Liove Oak Trunk Chop

Dwight

Chumono
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The only oak local nurseries sell is calles a live oak. It's an evergreen oak and they do real well here. Problem is all that I've seen are trimmed up 3' to 6' on the trunk so they have these long bare trunks. I have two in the yard and my neighbor has a couple as well and we've never seen any back budding on the trunks. When you get above the bare trunk some I've seen in the nursery would make great bonsai with lots of movement and many branches to work with. My question ios how the hell do you get rid of that ugly ( for bonsai ) long bare trunk. I've thought of trunk chopping but I can't see that working if they don't back bud already. How well do evergreen oaks air layer ?
 

wahoo172

Yamadori
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The back bud well, don't be afraid to chop it.
Here is a picture of a tree I am working on
draggedoutofthepot.jpg

This picture was taken 5 months after I cut the trunk perpindicular to the nebari. There was not
a single branch below where I cut it.
 

R_F

Chumono
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Hi Wahoo,

I've recently stumbled upon some oak material that I would like to collect. Do you have any hints or tips that are species specific? Like when did you do the chop? When did you dig it out of the ground? Etc.

Thanks!
(By the way, I'm on the other side of the state in Deltona. So, your timing for root work and such would be very helpful. Thanks again.)
 

Dwight

Chumono
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Thanks Yahoo , Maybe I'll get a cheap one at Lowes and try it. What time of year did you chop yours ?
 

wahoo172

Yamadori
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Sorry for hijacking your thread, that was not my intent.

I got this as a gift from a club member to say thank you for working on her trees.
It was in a 55 gallon drum when I got it, I did not dig it from the ground. I cut the
top off in August 2006, repotted it in late December of the same year.
It grew without pruning for 4 years, I just cut the top back a few days ago. The cut
is nearly all healed over from the unrestricted growth of the shoots that grew near the
cut site.

DSC_0002-9.jpg


DSC_0005-3.jpg


DSC_0005photochop.jpg

The last picture is a photochop to show the direction I want the top headed in.
 
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