Stab toothpicks in the crotch between the trunk and branches to spread the angle of the branch towards horizontal.

thanks for the tip, will look into that. do you pierce the bark with the tooth pick and if so how deep can you go?

You have a choice to make -- do you want one single trunk, or do you want an open center / vase shaped tree? Either way is fine, but you're better off choosing one now before the tree grows too far out of control. If you want a single leader, then choose one to keep right now and prune off all other competitors (there will always be other branches thinking they are in charge -- when you see them, prune them off). If on the other hand you want an open center, then spread all the branches now and prune off anything growing towards the center of the "vase". Typically an open center tree will have 3 or 4 main "trunks" spread out far apart from each other.

Anything else you see in this early time is kind of a waste of growth as it will need to be pruned off eventually anyway, so the sooner the better until you establish the main framework of your tree -- one trunk, or several trunks spread in a vase shape. Your choice.

This post was edited by dmtaylor on Sun, Jul 14, 13 at 16:33

I have a ten foot pixie crunch semi dwarf and a 4 foot dwarf. Both reliable producers, and they hold their fruit well. I think the dwarf produced a few apples in its second year, so hopefully you wont have to wait too long. They produce very tasty apples. Looks like yours are all set up and ready to grow! Good luck with the sweet sixteen, its one I have wanted to try but havent had the opportunity yet. You may want the little tree to get established a bit before pruning.