Choosing a different Oak, Shumard Oak?
Daniel Central IN, Zone 6a
6 years ago
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drrich2
6 years agoDaniel Central IN, Zone 6a
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Shumard Oak & Chlorosis
Comments (4)I think you got the wrong "shumard" for alkaline soil. Where did you get it from? I threw mine out after a year. I have two shumard oaks that are drasitically different from each other. Each came from different place. One had dark green leaves, alot more leaves than the light green leaves and not many leaves either. I recall reading an article about the size of the buds, something about bigger size of buds meaning they are suitable for the soil??? I have no idea how to find that article though. You just have to find Shumard trees whose acorn came parent trees in alkaline soil. Makes huge different, i believe. One interesting observation that I made was that light green leaves are turning RED right now unlike my dark green leaves shumard. Go figure... It probably isn't worth fixing it. Get a new one but it seems to be very difficult finding the correct one. I asked Howard Garrett and he admitted that it's difficult to know which is which. He said to wait for a few years and find out. I chose to dig it out immediately and plant something else like Caddo Maple....See MoreRed Oak? Shumard Oak?
Comments (13)This oak was growing on the grounds of a rest area on a high bluff very close to the Appalachicola River - the soil appeared to be dry and very well drained. I know what you mean about those orange acorns, jqpublic - the ones I pick up from what I've assumed are red oaks on my property are orange inside, orangy brown on the outside. The acorns under this oak were small and mostly plain brown with only a few of them showing orange on the cap side. I went outside and picked up leaves on my property from what I've assumed were southern red oaks and post oaks. I don't know if my red oaks are q. falcata or q. pagodifolia - the red oak leaves are on the left. The leaves on the Appalachicola oak didn't look the same, they were still green combined with some red, whereas my red oaks never have pretty color, just green or brown. Of course, this may have to do with the growing conditions. I'm beginning to think there are more hybrids out there than I realized, which is logical, since these oaks were all growing near other, different type oaks. I'll be planting up the acorns today - I'll probably be even more confused when they come up, so I'll just pick the most vigorous and/or interesting looking to plant. Sherry...See MoreHow to determine if it's right shumard oak for your soil..
Comments (2)Sally, I've done a lot of reading so from what I've gathered, you have to MAKE SURE where Shumard seedlings came from. Some are apparently from acid soil place and some from alkaline soil so it probably makes a big difference. I'm very well aware of shumard breeding very freely with other red oak species. I had two shumard oaks that I purchased separately from two differnt places and they were marked shumard oaks. I quizzed someone from that "reputable" nursery why the shumard oak didn't look right, didn't do much, have lighter green leaves instead of dark leaves. They just didn't know what to say other than try fish stuff.Whatever. The other one that I got from Lowe's is doing great. Already has grown 8 inches past couple weeks. A lot more leaves for sure than the other "shumard" oak. The buds are very different from each other. The point I'm trying to make is to make sure it's the really shumard oak that you purchased. That website that I told you about provided best info that i've found anywhere after many countless of hours of searching for some info. In my neighborhood, I'm pretty sure ALL are marked "shumard" oaks but I have my doubts whether they are truly shumard. Some actually look more like Pin oak! In limestone soil! I've never seen any labled Pin oaks anywhere at the nurseries in north texas so my guess some places might have deliberately mislabled them to make profit. Most have no idea how to really tell the difference. Even Howard Garrett doesn't know. I asked him directly about it... Apparently, all it takes is to look at the buds. If they are large buds, you're fine. If the buds are small on "shumard" oaks growing in alkaline soil, well you should be worried about!...See MoreShumard Red Oak stressed
Comments (9)If it's a big enough tree, I'd seriously suggest hiring a certified arborist. Trees are a big investment and I don't try to second guess treatment if I'm not confident enough about what's causing it. We tried to grow a medium-sized Shumard Red Oak two springs ago, and in the span of one year it died from a double whammy of slime flux and borers. It was a messy and depressing death, and it was obvious by about mid summer that the tree wasn't going to turn around. One thing I've learned from arborists is that too much water looks the same as not enough -- you'll get the same burnt tip appearance on leaves. I'm not saying you're watering too much, that's just the other side of the coin. There's all sorts of other factors that can cause browning, so you'd have to get someone to look at the whole tree, see what the leaves look like from bottom to top, check the soil around the tree, see if anyone's spraying anything in your neighborhood, check the leaves against diseases, etc....See Morebengz6westmd
6 years agoarbordave (SE MI)
6 years agoDaniel Central IN, Zone 6a
6 years agowhaas_5a
6 years agoLogan L Johnson
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6 years agohairmetal4ever
6 years agoDaniel Central IN, Zone 6a
6 years agohairmetal4ever
6 years agodrrich2
6 years agoLogan L Johnson
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago(ryanga7a) Ryan M
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago(ryanga7a) Ryan M
6 years agoDaniel Central IN, Zone 6a
6 years agodrrich2
6 years agoLogan L Johnson
6 years agoDaniel Central IN, Zone 6a
6 years agodrrich2
6 years agobengz6westmd
6 years agoLogan L Johnson
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6 years agoDaniel Central IN, Zone 6a
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