1 year old Bur oak lost it's leader
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I have a Bur oak in my garden that I raised from an acorn about a year ago. It seems that the old top is dead and it started growing new shoots all over the place. Should I let it grow where it "wants to" or some trimming will be needed? I guess in time, one of these new shoots will become the leader but I'm not too familiar with Bur oaks, so I don't know if this looks normal or not.
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- 5 years ago
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Comments (7)Thanks.. yeah, the new sprout has grown about 6" in the last week and is growing more and more by the day.. but it is kind of laying out right now because it's so weak it won't even stand up straight.. so I'm going to have to stake it.. but I don't want to break it and set the tree back even further. Many of my bur oak saplings (I think they're 3 years old before transplanting) are just sprouting now... so I'm thinking the big one really just got shocked. The reason I haven't worried is that it hasn't sent up any sprouts or anything from the base and it's still juicy green under the bark... so I'm at a real loss. I've been out doing lots of watering and fertilizing (our soil is classified as a Psamment Entisol, which basically means Sahara Desert sand.. though with a little black soil in the top foot).. it is very deficient of all nutrients.. and I had never fertilized until this year. The white pine given to us as a housewarming present in 1999 was growing about 4-6" per year... two years ago I mulched around the base and last year and again this spring I fertilized it and it put on about 2 feet of healthy growth to the top.. so I think I'll continue to work bone meal into the soil in the falls and regular slow release stuff in the springs. The same goes for the apple tree given to us.. half of it died and for a few years it only grew about 1/10th of an inch... but I fertilized it last summer and again this spring.. it's put on over a foot of new growth and it looks healthier than ever. I've learned in this soil, you can't over fertilize (in the burning sense... but not in the 'running down to the water table' sense) and you can NEVER over water. I accidentally let the sprinkler run all night once... there wasn't one puddle.. the only response was a nice flush of lush green growth on the grass there. I have to water the vegetable garden every day it doesn't rain... it's a challenge... but anything will grow in it since the roots can grow unfettered....See MoreAnother question about my Bur Oak
Comments (2)Trees should be planted so that the upper most root is at or very slightly above ground level, so your tree probably was not planted too high. The rootball should have had mulch over the top. It sounds like you didn't have any mulch at all! The real problem (besides the fact that your tree died) were the encircling roots, which probably didn't kill the tree, but probably would have caused major issues in the future when the roots girdled the tree and may have been an indicator of other issues that did kill the tree. From your description, it sounds like the tree was very potbound when it was planted (that's the normal cause of encircling roots). Whoever planted this tree, with the encircling roots left like that, didn't know much about trees. Hopefully, if it was the builder, your other trees somehow managed to get better treatment. If not, they may be headed for trouble later on too. It's hard to know for sure what killed your tree without more information, but it sounds like it may have been a blessing because the tree was headed for trouble in the future anyway. Below is a guide to planting trees and shrubs. Next time you plant a tree or have someone plant a tree for you, go through the list and it may help you to avoid problems. Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub...See MoreBur Oak in hurricane prone areas
Comments (11)Resin, the USDA map shows Bur Oak native all the way down to the Corpus Christi area, whether that's correct or not I don't know ;) Scotjute, I was thinking that same thing about the roots. I've noticed lots of trees growing on heavy clay with a high water table seem to have a pancake type root system. I have really noticed this with Southern Magnolia, in sandy soil the roots go very deep, however in heavy clay they tend to stay at the surface and spread far out. Here is a link that might be useful: USDA map...See MoreShould I prune this Bur Oak?
Comments (8)Eventually I would. Seems funny, but those lower limbs will never be any higher on the trunk. They would make the tree nice and easy to climb, but not to mow under. Probably would be a good idea to prune the smaller limb on the V also and let the branching begin on the main leader. The decision is whether to do it this year or later in the life of the tree. It is advised that the tree develop a strong trunk before pruning side branches as they are contributing to the growth of the trunk, so I would say wait until the tree is older. "The lateral branches growing on the sides contribute to the development of a sturdy well-tapered trunk. It is important to leave some of these lateral branches in place, even though they may be pruned out later. These branches, known as temporary branches, also help protect the trunk from sun and mechanical injury. Temporary branches should be kept short enough not to be an obstruction or compete with selected permanent branches." I might, however, elect to take of the weaker branch of the Y. Perhaps others will contribute their knowledge to this question. How neat you planted it from seed. How old is the tree? Here is a link that might be useful: Tree pruning information ......See More
5 years agoNorbert (zone 7a - Hungary) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5- 4 years ago
So I thought I'd post some update about this little one. :)
The old top shows how much it has grown since my last update, taken in May. - 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
I think it's growing fairly well for an oak. (I'm aware the sticks and fence posts look even more silly now than before, but I got used to them, haha.)
- 4 years ago
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago- 3 years ago
Both of my bur oaks keeps growing vigorously but I've these bugs under (pretty much all of) the leaves that I checked. Should I be worried?
- 3 years ago
Here's the other one with dual leaders (I plan to remove one in this fall) :
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
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