Cork oak

jquast

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Here is a Cork oak that I have been growing for several years. The trunk is about 3 inches in diameter above the root base and I have let the tops run to add girth to the lower base of the tree.

Any advise on which leader to cut for future development?

jeff
 

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grog

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I don't know a thing about cork oaks so keep that in mind, but it like the central leader is a keeper with better flow and taper and that heavy upper side branch will have to go. Where and when to cut though I have no clue.
 

PaulH

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I'd cut the straight fork to put movement into the trunk and cut again above the smaller branch off the remaining trunk. Keep the small braches low on the trunk as sacrifice branches to speed healing the cuts. I wouldn't do it now though. Wait until it's starting to warm up in the spring.
Paul
 

jquast

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Finally decided that it was time to get this into a smaller pot and start developing the trunks. This went from a 15 gallon pot to an Anderson Flat last month and was reduced to about 24 inches. Both trunks were left tall to get some back budding and will be further reduced to get the secondary branching lower down the trunks. It is budding out all over so I should have plenty of options when I further reduce the tree next year.
 

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jquast

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My future designs for the tree are something along the lines of how this Elm has been developed (I believe that this is a Bonsai Nut members tree but not sure who it belongs to). I plan to severely shorten the left branch and develop the right branch into the canopy.
 

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jquast

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Here are some pics of just the base.
 

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dpowell

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Hey Jeff, good plan. The trunk with more movement seems like it would work better for a leader. Do you defoliate your oaks when you transplant? I've noticed mine tend to sulk and drop most of their leaves regardless (Cork & coast live) after transplanting, but can't tell if I'm doing something wrong.

-Danny
 

jquast

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Hey Jeff, good plan. The trunk with more movement seems like it would work better for a leader. Do you defoliate your oaks when you transplant? I've noticed mine tend to sulk and drop most of their leaves regardless (Cork & coast live) after transplanting, but can't tell if I'm doing something wrong.

-Danny

Hi Danny,

I don't defoliate my oaks when I repot but I believe that Paul H. might when he repots his. I was really rough on root pruning a smaller coast live oak two years ago and it sat all of last year and is just now starting to do something this year. Since I took this cork oak down from a 15 gallon to an Anderson flat I made certain to leave a fair amount of roots and did not bare root it and it has buds popping from top to bottom.

I repotted this Coast live oak a few weeks ago when its buds were starting to swell and it has not missed a beat at all and has put out a lot of new growth since. I'll take a few pics tomorrow and post them.

Jeff
 

drew33998

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Not to be rude, but what have you been doing on this tree for the last 5 years. I noticed the first post was in 2010? I figured it would be further along...
 

jquast

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Not to be rude, but what have you been doing on this tree for the last 5 years. I noticed the first post was in 2010? I figured it would be further along...


I might have been growing it out the past five years. It was in a 15 gallon nursery container and just cut down and root pruned into an Anderson Flat. Decided that the trunk had gotten to the size that I was happy with and was ready for further development.
 

drew33998

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Ohhhh. Well that makes sense. Thanks. And it is a great specimen to start with. Good luck!
 

milehigh_7

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Not to be rude, but ...


Almost always followed by something rude...

53627070.jpg
 
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