Pruning A Transplanted Ginkgo Tree

Question

I recently transplanted a 6 ft tall ginkgo tree that had been planted in the shade 25 years ago. I wanted to move it to a sunny location in my yard. During the transplant The tap Root broke off. I am hoping it will survive with the remaining part of the tap Root and all of the smaller roots in the root ball. Should I prune the top back to accommodate fewer roots? And if so, how do I do this? I don’t know whether to trim the top leader or only the side branches which there are not many. Thank you

Answer 1

The tap root's purpose is to stabilize the tree, so if you got the feeder roots, it may be okay. You would have needed to cut the tap root anyway. This article tells in-depth how to transplant a tree and it doesn't say to trim the branches. You never want to trim the leader. However, it may have helped to root prune a few months before transplanting.