Mame Cork Oak Attempt - Quercus Suber

[Dabbler]

Very cool little tree - I like it!

 

[Youngling]

Very cool little tree - I like it!

Thank you! I don't know why but these very small trees awaken a different feeling, almost like seeing a puppy or kitten.
Just cant leave them alone and end up giving them more attention and care than the overgrown ones that actually need it.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Do these ideas apply to Coast Live Oaks?

 

[Youngling]

Do these ideas apply to Coast Live Oaks?

Sorry i have no experience with Coast Live Oak, perhaps @Bonsai Nut can help.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Do these ideas apply to Coast Live Oaks?

Coast live oak, though a broad-leaf evergreen like cork oak, is not nearly as strong or as fast-growing. I would hesitate before I tried a defoliation on any of the California live oak species (coast, valley, etc). Someone else may have done it, but I have not.

 

[BrianBay9]

Coast live oak, though a broad-leaf evergreen like cork oak, is not nearly as strong or as fast-growing. I would hesitate before I tried a defoliation on any of the California live oak species (coast, valley, etc). Someone else may have done it, but I have not.

I defoliate collected coast live oak immediately after collection, and get a strong response. After that I take a more traditional approach - harden off new growth, cut back to a couple of leaves, repeat. They will give you three flushes of growth in California, but I leave the last flush alone until spring.

Valley oak are deciduous so they defoliate themselves. I treat those like most deciduous trees - prune in early winter after leave drop. They back bud readily and can give two or three rounds of new growth per year.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Valley oak are deciduous so they defoliate themselves. I treat those like most deciduous trees - prune in early winter after leave drop. They back bud readily and can give two or three rounds of new growth per year.

My memory is getting the best of me. I own a few valley oaks. I own a few blue oaks. I own a few coast live oaks. I thought there was such a thing as valley live oak... but apparently there is not I looked up west coast live oaks and all I see is coast, canyon, interior... but no valley

Since I moved here to NC I've been giving valley oaks to people as gifts

 

[Youngling]

The response to the pruning:

 

[Youngling]

Tamed some runners again 16 Jan 2025:

 

[Youngling]

Response. Current state:

I am trying my best to keep the balance between shoots without hard cut back, which I plan on doing in early Spring. Or maybe even Late Summer.
My initial plan was to let it grow throughout spring and summer then cut back in early fall, but its much more vigorous than last years.

 

[Youngling]

 

[Youngling]