Before you decide to renovate your old apple tree and start it on the road to delicious glory, ask yourself some questions. First, can you commit to caring for the tree, which involves annual pruning? Second, is it sited in the right place? In order to thrive, apple trees need six or more hours of direct sunlight per day in the summer—light that may have been more readily available decades ago, before other landscaping and neighborhood development took root. Lastly, do the tree’s shape and the flavor of the fruit warrant renovation? The ‘rose-colored palate’ by which we judge our own tree’s fruit can overcome only so much neglect. If you answered no to any of these questions, forget about trying to renovate the tree. Just take it down to ground level with a chainsaw.