Cork Oak Seedling Cuttings ???

[rollwithak]

Hello,

I have a batch of about 15 cork oak seedlings going and I was curious if anyone has ever successfully accomplished the seedling cutting technique for oaks? I understand that they do not “air-layer” well so in that line of thinking, would this process of seedling cuttings be ineffective also?

Thanks all!

RK

 

[leatherback]

I am wondering.. WHy do you feel the need to do cuttings here?

 

[jquast]

No need to do cuttings with a nearly 100% germination rate. I'd scout out some local cork oaks and keep an eye on them through summer for acorns. I'm certain that you can find local access to some, I have several here in San Jose that drop 1000s of acorns that I collect from in late summer and store in the fridge until spring.

 

[rollwithak]

No need to do cuttings with a nearly 100% germination rate. I'd scout out some local cork oaks and keep an eye on them through summer for acorns. I'm certain that you can find local access to some, I have several here in San Jose that drop 1000s of acorns that I collect from in late summer and store in the fridge until spring.

That’s what these were grown from… acorns. They’re about 30 days old

 

[rollwithak]

I am wondering.. WHy do you feel the need to do cuttings here?

To see if I could create some interesting nebari from the get go. Just have several so I was going to do several projects

 

[leatherback]

To see if I could create some interesting nebari from the get go. Just have several so I was going to do several projects

There is absolutely no need to do cuttings for this. Just, once you have a plant, clip the main root and every 1-2 years work the roots.

 

[Shibui]

The seedling cutting technique for pines chops the main stem somewhere close to the roots when very young and results (sometimes?) in lots of lateral roots to grow better nebari in future.
Young seedlings have the ability to grow new roots way in excess of the same adult plant. Pines are not the only genus that grow very well as cuttings made from seedlings but not so well from adult material. I've had reports of Eucalyptus cuttings made from juvenile shoots where cuttings of adult is considered impossible.
That means it may well be possible to root very young, juvenile shoots from cork oak. You may very well be the first person ever to try so let us know results if you do try.

The alternative is as @leatherback pointed out. Chop the root when young though not as severe as seedling cutting. I've experimented with English oak in this way. Soon after the radicle (root) emerges which is usually well before the top shoot emerges I've cut the root really short, sometimes right at the acorn then replanted. New roots form in 90+% with most forming lots of laterals to give that potential spreading nebari. Not as good response from older seedlings so I would not chop these quite that hard.

 

[LittleDingus]

My experience with suber is that any "tap root" they develop may be "by necessity".

This is one of my from acorn suber at first repot after 2 growing seasons. This is pre and root trimming...just combed to remove substeate.



I ordered 20 acorns, received 27 and EVERY SINGLE ONE grew! Not a single one had anything resembling a tap root when repotted at 2 years.

All were planted in grow bags in NAPA 8822 with about 25% chunk coconut coir for structure. By most advice on this forum, I overwater my trees. But an inorganic soil in a grow bag is tough to overwater!

I don't think root pruning the way people do with pines is warranted. Also...those seedlings are way to old for that type of root pruning. You'd typically root prune closer to the time the first real leaves appear.

FWIW: you're going to have a hard time disentangling that many seedlings growing in the same pot You will likely lose a lot of fine feeders just trying to separate them as the roots are likely to be very tangled even now. I find it helpful to do that kind of repotting with wet roots and a hose with a strong jet. Keep the pot well watered for a day or three before you try to separate. Use the hose on jet to try and blast away and loosen the soil as much as you can. Then maybe a careful root hook working outside in.

Oaks don't like their roots mucked with. I find autumn after the heat but well before my winter dormancy the best time. But I'm in the midwest.