Fruits and Nuts: How NOT to prune a Tree 1: Remember Your Roots, 0 by pollengarden

pollengarden wrote:
The bud out at the tip of the branch is called the Terminal Bud - the obvious onion shapes on this Viburnum. This bud releases a hormone that suppressed the growth of lateral buds and branches behind it. This can affect several inches to several feet behind the bud, depending on the type of plant. This bud is cut off to promote side branching

HOWEVER, the same hormone that tell the branches NOT to grow ALSO tell the ROOTS to grow.

DO NOT CUT OFF BRANCH TIPS ON RECENTLY PLANTED TREES that haven't established their root system.