Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
The trees were also homed in Dallas, Texas after collection. Dallas is also extremely humid...
I'm going to assume for purposes of commenting, that they are similar to our scrub/live oaks here in Southern California. I consider these all "chameleon" trees in that they will look very different based on where they grow. In the desert, they will be multi-trunk shrubs. In the coastal valleys they can be quite large trees that look like big old southern oaks. In the mountains, you will typically only find them as trees on the north-facing slopes. Anywhere else they will be shrubs. In the deserts and the higher mountains, they can get regular temps well below freezing, including periodic snow cover.
They really don't like their roots to be messed with, at all, and need open rocky soil mix. However mine sit under an automatic sprinkler and get water twice a day throughout the summer and I have never had fungal issues. I am pretty close to the ocean, so my air is "relatively" humid - though nothing like Virginia. Also it is really important to not touch their spring growth until it elongates and hardens. Then you can trim back to two leaves and it will push new growth. But if you prune too early... not sure what happens but the whole branch can die. I have never thought about it, but it could perhaps be fungus related and the new growth might be especially susceptible to open cuts that fungus can penetrate(?)
They are completely different in strength and behavior versus one of our standard deciduous oak species - like Valley Oak which is probably even stronger than Chinese elm and can put up with unlimited abuse.
Last edited: