Prune all fruit and nut trees at planting time to balance the tops with the roots.Water sprout-A 1-year-old shoot that grows within the tree.Vertical branch-A branch that grows upright.Thinning cut-A pruning cut that removes an entire branch from its point of origin.Sucker sprout-A 1-year-old shoot that grows from the root.Stub-A short portion of a branch left after a pruning cut.The bud scale scars (ring of small ridges) on a branch mark the start of a season’s growth. Shoot-The length of branch growth in one season.Scaffold limb-A large limb that forms a tree’s framework.Multiple-leader trained trees usually have three to five leaders per tree. In a central-leader trained tree, only one leader is left in the center of the tree. Leader-The uppermost portion of a scaffold limb.Lateral branch-A side shoot off of another branch, usually at a more horizontal angle.Heading (or head cut)-A pruning cut that removes only part of a branch.Crown-The base of the trunk where the tree meets the soil.The strongest crotch angle is 45 to 60 degrees. Crotch angle-The angle formed between the trunk and a limb.It contains specialized cells that seal off pruning wounds from wood rot fungi. Branch collar-The raised tissue at the base of every branch.

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