Bologna, Italy

I have about 15 apple,quince and pear trees in my garden, and yesterday, armed with secateurs, loppers, a beautiful day, lots of enthusiasm and almost total ignorance, decided it was time to undo years of neglect and try to prune them all so that I can tidy them up and maximise the crop. There are a great many long and spindly branches, few of which are robust enough to hold a good crop of fruit. I understand the theory behind pruning, but after quite a time when nothing has been done, I'm not sure how brutal I need to be, or, indeed, dare to be. There are quite a few healthy-looking buds already showing, and I realise that quite a few of these will have to go, but do I have to sacrifice ALL of them? The trees will all be between 7 and 4 years old, and all are on semi-dwarfing stock. Any advice, please?

• 12 Jan, 2015