Two-part black-and-white illustration of silhouette of upright trunk and lateral side branches with wide crotch angles (left) and close-up of branches with multiple nodes (right).

Figure 16. Proper pruning relies on a pecan tree’s growth habits. a. Optimally trained central leader tree. b. Pecan trees have at least 3 buds at each node. The buds at the top result in branches more upright than lower buds and are used to train trees.

Two-part black-and-white illustration of silhouette of upright trunk and lateral side branches with wide crotch angles (left) and close-up of branches with multiple nodes (right).