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British oak trees
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Author:  bennyy [ 28 Dec 2014, 11:24 ]
Post subject:  British oak trees
Hi all,
Quick question, are oak trees difficult to bonsai for beginner's? I just think they're a great looking tree.
If anybody has any for sale can they get in touch.
Clint I can't reply to your PM possibly because I'm a new member if you email what you have for sale I'll get back to you.
E-mail: benloz1@tiscali.co.uk
Cheers.
Author:  arihato [ 28 Dec 2014, 13:03 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
Oak is a good Bonsai subject, not the easiest but very doable.
Finding good starting material will be either difficult or expensive. Starting with a stick/seedling will take a long time and a lot of work. I would suggest to check with one of the sponsors or see if Tony Tickle has some: http://yamadori.co.uk/
Author:  Paul B [Swindon] [ 28 Dec 2014, 14:31 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
They can be susceptible to mildew and other virus's and take for ever to grow enough to make any styling.

Unless you can find one that has been growing for years
Author:  AlainK [ 28 Dec 2014, 14:58 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
A real challenge, but the one pictured on Mr. Tomlinson Sr.'s book I bought in the 80s surely makes one feel like having a try :smallthumb:

(Edit: just checked, I bought it in 1992 for £14.99, and the first edition was published in 1990 ;-) )

There are other fine examples here and there, but as others pointed, mildew is a problem on "purely" local species (Quercus pubescens, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur).
Author:  stymie [ 28 Dec 2014, 15:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
Quercus are not particularly fast growing but make a good bonsai.

The mildew problem, mentioned above, csn be controlled by spraying with a fungide at budburst and then at two month intervals during the growing season.
Author:  paulpash [ 28 Dec 2014, 18:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
Everything and their mother likes to attack them so be prepared to spray regularly. Mildew is a perennial problem for me - miss a spraying window and it gets it - this year it took til late August to show. Tomorrow I will zap it with some diluted lime sulphur and pick up and throw away any dropped oak leaves.
Author:  NickB [ 28 Dec 2014, 20:28 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
I have seen some great examples, but as stated already, they are prone to pretty much everything. I remember reading in a nature book that they support more insect species than any other native tree. This means that more species will attack them than any other tree!

I have tried them in the past, but got fed up with the leaves turning white in summer and looking terrible due to Mildew. Walks in my local woods show the trees to be affected there, too, especially the smaller ones.

In my opinion they are better, and easier species to work with. If you want a native deciduous then Elm would be top of my list, but Hawthorn, Beech, Hornbeam, Blackthorn, Field Maple are others I would put before an Oak. Hawthorn and Field Maple can also be affected by Mildew, but in my experience it is never as bad as the Oak.
Author:  Mikey [ 29 Dec 2014, 11:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
The Holm Oak is a fairly robust species, not exactly British but a good species to work with. Also a slow grower and evergreen. Gwen like her Oaks, she could probably point you in the right direction.
Author:  pineman [ 29 Dec 2014, 20:59 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
Oak are slow growers but can be grown quite easily from acorn. The can be susceptible to branch loss if not careful of repotting time. They can bud later than other trees so I repot at back end of April rather than March which I have found to be a bit early. Watch out for oak apple which is a small round growth inside of which is a wasp that grows with the oak apple
Author:  bennyy [ 30 Dec 2014, 09:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: British oak trees
Thanks for the advise guys.
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