Most of the sources tell us to cut the top of the transplanted trees (even severely), to compensate for the loss of root system.

==>>> this is so old school.. that you might have to ride your horse to the library to find the books it is written in ...

its difficult to answer your premise... with no knowledge of size ... potted.. freshly dug.. soil.. etc ... but my cliche.. is as follows ..

every leaf is a food making machine.. converting sunshine into food ... if you remove a vast majority of the trees food making machines.. then you can not grow the root mass ... [presuming it has been cut off in the planting process] ... to support the tree.... thereby retarding PROPER ESTABLISHMENT ...

dont do it ... and when it come time to choose plants... come back to us.. and we can help you make decisions.. that will make the whole process easy ...

one of the biggest problems.. with the WWWeb.... is too much info ... with no sourcing as to experience nor success ...

ken

Just what kind of tree are we talking about? How large is it? Evergreen or deciduous? And how much do you think the root system has been compromised in the transplanting? Are you transplanting it now?

Too many questions need answering before a pat answer.

The principles are all the same. All your questions do not really matter.

"I think this is a rather simple question."

Actually, it's probably not as simple as you think and exceptions are a certainty.

"Most of the sources tell us to cut the top of the transplanted trees (even severely), to compensate for the loss of root system."

Few, if any, reputable sources advise that as a general practice! As Ken said, it's mostly an old-school thing (as in when some people didn't know better and just mindlessly repeated what they'd heard).

"But some sources..."

Well, you have some of the idea partially right, but there's much more to it. The topic has been discussed here before numerous times.

"They argue to keep the existing top terminal growth, cut off some middle or lower branches entirely."

WHAT!!!???

"The principles are all the same. All your questions do not really matter."

ROFLMBO

"The principles are all the same. All your questions do not really matter."

Red sun, imagine the difference of me planting a 3 foot metasequoia with 100% of its root mass vs someone plantint a 10% Box Store 6' tall tree in a milk jug. :(

Why do you want to go extreme? Just common situation.

Say, some tree has been in ground for two years, about 5' tall. Be it oak, apple, etc.... What do you do when you move it.... Or you send it to your friend in town....

If you have any good opinion, then just state it. If you do not, just walk away. Do not waste your time and argue, argue,,,, etc....

Not a good way to use the time....

It's not a matter of opinion at all. Correct horticultural practices are dispensed and promoted because scientifically they have been found to achieve the best results for the plant. And like anything with a scientific background, they continue to change and evolve with time and increased study and knowledge.

It just takes some practices and publications more time to get with the current program than others.

Here is a link that might be useful: the myth of pruning at transplanting

Hi RedSun,
I transplanted a bareroot Shingle Oak this past March. It was about 6' tall. I definitely pruned roots. As for the top I limbed it up by removing lower branches. It was slow to come out of dormancy but it did flush out new growth and I expect it will grow well next year.
Here is a link from J. Frank Schmidt nursery. They are world famous growers of deciduous trees and have it down to a science. Open the link and read what they say about Light Branched Trees. J. F. Scmidt nursery has forgotten more about growing trees than anyone at WSU will ever know.
BTW how close to Kingston are you? I used to live on Mapleton Ave. I spent many nights working at a nursery nearby where we pruned tops and bottoms of deciduous stock by tens of thousands. It is not a matter of old or new practices, if left unpruned some of the tops of deciduous trees will die back the following year. By pruning them
when you transplant them you create the kind of canopy you want and handle the trees only one time.

Here is a link that might be useful: j frank schmidt product line

"Why do you want to go extreme? Just common situation.

Say, some tree has been in ground for two years, about 5' tall. Be it oak, apple, etc.... What do you do when you move it.... Or you send it to your friend in town....

If you have any good opinion, then just state it. If you do not, just walk away. Do not waste your time and argue, argue,,,, etc....

Not a good way to use the time"

Sorry to offend you Redsun.

What did I say that upset you btw? I mentioned one extreme with a small plant and then one extreme with root loss that could I support pruning.

Sometimes I like to lead folks to an opinion or let people form their own after sprouting information.

If you must know, I don't top prune anything I transplant. Trees in stress seem to go for smaller foliage before abandoning branches.

"Why do you want to go extreme? Just common situation.

Say, some tree has been in ground for two years, about 5' tall. Be it oak, apple, etc.... What do you do when you move it.... Or you send it to your friend in town....

If you have any good opinion, then just state it. If you do not, just walk away. Do not waste your time and argue, argue,,,, etc....

Not a good way to use the time"

Sorry to offend you Redsun.

What did I say that upset you btw? I mentioned one extreme with a small plant and then one extreme with root loss that could I support pruning.

Sometimes I like to lead folks to an opinion or let people form their own after sprouting information.

If you must know, I don't top prune anything I transplant. Trees in stress seem to go for smaller foliage before abandoning branches.

Haha, funny.

I already wasted so much of my time. I already have several books on pruning on my tablet....

This tree forum is the worst one I've seen... IMO....

Thread closed... Thanks for the help.

"...if left unpruned some of the tops of deciduous trees will die back the following year."

I've never heard of this happening (baring something unrelated to what we're talking about) with properly sized root systems and proper aftercare. I guess I would say that all of my experience and knowledge completely disagrees with this statement.