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Collected oak - 2016 to now
http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18985		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Brendan [ 21 May 2020, 09:46 ]
Post subject:  Collected oak - 2016 to now
I can't find my original post about this tree.

I collected it in 2015, I think. Here's the first pic I can find from 2016:

Image20160219_224255 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr

Just left it to grow and get healthy for a few years. Last season I began the ramification.




This year I am pleased with the health it has shown. A full flush of really large healthy leaves.

Image20200520_143003 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr

Image20200520_143015 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr




What I do with my oaks when I want them to ramify is make at least one hard pruning session in a season. The first is done now, about 2 weeks after leaf break.

All I do is cut back every growing point to the lowest 2 leaves. If the branch is weak or I want it to grow I may leave it, or just cut the large leaves a bit smaller. But pretty much everything else gos back to the last 2 leaves. With whorls of 4 -5 leaves I find they are stacked on top of each other and I can snip off the uppermost leaves. This forces the tree to back bud.


Here is an example of a typical branch before and after:

Image20200520_143319 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr


Image20200520_143334 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr


Here is the tree post snip:


Image20200520_144058 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr

You can see the pile of leaves I cut off on the table next to the tree.

Image20200520_144114 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr

I have left the low sacrifice branch untouched. That's just there to thicken the trunk.

Depending on how it responds I may do further selective reductions later in the season.

I will do this for 2 - 3 seasons and then I will let it have a year off to rebuild some health. I am probably going to have to repot it in the spring, and the planting angle will change, too.

Advice? Comments?
Author:  Brendan [ 21 May 2020, 10:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
Here's another trio of oaks that had the same treatment:


Before:

Image20200520_144405 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr


After:

Image20200520_145744 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr
Author:  Jules [ 21 May 2020, 11:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
I have a couple of oaks in the ground that have been there for about five years now. They tend to get a bit leggy so I give them a rough prune now and then as I havent planned anything for them, apart from just thickening their trunks, but I will try this from now on.

Thanks for sharing Brendan.
Author:  Gary Jones [ 21 May 2020, 13:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
Good work. Agreed that now is about the time for pruning and partial defoliation to let light in and stimulate the inner and lower buds / foliage. I've started work on this on various trees and have been eyeing up my oak for a week or two.

I find with most deciduous trees they are apically dominant so for trees in development I am now being very strong on reducing the apex and upper areas and leaving much more growth on the lower areas so they can thicken up. In it's extremest form this means leaving just enough in the upper areas to keep it alive and leaving the lower areas almost untouched. It makes the trees look a little unbalanced for a while but is the most effective way (IMHO) to get the lower stuff to thicken up.
Author:  bluesky [ 22 May 2020, 23:19 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
I've loved oaks since I was young and each year I just love them more.
Great work Brendan!
Author:  Nutcracker [ 29 May 2020, 14:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
When's the right time to give them a trunk chop? I've got one sapling that has reached for the skies and is over 2 feet tall, pencil thin and has a bunch of leaves right at the top.

I'm thinking of chopping it right back down to about 6-8 inches. Is that a sensible idea at this time of year or not?
Author:  Gary Jones [ 29 May 2020, 18:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
Trunk chops would normally be in autumn after fall or in spring before bud push. Currently you have a tree full of leaves that are pushing sugars and carbohydrates into it building up strength. If you chop them off it won't put on much strength this year. You could partially defoliate like Brendan has done by cutting all the leaves to one quarter of their size. This will probably make the tree think it needs more leaves, without stressing it too much, and push out new shoots - ideally lower down. Then in autumn you can chop down really low and let the side branches build to give you trunk thickening over the next few years.
Author:  Brendan [ 06 Jul 2021, 10:06 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
This tree was not pushing out the kind of growth I am used to, especially given the way the rest of my trees are growing this year.

I suspect it has to do with the fact that it needs a re-potting.

I know most people would not repot in summer, but I am comfortable that it won't harm this tree. If anything the tree should recover well and out out stronger growth for the rest of this season.

Image20210630_185140 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr



The roots were, as predicted, quite pot bound:


Image20210630_185613 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr


The effect of being pot-bound is that the pot becomes less free-draining. The result is that the pot retains far more water than the tree wants. Consequently there is less air moving through the roots, and generally the tree struggles.

I removed quite a lot of root, as well as all the matted roots from the sides and bottom:

Image20210630_191621 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr


The back of the tree had 2 roots that grew sideways, creating an area of the trunk where there seemed to be no roots. A bit of wire pulld the 2 roots into place:

Image20210630_191629 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr


I mae sure there are plenty of fine roots still in place, and enough of a root ball to ensure the tree will pick-up without missing a step.

Image20210630_191633 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr

Image20210630_191642 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr



Into an oversized pot for 2 - 3 seasons as I plan to push it quite hard. I want this tree to have dramatically smaller leaves and many more of them within 2 - 3 season. Then it will go into a suitable pot, and hopefully warrant a place of pride on the front bench.

Image20210630_193647 by BrendanR2012, on Flickr
Author:  bluesky [ 19 Jul 2021, 13:07 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
Nice work Brendan.
How's it doing now two weeks after the repot?

I can't repot deciduous oaks here in summer, the hot dry air makes them shed all their leaves with a reduction in fine roots to quench their thirst. Then it's touch and go as to whether they leaf out again. Generally not now in July-Aug, and by September they're gonners, so I don't dare repot them later than May.

I see you left a lot of fine roots, so it should be fine. But here in Madrid that probably wouldn't survive. Or maybe it would in a humid tent without direct sunlight.
Author:  Cuchilo [ 20 Jul 2021, 09:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: Collected oak - 2016 to now
Thats come on a treat mate .
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