Collecting Oaks - DURING growing season as opposed to before?

[daygan]

coh,

That other oak that I linked to was repotted (though not root-pruned) in spring just as its buds were swelling. It seemed to do fine, but Harry Harrington suggests that the rule that is demonstrated by his experiences in collecting oaks may also be applicable to repotting, such that repotting (and hence root-pruning) should be done after the first leaves appear in spring or in early autumn. That reference is here.

Somewhat different but related question. Most of you have been talking about collecting wild oak trees, which have never had any root pruning. Thus, they all most likely have significant tap roots. I have an English oak (quercus robur) that I purchased as a 2 year old seedling. It had already been root pruned when I got it. I planted it in the ground in my growing bed in spring 2011, after further root pruning. It was planted on a tile. I think it needs one more season before lifting and root pruning, and am wondering if that is something I should do in early spring when buds are swelling (the "default" time), or if it would be better done after leafing out. Any opinions?

I'm leaning toward early spring...which is when I initially root pruned and planted it. Tree has grown strongly in the past 2 seasons and is about 8' tall now.

Chris

 

[gergwebber]

I love oaks and am glad this post was started.

I wonder though, if the collection timing is endemic to the species, or just to oaks within a particular range limited to species and climate and culture.

I live in a mediteranean climate that supports many oaks that grow both in very specific climatic sites, like the canyon live oak, and very broad ones, like the valley oak. I will take up the oak collection challenge too and see what happens. I think collecting at the time of bud swell will be most effective, but who knows.

You daygan, are starting a process that will one day lead to an article like harry's, where you can point to your results and say how/when etc.......

it may only be a regional template, but it will be important in any case.

 

[rockm]

I'd be very careful about using collection techniques for English oaks on North American "live oaks" like canyon, cup or even southern live oaks. Different climates, different species.

 

[daygan]

I'd be very careful about using collection techniques for English oaks on North American "live oaks" like canyon, cup or even southern live oaks. Different climates, different species.

Pretty sensible reasoning to me. Live Oaks are evergreen, so they're definitely different in terms of their life cycles and growth process.

 

[PaulH]

Pretty sensible reasoning to me. Live Oaks are evergreen, so they're definitely different in terms of their life cycles and growth process.

Actually, live oaks in California are partially deciduous. They drop a large portion of their leaves in the fall and have a surge of new growth every spring.

 

[Poink88]

Actually, live oaks in California are partially deciduous. They drop a large portion of their leaves in the fall and have a surge of new growth every spring.

Live Oaks here (Texas, USA) drop their leaves in spring...just as all the rest of the trees are turning green.

 

[gergwebber]

My point was not whether live oak collection would differ from deciduous species, but that collectiong oaks in ENGLAND will differ from collecting in Ca, or China, or Virginia. My point was that unless we learn or are told that information, the only way to get the results is to follow harry's guildelines and add a few expiremental trees to see whats best where you are. Thats what daygan did, and I will too this spring. But of course someone here already knows this and is just waiting for us to figure it out for ourselves. Thats fine, I only learned to hold a knife the right way with bloody fingers.

 

[daygan]

I agree. Experimentation with all of the different oak species in all the different climates in which they grow is of great merit and can help us to collect information that others can use to better understand the trees that they're working with.

Dario, that's interesting about live oak leaves dropping in spring in Texas. I've seen something similar with camphor trees in Zhejiang, China - old leaves start turning red and dropping in the spring, but not all at once, and I've never seen a completely leafless camphor that wasn't dead, so I guess that means that they only drop a portion of their old leaves or they drop them all over a period of time but at the same time are also growing new leaves for the new season. ... sorry, I'm bunny-trailing...

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Nice oaks. I have had a couple scrub live oaks that I raised from seed collected outside Las Vegas, in a box canyon, somewhere out in the desert. When I would repot them before leaves were expanding, they would suffer, or die completely. I never repotted all of the the same year. so I have a few left and Ted Matson told me in california, he only repots his native oaks while they are in active growth. He also does all the branch work and everything else when in active growth. Leave them alone until after leaves have at least partially expanded. So that agrees with Harry's recomendation. The two survivors I had left when Ted told me this, are still with me. So I am a believer.

 

[red]

I realize I'm drudging up a very old thread, but this is the very information I've been looking for and I was wondering if daygan had anything to add. How has this method of collection/potting during active growth worked out for you?

I have a couple substantial scarlett and pin oaks i'm going to attempt to trunk chop and collect this coming year and right now I'm leaning toward waiting until after they leaf out. I've only ever collected one Oak and that was when I lived in California. it was also in active growth and thrived after potting.

Any updates would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[daygan]

Thanks for your interest in this question, red. At this point, I can only say that the oaks that I've collected during the growing season have seemed to thrive and recover quickly. I have not collected any more since the time of my last photos in this thread. I still have a couple oaks left, but they're being neglected in southern China right now, and I don't know their current state of health. A few of my oaks died this past summer. I suspect that they dehydrated, as they were not in Beijing with me, and when I visited the location where I had left them, all I could see for certain was that they were dry and dead in their pots.

I will continue to collect oaks occasionally as I find suitable trees, and will add information about my findings to this thread. In the meantime, Osoyoung is doing an experiment on cork oak repotting that also will provide some answers in regards to this question. You may even join him in the experiment if you wish and add to the contributory data.

 

[red]

Thanks for the reply, daygan. I will definitely keep an eye on this thread and see if I can be of any help to Osoyoung.

 

[Johnathan]

I will continue to collect oaks occasionally as I find suitable trees, and will add information about my findings to this thread. In the meantime, Osoyoung is doing an experiment on cork oak repotting that also will provide some answers in regards to this question. You may even join him in the experiment if you wish and add to the contributory data.

Any conclusion to this?

 

[daygan]

Any conclusion to this?

I don't believe I collected any more oaks between the time that I wrote that last message and the end of 2014 when I left China. Since returning to the States, I haven't had the chance to collect oaks properly during the growing season, so I still have more experimenting to do. I've got my eye on a few oaks that I'd like to try to collect this year, but it's going to be dependent on whether or not I can sort out the space to care for them. I'll be transitioning from an apartment to a house sometime this year (hopefully) and the timing of that is going to be the primary factor in determining whether I collect anything this year or next year. I'll definitely keep you posted though, @Johnathan !

 

[Johnathan]

I don't believe I collected any more oaks between the time that I wrote that last message and the end of 2014 when I left China. Since returning to the States, I haven't had the chance to collect oaks properly during the growing season, so I still have more experimenting to do. I've got my eye on a few oaks that I'd like to try to collect this year, but it's going to be dependent on whether or not I can sort out the space to care for them. I'll be transitioning from an apartment to a house sometime this year (hopefully) and the timing of that is going to be the primary factor in determining whether I collect anything this year or next year. I'll definitely keep you posted though, @Johnathan !

I read this article last year and mentioned it here, nobody know what I was talking about lol

I'm hoping to find an oak this weekend, we shall see.