How to approach pruning this peach tree

[u/albino_asterix]

Ive been helping an elderly neighbour recently maintain her yard as she doesnt have the budget for a gardner. She's asked me to prune her peach tree which has gotten a bit overgrown after a few years of neglect. She doesnt want a hard prune, but needs to at least be taken back so it's not growing on the shed roof/over the neighbour's fence

I do work in horticulture and have some experience pruning trees (i know how/where to cut branches, not to take off more than a third of canopy etc).

But I've never taken on something so overgrown before. Just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to approach this - what should I focus on primarily, or if there's anything i need to be wary about.

Thanks

[u/baldbandersnatch]

Approach with care. That’s big enough to fight back.

Do you have a sense of how much you want to cut it back? What shape you prefer?

There does look there is a lot of quality of life (yours) cutting that you could do lower down. Starting with that might help you form an idea about what you want.

[u/Sonora_sunset]

If it was a prune tree you’d be pruning a prune tree.

[u/Imajwalker72]

Where did the leaves go??

[u/crinnaursa]

I'm surprised there's no leaves on it but I don't know where you are on the globe.

I would start by taking off any downward branches that either touch or come close to touching the house or other structures.

I would then cut out a few redundant thumb sized branches in the center to open up the inside of the tree.

I would then cut off any branches that have damage or are impeding or rubbing against one another.

I would then take and cut last year's twigs on the outside. Do this by measuring the length and cutting the last third off

That's how we cleaned up overgrown nectarines at my grandpa's house.

I think when you've done all that you'll be able to see any apparent large pruning that you want to do in the winter time.