When tip-cutting is done just above the beginning node of a growth flush, as was done on all these branches pictured, too many buds are activated, in a scrunched-up space.
Those terminal knobs, and the tops of the branches with the top circle of four or five leaves, should be cut off--- and they should be thrown away, in case there are microscopic bud mites in the budcovers.
Also be sure that your fertilizers and micro-nutrient mixes have Boron, Copper, Zinc, and Calcium, as well as the other nutrients, to ensure healthy buds.
And keep excess soil and mulch pulled away from the base of the trunk.