Does this oak have a future.

[crab apple]

Can anyone identify what's going on with this Shumard oak, I bought it at home depot at the end of last summer and the trunk was showing signs of damage or disease. At the time it was cheap and I wanted some oaks to develop into pre bonsai, I was going to eventually chop it below the damage so no biggie but now I just want to plant it for a wildlife tree to feed the squirrels and deer. Its growing like crazy, should I just plant it and see what happens or is there some kind of medical attention I should give it first.

 

[penumbra]

Hard to say whether the swelling is due to mechanical damage or if something more serious like a caner is in the trunk. I would cut well below the swelling and trash the top.

 

[Cajunrider]

Hard to say whether the swelling is due to mechanical damage or if something more serious like a caner is in the trunk. I would cut well below the swelling and trash the top.

Agree. I would chop this oak well below the swelling.

 

[crab apple]

Makes sense, I guess I'll wait till next spring as long as it doesn't get too worse.

 

[penumbra]

Makes sense, I guess I'll wait till next spring as long as it doesn't get too worse.

I wouldn't wait. I'd do it yesterday.

 

[crab apple]

Done, deep down I think I was kinda hoping to hear this, as I've grown tired of not chopping anything

 

[crab apple]

This Oak responded well to the early summer trunk chop, there was nothing really viable below the chop that I could see, no branches or obvious nodes but it backbudded really well anyways.

 

[Smithlandia Bonsai]

This Oak responded well to the early summer trunk chop, there was nothing really viable below the chop that I could see, no branches or obvious nodes but it backbudded really well anyways.

How has this Shumard developed since the chop in 2022?

 

[crab apple]

I decided to give it a nice new home in the ground as a wildlife tree, its making its owd dicisions now. It picked itself a new leader and the weird deseased looking part didn't come back. I'ts leaves are way too big to be a bonsai.

 

[queenofsheba52]

I think it's an important part of bonsai to listen to what a tree is telling us. You did well!