I've always read that energy for the fruit comes from the roots (at least in peaches) up to the pit hardening stage. After that the fruit gets it's carbohydrates from the leaves. Below is an article I've linked before, but provides a little more detail to my statement above. I agree completely that fruits absorb carbohydrates from local foliage. For larger fruits 30-40 leaves. For cherries 2 only leaves are required. As an interesting aside, I've also read that leaves have to be ahead of the peach/fruit for it to benefit from the leaves. While I think this is generally true, I've seen many peaches grow on little shoots that only have a little tuft of 2 or 3leaves at the end of the small shoot (These peaches should have been removed.) These peaches are certainly smaller than other peaches, but interestingly if they are left on the tree for a long time they generally end up with an acceptable flavor. I've also seen some peaches at the very end of the shoot with no leaves past them. They too are smaller, but also generally end up with a decent flavor. Because of this it's my theory peaches can absorb some carbohydrates from foliage downstream, even though the literature says otherwise. Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow big peaches

Katrina: The fact that you are seeing some infection in this old pruning cut is not a good thing. Also, what you are seeing I would guess is a fungal fruiting body, and it is my understanding that these do not develop unless the fungus is well established. BUT, BUT, BUT, there are many kinds of fungus that can infect pruning cuts, and some of these grow smaller than others and put out fruiting bodies very quickly. So, this infection may not be deep. Also, fungal infections sometimes develop in old pruning cuts and do not progress into the wood of the trunk of the tree--after the callus closes the wound they die or do not progress any further. O'Hara briefly notes some research findings in his article about this. I can report one experience I had with a very large and tall tuliptree that was in my yard where I used to live. This was a tree well over 100 feet tall and about 2 1/2 feet in diameter. I noticed a place about 25 feet up where a large old branch had broken off many years before and it had an incomplete covering with callus. Because I was in a neighborhood with houses close together, I was afraid and the risk of huge damage if this tree was blown over or broken with the wind, I did not really trust any arborists opinion--what if he was wrong? People could be killed, a house destroyed. So I had the tree taken down. As it turned out, the tree was still surprisingly sound and did not at that time have a great risk of breaking at that point. That does not say that some problem could have progressed in the future, but the tree was, after all, basically OK. My recommendation. If you can get up on a ladder and do a close inspection of this yourself (assuming you can do this securely, poke into the area and see what kind of softening of the wood has occurred. If there is a fungal fruiting body that you can collect and put in a jar, do that--it can be identified. And it may not be too late to treat the area with copper fungicide as I have been recommending. If the wood still seems fairly sound--not turned to some kind of soft mass, I would say it may not be too late. And for a first treatment on an area like this I would paint it twice so you get a good "soak in." If the callus later closes the wound the copper fungicide that will at that point be under the callus may have some effect on stopping or reducing the infection. If you want to hire an arborist that may be a good idea. But I am not sure how much training they have in identifying specific species of fungal rot pathogens, and I am not sure that methods they have to determine the exact extent of a fungal infection. Maybe some arborist can give me some information here in this forum about this. In any case, I would examine the area carefully yourself so you will know exactly what the arborist is talking about and you can decide if it makes sense based on your own observations. And you will know what kinds of questions you can ask. Anyway, to sum up, I think there is a good chance your tree will be OK. --Spruce

Pruning the top usually causes many new sprouts on lower branches and sometimes from the base. It works best if there is adequate light. In dense shade, dormant buds are more reluctant to sprout. Tyler arboretum discovered this when they severly cut back their oldest plants. Some in dense shade didn't come back. After that they remove some of the shade and cut back the top to stimulate growth from the base. Then they cut back the rest of the older branches.

To get the best response for this question, contact your state's MG program or post on the shrub forum.