I have one of these (2 actually) and like a fuller plant to but love the long vines. I will watch as this progresses, I hope you update! I have little to no experience with springs tails so can't offer help but I'm sure the other more experienced growers here will jump in. Do wish you luck with the pests, so annoying.

When the existing growth tip is removed, another must form farther back on the stem. Sometimes more than 1 forms.

those back buds wont sprout unless you cut near them. young vines usually do not branch. even when there are buds present. so branching for philos is not really an option, unless they do it themselves, that is :) voluntarily.

i'd say it's a rare occurrence.

if you have insects in the soil i'am afraid nothing but systemic will get rid of them.

you might try submerging the whole plant ( pot and all leaves) in warm water with some 3% peroxide (1tsp per qt) and a alittle dish soap for 30 min. it will help certainly to reduce populations. and the philo can take it provided your soil is not total mud and will drain quickly.

put some paper-towels on soil surface to prevent soil from getting out and tie a plastic bag around the pot and close to the trunk - the water will get thru the top holes, but the soil will stay inside. the bubles need to escape from the top hold the pot down. you'll need a good bucket for this. might put a plate on top too - or smth to keep the whole submerged completely.

when done, it's good to cut a hole in the bottom of plastic before you lift it. the water will drain down as you lift - no soil spilled.

Bugs in soil can be eliminated immediately by changing the soil. That would also eliminate having a pot of dead bugs, the thought of which I like as little as the thought of a pot of live bugs. If the one is ambivalent about that, a natural method/substance like diatomaceous earth or BTi might be effective on springtails in lieu of serious chemicals like systemic insecticides, which may need to be used outside, the label would indicate, and may be overkill if other methods are effective.

Pruning often and the resulting increase in number of growing tips is how I ended up with these solid masses of foliage (parlor palm photo-bombing to the left.) Is that why you ask the question?

There's tons of new growth in all directions, it looks like. Unfortunately, half of my cuttings failed and the other half isn't fairing well. I've been trying everything I can to sustain them, but I might've shocked them by putting them in soil, then in water, and then back in soil (half of them, anyway). They start to brown from the stems and gradually the leaves fall off. Sad...