Show us your Oak (Quercus) Pre-Bonsai

rodeolthr

Shohin
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I have one Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak) that I’ve had in training from 1-gallon nursery stock since 2014. It’s going to be an informal, naturalistic broom.

@parhamr Do you find these to be single flush or are you able to get multiple growth flushes during the growing season?
 

It's Kev

Omono
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Question: why do you say “probably the only one for thousands of miles”? I took it as there aren’t oaks in China so I looked it up there are three native oaks. Is yours a native? How are the Chinese oaks for bonsai?

these were from acorns that I picked up in Italy, and I haven’t looked for native oaks, figured if there were here you could buy saplings at shops and I’m yet to find some.
If there are natives they’re probably way up north where climate is more suitable and they’re out of typhoon territory
 

Housguy

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old cork oak orchard nearby that was mostly removed during World War II to supply cork. Lots of seedlings and small trees that I may be able to get my hands on.
Wow, that could be cork oak heaven, I hope you can dig some of those up! Cork oak is my favorite of the oaks!
Here is one of our corkers.
IMG_4575.jpg
 

parhamr

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I get multiple flushes on my Quercus agrifolia. I suspect nearly all oak species are multi flush but it depends on the climate and growing conditions.

It’s been a pretty mild year so far here. Both my agrifolia and garryana specimens are in a second flush right now. They’ll go dormant for July and August, especially when upper 80s are common highs.

I forget if I tend to get a fall flush. I want to say yes but I don’t have any photos from previous years that would prove it.
 

rollwithak

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Here are my oaks..... none are in bonsai training yet but are growing strong! Not sure Of the scientific names but I have black oaks, cork oak, regal prince oak, shumard oak, and the little seedlings you see are blue oaks from a great big oak I collected acorns from in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
 

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rollwithak

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Here are my oaks..... none are in bonsai training yet but are growing strong! Not sure Of the scientific names but I have black oaks, cork oak, regal prince oak, shumard oak, and the little seedlings you see are blue oaks from a great big oak I collected acorns from in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
 

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Coast Live Oak from about 3 months ago.
Chopped back in Spring of this year.

View attachment 211737

updated~
Still growing haven't done much other then repot and angle change. Letting it get nice and beefy then I will cut it back again.
1593565839486.png
 

Potawatomi13

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JJshives

Sapling
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Here's one I have that I took a leap of faith with this year in mid February as new growth was starting. Its a coast live oak I collected 4-5 years ago. As you can see in the pics, it was very healthy with strong growth prior to repotting and severely root pruning. I wish I was better at taking pictures to show more clearly how much had to be cut off to even get it into a bonsai training pot. I may need to take off more in the future. I had it in a wood grow out box and felt it was time to get it into something smaller. I didn't remember what the roots looked like but the sawzall became a necessity after removing the old soil. I bare rooted it and did my regular process with coast live oaks of soaking the roots prior to any work. I was hoping it wouldn't drop its leaves as these are known to do with root work but after 2 weeks it dropped 90+%. It came back with new buds on all branches within a month or so. I'm really curious what's going on under the soil.
 

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BrianBay9

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... I was hoping it wouldn't drop its leaves as these are known to do with root work but after 2 weeks it dropped 90+%. It came back with new buds on all branches within a month or so. I'm really curious what's going on under the soil.

Yeah it seems with Q agrifolia it's best to defoliate when first collected and after major root work.
 
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I get multiple flushes on my Quercus agrifolia. I suspect nearly all oak species are multi flush but it depends on the climate and growing conditions.

It’s been a pretty mild year so far here. Both my agrifolia and garryana specimens are in a second flush right now. They’ll go dormant for July and August, especially when upper 80s are common highs.

I forget if I tend to get a fall flush. I want to say yes but I don’t have any photos from previous years that would prove it.
I had 4 flushes of growth last year on my Q. ilex, though the last one was minimal and only on some branches.
 

parhamr

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My Quercus agrifolia is definitely on the way to becoming a chunky lil shohin
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34E98DA9-2035-440C-8BA9-FA7DF32E2754.jpeg

I am trying to figure out the next steps. I thiiiink it’s to gently and intricately wire out the new lowest shoots once the leaves are hardened a bit.

I think I’m also going to be entirely removing the smaller upper trunk in favor of the medium sized branches that originate from the same spot.
36753690-A460-49E8-9B3A-1096290E346C.jpeg

I am also trying to figure out the next five to ten years. I think the lowest and heaviest shoot can be used as another sacrifice branch to really ensure some lower taper and movement. It seems I also need to plan for the next leader to have some important movement to carry some of the style of the tree.

More to come in due course!
 
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