If you root a non-tip cutting you can end up with a short or long stub protruding above the top-most bud.  The end cuttings marked in this photo demonstrate what I am referring to.

 

When do you prune off that stub?  And do you bother sealing the end of it afterwards?   These cuttings are now considerably older and larger, the picture was taken end-April.

I trim them once the plant is hardened off and in full sun. I don't see the need to wax the tip unless perhaps it is still alive and green. I trim all dead wood, or on live wood, to just above the next node.

I would also wait until you have some good growth just to make sure that there is enough sap slow that it doesn't take away from the cuttings and can seal up properly.

It doesn't matter what you do.  Any stem above the top-most live node will gradually die and wither away.  You can cut it, wax it, etc, it probably won't change the end result. 

More of a 'tip' rather than a 'stub'.
I see id 'markings' on the dead wood  ... I'll leave as-is ...

The largest 'stub' I have is almost 2 inches above the highest growing branch.  Those stubs just look bad, in my opinion.  If you tell me it will wither and go away I can live with that. 

And the plants are now well marked otherwise, for safety  :)

Thanks for the opinions!

don't remove anything, specially when there are knots on it, it will sprout later (if it's not dry)

Ed, I didn't consider you were approaching it from an aesthetic angle.  It can take a long time for them to fall off naturally.  Once it's clear that it's dead tissue (think of a fingernail), you can go ahead and trim it off with shears.  It's just hard to say for sure in the early days of a cutting which nodes will end up sprouting.

Once the tree grows in size that "stub" becomes almost unnoticeable...and, when you uppot from the cup, you will probably reorient the main branch so it sticks straight up to become the main trunk of the tree, making that stub even more unnoticable.

Hi Ed, the first rule of pruning is to remove all dead wood. I prune stubs when I up-pot. As Vince said, you will probably shift the plant so that the main stem is straight up, and at the same time, it is easy to prune off the dead stub, slightly above the live node. Prune at an angle to allow moisture to shed. It is healthier and looks better, IMO.   
The stub on this Figo Branco was about 4"-5" long.

After a year or two. No reason to hurry, that I know of.

I agree with Jon, see, the tree has its way of healing itself, if you trim it, you are exposing the middle for more die backs, where the plant heals itself.  Two years would be OK, but I would not remove the scar healed cut. 

My $0.02.....

I personally trim off any dead stubs, rub all cuts with powdered cinnamon, and then seal the cuts, even pruning cuts, with soft, toilet-bowl wax. The cinnamon kills pathogens, and the wax seals the cuts.  You can buy soft wax rings that are used to seal toilet bowls, at any hardware store, Home Depot, etc.  The sooner the cambium layer rolls over, and seals the cut, the better.  Newly formed cambium cannot, and will not, roll over a long stub, and worse, the soft, spongy, pithy centers in these long, dead, stubs usually rot out from moisture.  This rot, almost always leaves behind a channel of decay which can enter the living portion of your rooted cutting.  The wax seal on a cut will shed water.  I also cut away stubs at a sharp angle, so that water cannot pool on top of the cut stub, which can also lead to rotted centers.  Angled, close-to-the-stem cuts, also allows the cambium to roll over and seal the cut, sooner.  The sooner, the better.

That's just the way I do it, since you asked.  :)  Good luck with your new trees.


Frank