Fast growing vigorous sprouts, even those that start on the scion portion of the tree, sometimes grow straight up the tree 4 to 6 feet without any side branching, thus the sprout has no fruit production. I normally cut them out. However, thinking about the vigorous sprouts, I presume that the apical bud force on this type of sprout must be extremely potent, thus stopping any branching. I wonder if the top 4 or 5 inches of the sprout is cut off, removing the dominant apical bud, if the vigorous sprout would begin to branch out with new growth, and perhaps able to produce fruit?