if you re trying to get your tree to a certain shape, all the tying and pruning should occur in the fall. These can be purchased at any gardening shop, and are designed to be friendly to the bark of the tree. It is much better to stick with these instead of bare rope, to minimize the amount of friction the tree endures. When you think your tree has been staked long enough to stand on its own, you should remove the stakes from the ground as soon as humanly possible. If any of these things occur, its best to do the right thing and get rid of the tree. Once you have made the choice to remove the tree, you need to plan its removal. I can t begin to count how many windows I ve seen knocked out or cars I ve seen crushed because of poor planning in the tree removal process. There is one main branch in the center that is completely vertical, then multiple branches that go off to the side. If the side branches are horizontal it is known as an espalier. If they are sloped, it is known as a fan. Generally these 2 shapes are used in orchards because of how compact they are. By using them, you allow for many more trees to be in the certain amount of space. They seem to attract more unwanted creatures than any other plant in the world. Almost every day it seems like there is a new type of pestilence swarming the tree, trying to get a nibble of its delicious fruits. I can t say I blame them, but if they want to eat delicious fruits then they should grow their own trees.