This is a close-up of the leaves.

This is the base of the tree. The "stuff" in the front is dirt - almost like clay, but not as hard. The soil over here is like that. You can also see a few of the "BB" holes :(

All of the yellowing leaves....

Just looking at the foliage your tree looks healthy and nice to me. The BBs will probably be encapsulated by the tree I agree. Try to remember they are there or write it on the wall behind the laundry machines to remind the next folks. Only harm I would expect from the BBs would be to whatever future chainsaw cuts down the tree.

Now keep in mine I am posting from my cell, does the line between the trunk and the soil look extra defined almost like a cut was made there? Probably just me squinting. The leaves look too good.

Hi Toronado. The line between the trunk and the soil is not a cut. Some years ago, whoever planted the tree put these rounded, concrete,scalloped edge, decorative..um...things? around the tree. I have no idea what they're called but I've seen them near the steppping stones in Lowes or Home Depot. There were 3 around the tree, which made a perfect circle around it when it was smaller. Maybe to keep the grass from growing near the tree? However, as the tree grew, the stones were never moved and the roots started to push them out of the way and kept a bunch of gunk high up (4 inches or so) on the trunk of the tree. When we moved in, we took the stones away since it looked horrible - they were too small for the trunk now, and kept a lot of gunk around the roots. What's left is some of the dirt that had accumulated between the tree and the stones. Our yard is slightly sloped away from the front of the tree, so the dirt pile that is left is even with the back of the tree. We were told to leave it because oaks don't like change. We literally can't find any good information on this tree so we just do as told for now. I'll post a few more pictures that might help and thanks again!

{{gwi:460515}}

The entire tree

{{gwi:460516}}

The back of the tree trunk

{{gwi:460517}}

The front of the tree trunk - dang sprinklers were on!

{{gwi:460519}}

The yellowing leaves

My thought is that if the previous owners never did anything in the yard, that the tree is now receiving more water than it's accustomed to. (Recall that the arborist said that oaks don't do well with change.)

Further, I suspect a circling root at the base of the tree. Likely too late to do anything about that at this time.

The tree looks healthy to me. I wouldn't worry about it. You may get some good fall color out of it in a few weeks too.

> Hi everybody! I'm new to the gardening side of Gardenweb
> (lol) and I was hoping somebody would be able to give us
> advice about our tree. We moved in last October and in
> our backyard is a gorgeous 35-40 foot tall oak. We had an
> arborist visit who told us he thought it was either a
> white oak or a scarlet oak.

That's a pretty crappy arborist if he can't tell the difference between a white oak and a scarlet oak. They are fairly distinct. Was he even certified?

> The leaves to me look like a pin oak, but I'm not an
> arborist so he's probably right. Anyhow, last year around
> this time the leaves started changing colors and turned a
> gorgeous bright red with hints of orange in them.

Scarlet and pin look similar, leaf-wise. Based on the description of the fall foliage I would say scarlet is correct.

> We had been looking forward to seeing it again this year
> but...the leaves are just turning yellow, then brown,
> then dropping off the tree. I can't help but to feel as
> if we did something wrong.

Usually some smallish, usually interior branches die each year. Generally they die at this time of year, before main leaf drop, and turn yellow as you describe before dying.

> We do have a lawn around it, but the lawn has been there
> as long as the tree has - 15 years. I deep watered the
> tree a few times until I was told that you shouldn't
> water oaks in the summer, so now it gets water from the
> sprinklers on the lawn. I've read that you should never
> water an oak tree with sprinklers but again, the tree has
> been there for 15 years with no problems and the arborist
> told us to just leave things alone because oaks don't
> like change.

Who said not to water oaks in summer? I've seen that written about native California oaks, but that doesn't look like California to me ;)

> One other thing to mention - this house was a foreclosure
> when we bought it, and the people that lived here before
> did not take care of anything - the roof, the carpets,
> the walls, and much less the tree. They in fact shot it
> with a BB gun. The arborist we had over said that we
> should leave them in because the tree could be caused
> more harm if we take them out but I feel weird just
> seeing them and thinking that maybe they are affecting
> the health of the tree. I don't even know what to think
> anymore. So that's my story. I'm hoping that if I post a
> few pictures someone will come along and be willing to
> share some knowledge on the tree. Maybe tell us what it
> is? How to properly care for it? I get so many
> conflicting answers elsewhere :( Thank-you much!

Don't worry about the BB's unless you notice rot around where it was shot. Otherwise the tree should encapsulate them and it won't matter a bit.

Hi Jean! The previous owners watered the yard and cut the grass but not much else - like trimming the bushes, or weeding, etc. The yard looks much better now than when we moved in, but it's nowhere near where we'd like it to be. Since it was a foreclosure, we're not sure how often or how long they watered, unfortunately. The lawn looked great though.

Ruffles - I hope you're right. The tree was gorgeous last year!

Famartin - He was a certified arborist. His company was pretty highly rated on Angie's List as well. Maybe it was just a bunch of fake reviews...I too thought it was weird that he couldn't identify the difference between the white and scarlet oaks since the leaves look completely different to me. He was over for a quote to get rid of our evil Mulberry so I think he didn't want to pay too much attention to the oak. He's the one that told us not to water it too much. He said oaks don't like their "feet" wet, they like to be deep watered, just not in the summer. I've deep watered a few times but it gets water mostly from the sprinklers. Should i water it differently?

Yeah - it's definitely not a native California oak, those I can tell from a mile away because they are everywhere!! (We live in CA).

Thanks for everybody's help! Maybe I'm just being paranoid..

Sounds like your arborist wasn't paying attention. Anyway, with an east coast species like Scarlet Oak prefers drier sites in its native range, it will definitely prefer a wetter one there in California, where summer rainfall is nil. That said, if sprinkler water has been all its been getting, then that's probably all it needs.

Hmm...I guess I'll have to give it some time and hopefully the rest of the leaves will turn red. The branches with the yellow leaves are large ones and they're alive, so only time will tell. Thanks for everybody's help and if anybody has any additional tips about the tree, please let me know - especially about the watering schedule. Also - is it ok for the grass to grow right up to the tree or should we pull some of it and mulch? Thanks!

Hmm... they don't look large on the pictures you've shown us. In any case, they probably won't be alive next year.

As for the grass up to the trunk issue: That depends on who you ask. In nature its perfectly normal to have grass right up to the trunk, if that is the natural ground cover in the area. Of course, in most wooded areas it isn't, but it does happen occasionally in nature. Where it doesn't occur in nature, there are usually small bushes or young trees in the vicinity of the trunk. There is also a natural ground cover of dead leaves in most natural settings.

Getting away from what happens in nature, there are certainly millions of urban park trees which have grass right up to the trunk and do just fine. One concern with grass up to the trunk is how careful the person mowing the lawn is, since hitting the tree with the mower can of course damage it (naturally). In that case it just becomes a matter of if you are careful mowing, or if you care that much.

I prefer a perennial bed around the base of most trees, but that's purely for aesthetics.

first.. fall color in trees... especially oak.. is extremely variable year to year ... so as far as your 'show' .. there is always next year ... all the stressors of spring and summer are part of the variables of such ...

second... mulching around a tree of that size is simply an issue of keeping the lawnmower.... the weedwhip .. and the guy who runs both.. away from the tree ... scarring the trunk is forever ...

third.. the lawn show some signs of drought... at the edge of the canopy ... its yellow there... and that is where the feeder roots are ...

simply put.. that is a gorgeous mature oak tree ... it really needs little or nothing from you.. especially 'worry' ... water the lawn to keep it green.. and the tree will get what it needs.. if you fert the lawn .. the tree will get most of that stuff ... plus the mulched grass clippings... it needs little else from you.. in other words.. dont try to kill it with too much love ...

and in summation.. go find something else to worry about ... simply enjoy this tree ... its been there a very long time.. w/o you.. and has thrived.. why do you now think it is a problem ....

ken

ps: the tree is probably as old as the house.. how old is that????

Agree with most of what you posted Ken... though if it really is Scarlet Oak I'd argue that its the most reliable oak for fall foliage. Probably as reliable as most showy maples.

Hmm, looks like Shumard oak leaves. If you could find some acorns, might pin it down.

Quite a few of the trees around here (with the exception of native CA oaks) have grass that grows right up to the trunk. The arborist that was here told us that the grass shouldn't grow up to the trunk and when I did some research online, I found conflicting information. It shouldn't surprise me that something else we were told is incorrect. *sigh* I think I may pull some of it away and just mulch directly around the tree, for aesthetics.

This house was built in 1996. Somewhere along the way, one of the previous owners planted the tree through a free shade tree program we have in this area. Our summers can creep into the 100's, just for a few days, so the local electric company partnered with a tree foundation to give out various free trees. We'd like to plant 2 smaller trees for privacy (we have a fairly good sized yard) and when their arborist was out to recommend the placement and type of tree he told us that the oak had originally come from them. He unfortunately didn't have anything written down as far as what type it was.

My husband is the grass mower / weed eater. It takes him maybe 10 minutes to do the entire yard because he's very, very careful around the tree. He's a major tree fanatic. If it were completely up to him we'd be living out in the country on 10 acres surrounded by trees, with no neighbors for miles.

Our grass is fickle. It may look like drought but it was like a swamp out there a week ago. We actually had a few mushrooms pop up and when we walked into the grass, we sunk. We ended up cutting out one watering cycle so it gets watered 2 times a week now for 15 minutes each time. It's been in the 80's...

Thanks again for all of your answers, guys! Guess I was just worrying for nothing. Hopefully we'll still see some color change but if not, maybe next year. :)

i didnt mean to suggest that due to lawn coloration.. the tree needed more water ..

i was just trying to say.. subject to number one.. tree color is variable.. and the lawn shows some stress ... so the heat and or drought MIGHT have made this years show.. less than last years ... NBD ... no big deal ...

i just wouldnt worry about it..

ken

Hi Ken. I figured that's what you meant since I said the tree gets the water from the grass, so if the grass is brown, not enough water for either. The tree's been getting a good soaking watering all day just in case. As long as it looks ok then maybe next year...

Beng - I wish I could find a few. The squirrels around here get most of them though. I looked up the Shumard tree leaves and they look very similar to ours. Regardless of what it is, it's a great tree!

Thanks again to everybody for the advice!

Yep, that's a beauty. Nice underneath on a hot, sunny day. A magnet for wildlife. Interesting that it thrives in CA.

The circle of bare earth around the trunk is caused by the root crown building upwards from underneath, pushing up at & eventually breaking the soil up. Seen it on Shumards & other oaks. I don't see any evidence of girdling roots.