Coast Live Oaks

[Wulfskaar]

It's great to have the resources to experiment!

I dug up a couple of the weakest ones over the weekend. The dirt (mostly dust) they were in was bone dry and the roots were mainly just a taproot. I went ahead and potted them just to see what happens ahead of collecting the best ones. After 3 days, the leaves are already looking much better.

I have read that if you just mainly get a taproot, it probably won't do well, but I'd like to try anyways. Since these guys are there to experiment on, how can I encourage lateral root growth?

 

[Wulfskaar]

The journey continues: I finally dug up the biggest one and put it in a box. The roots were not great; one HUGE taproot that is actually fatter than the trunk. There are a few small lateral roots but I think more were lost while digging it up. I left less than a foot of the taproot (all I could fit in the box).

It was in dirt that contained clay, so I did not keep the dirt. Instead, I potted (boxed) using Bonsai Jack soil (mix 221 I think).

Now I just need to try to keep it alive for a couple years before doing anything else to it.



On a side note, one of the weak small ones I dug up in the fall dried and died, while the other is still alive. I'll just see how long I can keep them alive. This growing season will tell me a lot.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Use bigger upper taproot as base of trunk. Raise out of soil so highest side roots are just below soil surface. Shorten tap root in stages as side roots develop. This is as I do with personal oaks.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Use bigger upper taproot as base of trunk. Raise out of soil so highest side roots are just below soil surface. Shorten tap root in stages as side roots develop. This is as I do with personal oaks.

I was wondering if I could do that! I did mound up the soil a little around the trunk to cover a bit of the taproot, so I can just undo that. Thanks!

 

[Wulfskaar]

All leaves turned crispy, dry, and yellow, so I defoliated. I have been reading it is common after collection and defoliation can help jump start budding. The trunk is very green and most of the branches are still bendy and don't appear totally dried out.

The good news is that I noticed possible new buds; just hoping they aren't from before collection.

 

[BrianBay9]

All leaves turned crispy, dry, and yellow, so I defoliated. I have been reading it is common after collection and defoliation can help jump start budding. The trunk is very green and most of the branches are still bendy and don't appear totally dried out.

The good news is that I noticed possible new buds; just hoping they aren't from before collection.

If your leaves dried and fell all at once, that's probably a good sign. The tree decided to defoliate itself and will probably bounce back. If it slowly loses a few leaves here and there over a long time without new buds, that's not so good.

 

[Wulfskaar]

If your leaves dried and fell all at once, that's probably a good sign. The tree decided to defoliate itself and will probably bounce back. If it slowly loses a few leaves here and there over a long time without new buds, that's not so good.

I really appreciate that. Lately I've been feeling like a tree murderer. I'm looking forward to any signs of life.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Here is the tree now. I took this picture because you can clearly see the greenness of the trunk and then you can see it turning brown in many of the branches.

Are the small, non-green branches dead/dying? If so, should I remove those now to promote budding on the healthier looking branches or should I just relax and let it do what it naturally does?

 

[BrianBay9]

Yes, probably dead but no big deal. Just leave it alone and see what happens. Looks like you might have some buds swelling at the top?

 

[Wulfskaar]

Yes, probably dead but no big deal. Just leave it alone and see what happens. Looks like you might have some buds swelling at the top?

A few of the buds seem dead because they haven't really moved much. Some of them were dried out. They may have been forming around the time I dug it up.

Thanks though. I will just let it sit and if nothing by Fall, it's probably a goner.

 

[Wulfskaar]

She's dead, Jim. At least I think so.

In the picture above, you can see it has a green color when wet. Now it is reddish-brown when wet. The buds never pushed; they dried up and crumbled away.

 

[Wulfskaar]

My next victim.

This one is only a couple feet away from it's predecessor's former location (see above). It has a crazy looking double trunk, but I fear the taproot will be as large and lacking in radial roots as the last one. It died slowly. It's right by my fence and the neighbor's house, so it can't stay forever.

I plan to dig a larger radius around it than the previous one, hoping there are some roots and keeping a lot more of the soil than I did before. The soil mix will probably also be a bit more organic and finer grained. It will get less sun for a while too. I'm also debating waiting a few years, but maybe doing something (???) to help gain some radial roots?

 

[Potawatomi13]

At least this one has interesting lower trunk/branches.

 

[BrianBay9]

Just another observation from my collecting - I've had more trouble with smaller trees like these than with much bigger trunks. I assume the larger ones have more stored reserves to draw on, so they get through the early collection months. Try to find something with a 2-3 inch diameter trunk, or even larger.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Just another observation from my collecting - I've had more trouble with smaller trees like these than with much bigger trunks. I assume the larger ones have more stored reserves to draw on, so they get through the early collection months. Try to find something with a 2-3 inch diameter trunk, or even larger.

I'd love to, but this is what I've got available on my property and it will eventually need to go anyways. I have some bigger ones but it's illegal to collect oaks that are 2" diameter at 4.5' off the ground in my area; even on my own property. I have one or two that could be very nice but they're too big, according to local laws.

 

[BrianBay9]

I'd love to, but this is what I've got available on my property and it will eventually need to go anyways. I have some bigger ones but it's illegal to collect oaks that are 2" diameter at 4.5' off the ground in my area; even on my own property. I have one or two that could be very nice but they're too big, according to local laws.

Interesting. In my area the regs say no removal of oaks 6 or more inches diameter at 2 feet above the soil line. None of my 3-5 inch dia trunks have been more than waist high total.

 

[Esolin]

I'm also debating waiting a few years, but maybe doing something (???) to help gain some radial roots?

In that Al Nelson video someone posted on the first page, Al mentions digging around the base of trees to be collected, and scraping/wounding the bark to encourage callousing/lateral rooting just below the soil line, then reburying it and letting the tree go another year before digging it out once roots have grown. He also mentions using HB 101 and Cloud cover to greatly improve this chances of success.

 

[Wulfskaar]

In that Al Nelson video someone posted on the first page, Al mentions digging around the base of trees to be collected, and scraping/wounding the bark to encourage callousing/lateral rooting just below the soil line, then reburying it and letting the tree go another year before digging it out once roots have grown. He also mentions using HB 101 and Cloud cover to greatly improve this chances of success.

Yes! I forgot about that! Thanks! I think I will try that. The part I dug out right under the soil level was thicker than trunks above. I'll start looking into it. I do have a small bottle of HB-101... can't hurt(?). I can easily afford a year or 2 as long as I can begin managing the roots and not letting the tree violate the property line. Not sure if rooting hormone works on CLO.

 

[GKen]

@CapeFear盆景 Can you post an update picture? Thanks! Id love to see it.