Looking for someone with experience and advice on collecting oaks in Texas?

[Big Country Bonsai]

Hey guys! I have been allowed to collect from a nice price of land with lots of oaks and Ashe juniper to choose from. I plan on starting with med grade material and working my way up to the nice stuff as I gain experience but I was wondering if anyone had any good advice for collecting oaks in this area before I get started. I know you have to make sure they have lateral and feeder roots close to the base but once that’s established is it basically the same as any other deciduous? There are both deciduous and evergreen oaks available to collect so not sure how different collection processes should be. If you know someone that does collect but isn’t on b-nut I would really like getting in touch with them if possible. Anyway below are a couple of nice ones I have my eyes on!

 

[Potawatomi13]

Some really nice trees there with great bark. Last tree with orange leaves has wonderful descending branch that could become the whole new trunk and make VERY unusual interesting tree one day.
Contact Alvaro at Cho Bonsai as he collects and sells Oaks down your way. He's in Dallas(I think)so maybe could visit him.

 

[Big Country Bonsai]

If someone does have advice (hands on) we could potentially do a collection trip if anyone is interested in that. Its in the Abilene area.

 

[arcina]

Oaks are really hard to collect as they develop long roots. If they are growing on rocks or something that stops the roots to grow deep, you have a good chance.

If someone does have advice (hands on) we could potentially do a collection trip if anyone is interested in that. Its in the Abilene area.

 

[Big Country Bonsai]

Oaks are really hard to collect as they develop long roots. If they are growing on rocks or something that stops the roots to grow deep, you have a good chance.

Have you had any luck with fall collection? Do you put oaks under mist like you do junipers? I appreciate all the help bud!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I collected a red oak at bud swell this past spring. I had to cut a large tap root off. I left as much as possible on the tap root - it had some small feeder roots off the main tap - and cut it off low. Ill continue to work up towards the root base I want in subsequent repots. I think its important to do the collection at the right time of year as tree is coming out of dormancy. Im not sure what that may be in texas.

 

[Michael P]

Have you been able to identify species? I can't be certain from the photos, but they look like post oak, live oak, and Texas red oak. This is confusing since live oak and Texas red often grow in association, but post oaks grow in very different soil. And Abilene is far enough west that some of the numerous West Texas species may be present. In any case, there are some beauties!

All of these species can grow in mottes, meaning multiple trunks sharing a large root system. So be prepared to find a single large root connecting the single trunk to the rest of the motte. These probably cannot be collected successfully, so if you see no feeder roots, leave it in place. Post oaks have a reputation for being difficult to transplant and adapting poorly to pot culture, but don't let that stop you.

Other than that, I don't have any specific advice other than the usual for deciduous collecting. If you can post close ups of leaves and twigs I might be able to identify species and give better advice.

 

[arcina]

Have you had any luck with fall collection? Do you put oaks under mist like you do junipers? I appreciate all the help bud!

Fall collecting works great. I don't mist oaks as they will rot. The main issue is to get enough feeder roots.

 

[Big Country Bonsai]

I collected a red oak at bud swell this past spring. I had to cut a large tap root off. I left as much as possible on the tap root - it had some small feeder roots off the main tap - and cut it off low. Ill continue to work up towards the root base I want in subsequent repots. I think its important to do the collection at the right time of year as tree is coming out of dormancy. Im not sure what that may be in texas.

Their just now going into leaf drop...the deciduous ones anyway. So far I have collected a couple in spring and fall and as long as I’ve gotten enough roots they’ve survived. Just looking for advice on best conditions from some of the experienced collectors! I want to have my survival rate as high as possible

 

[Big Country Bonsai]

Have you been able to identify species? I can't be certain from the photos, but they look like post oak, live oak, and Texas red oak. This is confusing since live oak and Texas red often grow in association, but post oaks grow in very different soil. And Abilene is far enough west that some of the numerous West Texas species may be present. In any case, there are some beauties!

All of these species can grow in mottes, meaning multiple trunks sharing a large root system. So be prepared to find a single large root connecting the single trunk to the rest of the motte. These probably cannot be collected successfully, so if you see no feeder roots, leave it in place. Post oaks have a reputation for being difficult to transplant and adapting poorly to pot culture, but don't let that stop you.

Other than that, I don't have any specific advice other than the usual for deciduous collecting. If you can post close ups of leaves and twigs I might be able to identify species and give better advice.

So it’s a pretty diverse group of oaks here on this plot of land! Present are Quercus buckleyi (Texas red oak or Buckley oak), Quercus marilandica (blackjack oak), Quercus stellata (post oak), Quercus sinuata var. breviloba (bastard shin oak) Quercus mohriana (Mohr oak), and a cool hybrid of Quercus marilandica x Quercus buckleyi (Quercus x Hastings). I have tried collecting two post oaks in the Dallas area and so far their still alive. One doing better than the other....although I think they may be a Quercus margeretta.

 

[Big Country Bonsai]

So it’s a pretty diverse group of oaks here on this plot of land! Present are Quercus buckleyi (Texas red oak or Buckley oak), Quercus marilandica (blackjack oak), Quercus stellata (post oak), Quercus sinuata var. breviloba (bastard shin oak) Quercus mohriana (Mohr oak), and a cool hybrid of Quercus marilandica x Quercus buckleyi (Quercus x Hastings). I have tried collecting two post oaks in the Dallas area and so far their still alive. One doing better than the other....although I think they may be a Quercus margeretta.

Here’s a couple pics of the trees I have questions on id

 

[Big Country Bonsai]

Have you been able to identify species? I can't be certain from the photos, but they look like post oak, live oak, and Texas red oak. This is confusing since live oak and Texas red often grow in association, but post oaks grow in very different soil. And Abilene is far enough west that some of the numerous West Texas species may be present. In any case, there are some beauties!

All of these species can grow in mottes, meaning multiple trunks sharing a large root system. So be prepared to find a single large root connecting the single trunk to the rest of the motte. These probably cannot be collected successfully, so if you see no feeder roots, leave it in place. Post oaks have a reputation for being difficult to transplant and adapting poorly to pot culture, but don't let that stop you.

Other than that, I don't have any specific advice other than the usual for deciduous collecting. If you can post close ups of leaves and twigs I might be able to identify species and give better advice.

Also there is Quercus fusiformis (escarpment live oak) out with the rest of them.

 

[Michael P]

Wow, that is a great variety! And many will hybridize in nature, as you note. Q. sinuata v. breviloba has always been a personal favorite as a landscape tree--I would love to see one as bonsai. And Q. fusiformis would a wonderful species to try. Please us updated, and let us know if you ever have any extras. Sorry, I can't help with any further identification.

 

[Potawatomi13]

! Some great trees(again). Personally would exert extra effort to make collection of some of them including collecting huge root system and working smaller over several years.