Pruning

'Spur' is the name given to the short growths that produce blossom and fruit and are usually about 1 to 2 inches long. I'm assuming therefore that your 2ft long things are branches, not spurs. They should be removed so as to preserve the shape of your espalier, which obviously depends on how your growing it - fan shaped or whatever. Now is getting rather late to be pruning apple trees...... spurs form on growth in its 2nd year and older - that's where your fruit will form - so you can safely remove the whippy younger growth. It's hard to explain this kind of thing without diagrams - if you visit your local library they're bound to have books on pruning fruit trees.

We've just trimmed our apple tree, as buds are only just developing on it. You may get away with trimming if you do it fairly quickly. You could also lay some nitrogen fertiliser or dried poulty manure on the surrounding soil to encourage healthy vigorous growth.