Oak in development - sacrificial branch or keep?

[olympics]

Hi everyone, I wanted to get opinion on this small oak sapling I have in development. Would you leave the bottom first branch on the right there and wire it or leave it on for a sacrificial branch? I’m asking this because oaks seem to get hard to wire after they set in so I wanted to make a decision now while the branch was pliable.

 

[just.wing.it]

Be sure to cover that root ball with more substrate.
I would leave it be for now, its a baby.

 

[Lutonian]

I would put some movement in the lowest branch with wire and let it grow, incase you cut back to that branch in the future

 

[olympics]

What ha

Be sure to cover that root ball with more substrate.
I would leave it be for now, its a baby.

What happens if I don’t cover it up?

 

[olympics]

I would put some movement in the lowest branch with wire and let it grow, incase you cut back to that branch in the future
Yea I was thinking that! Thank you

 

[Wulfskaar]

I've done a lot of research into coast live oaks, which looks like what you have.

1. Leave the branches if you want to thicken the trunk. You can cut it off at any time. I think it's in a great place already, so I'd say you should leave it until the trunk is as thick as you want.
2. The roots are very sensitive on this species, so I think @just.wing.it is right and you should cover the roots. If you want exposed roots, do it slowly over time. Also, the best time to do repot or do anything with the roots is from late fall to early spring, when the tree is in sleep mode.

Here's a great video regarding how to deal with coast live oaks. This guy has been working on these for many years, so I'd listen to what he has to say.

 

[Cypress187]

I kept most of my oak's branches, the taper is getting very good and the trunk much thicker.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

What ha

What happens if I don’t cover it up?

You will end up with an trunk "perched on top of a volcano of ugly roots" that cannot be corrected to make a "radial spokes on the hub of a wheel" root system.
In this cone of roots, initially the finer roots will dehydrate & die. The tree will remain perched on just a couple poorly balanced roots. The heavier roots that remain will bark up and never send out new roots if you want to plant the tree lower in the future.

If you bury the roots now, you can and should raise them later, maybe 5 or 10 years down the road. Then you will have a nice radially arranged roots system. If you want more extreme exposed roots, you keep the roots buried, but you use a tall small diameter pot.

Seriously, until you learn more, just keep the roots buried. It leaves you more options down the road.

 

[sorce]

I'd aim to cut back to that branch eventually.

Sorce

 

[rockm]

I would leave EVERYTHING on the tree at this point. The trunk needs all the growth it can get if this tree is ever going to be a believable oak bonsai. Oak bonsai have thick, substantial gnarly trunks. This one is not any of that yet. Bigger is better with oak stock. You're going to reduce the trunk substantially down the road, like to one third of what is there now. The complete tree you see is temporary...I don't know what species you have, but I'd bet it is not a California coast oak in South Texas (unless you bought it from an online supplier). Texas has dozens oak species. I've got an Escarpment live oak (quercus fusiformis) and a grey oak (quercus grisea) as bonsai . Both trees were collected from the wild.

 

[rockm]

And FWIW, If you're looking to cut something off, I would use that first branch as the new leader and remove the main trunk above it. That would give the trunk more visual movement than a straight uniform trunk that goes on for yards.