My neighbor was about to cut down this oak (not sure the species) and I couldn’t bear to watch so I convinced him to let me dig it out. Pot is about 24” and trunk is 5” at the base. It was about 12’ when I cut it down (6’ now) in April ‘22 and I was able to leave the one branch which had no leaves when I got home. Bottom line is that everything there is from last summer and the roots are growing through the bottom of the pot. Surprisingly healthy. Looking for a strategy this spring. Cut back the top and try to do better training? Do a big chop above the small branch lower down? Wait to see if there is any more budding on the trunk? Happy to hear any ideas.
Not sure what to do with a rescue
- Thread starter Finndog
- Start date
Pixar
Chumono
I would try and get some movement in the trunk
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
I would chop way down low, just above that small branch on the left (assuming it's alive). Don't know if this is an oak species that buds back well, but it's not going to be credible unless you develop some movement and taper low on the trunk, or you commit to a HUGE tree.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Given this looks like an escarpment live oak (quercus fusiformis), along with the bald cypress in the background, You look to be in Texas or OK? I'd let it alone until early spring and see what happens to the remaining green growth. If it all drops off in the coming weeks or months, that's potentially a good sign. If it stays on and browns out, not so good.
Doing much more at this point won't help anything. The roots have to recover. Doing lots of sawing on extremely dense wood will jar the roots and damage them even more. The roots won't regenerate for months. I'd wait until NEXT spring to do anything with this tree.
Doing much more at this point won't help anything. The roots have to recover. Doing lots of sawing on extremely dense wood will jar the roots and damage them even more. The roots won't regenerate for months. I'd wait until NEXT spring to do anything with this tree.
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
Yeah, not clear from the original post if he chopped in April '22, or chopped and collected in April '22. I read it as "chopped and collected" since he said he's got good root growth since. If he collected then and still has that growth he's probably in good shape.
Gabler
Masterpiece
If it were me, I’d still wait till spring of 2023 to do anything. I don’t consider a collection to be a success until the buds break the following spring. If I’m just messing around with seedlings/saplings, I might touch them sooner, even knowing there’s a significant chance they’ll die because of my impatience. But this isn’t a stick with leaves cleaned out of a rain gutter. It has a five-inch base. It has to have lost more than 90% of its roots when dug up. I’d worry another injury of that size in the same year would kill it. I’ve definitely killed trees by doing precisely that.
I live in zone 7, where winters will freeze an unprotected pot solid, buy I’ve heard even more conservative advice from collectors in milder climates. Mauro Stemberger says he waits two to three years to touch a collected tree, and I’m assuming his local climate is comparatively mild.
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Joe Dupre'
Omono
This will HURT, but I've done it and it's worth it in the long run. Measure the trunk right above the wide base, multiply that by 3 to 3.5 and chop it. Let a leader grow to over half of the diameter at the chop. this might be 6 or 7 feet tall. Cut it again at 1 to 3 ratio and so on until you get some taper. The alternative might be to chop at 4 to 5 times the diameter above the base and go with a semi-broom spreading oak style.
Yes chopped and collected in April. Yes to TX. All the growth came during an epic drought this summer, there was not a single leaf on it when I got it home. I was given about an hour to get it out so it was a bit of a hatchet job. I haven’t checked but assume roots have come back pretty hardy since they are growing through drainage holes in the bottom of the container. This is after reducing the roots to almost nothing to get into the pot. Lower branch is alive. It wasn’t there when I chopped so all growth is from a bud this summer. I think my plan in the short term is to trim the foliage this spring and let it do it’s thing. Hopefully this will push some buds down low. I don’t know how much movement I can get with this big of a trunk, but may be able to go with a broom style if I can get some branches after a flat cut down low.
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
I agree it needs to be chopped. I would follow @Joe Dupre' plan with a slight addition. I would first chop it horizontally (as he suggests). Then I would wait until I got budding and a new leader selected, and then I would chop it a second time from the new leader down across the trunk at a 45 degree angle. Then carry on. That way you will be dealing with an angled scar to heal/work around - instead of a flat horizontal one.
Doesn’t hurt too bad. I knew I would have to cut, just when and where is the question. Agree with other that it is too early to call it a success. I am going to see what kind of budding I can get down low this spring/summer. If there is a bunch I will cut for the broom style. If not I will cut low and start developing taper.
Thanks all for the advice. Great forum.
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