"Jim Lewis" wrote in message
...

"Ricky" wrote
OK. Prune it now and pull off all the leaves as well. This will
put all the energy into making new roots. Good luck!

I will respectfully disagree. The old school said to cut off a
proportionate amount of top as you cut off the bottom. Our
county extension forester says it is preferred these days to not
cut the top back. The leaves, in fact, provide the nutrients
that the tree needs to grow the strong root system. By cutting
the top, you are forcing the tree to use stored energy to create
roots -- which weakens the tree. It is very important, though,
that the tree be carefully staked so that even a light wind won't
topple it.

Jim,
I've read both arguments on the topic of pruning transplants - prune 'em
hard and prune 'em light. I can only go from experience. Both arguments have
scientific validity but then so does the silly "Big Bang Theory". I've
transplanted trees as tall as 25' and have had the best results with a hard
top pruning, especially with a small root ball.