Quercus Faginea (Portuguese Oak)

ConorDash

ConorDash

Masterpiece
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Location
Essex, UK
USDA Zone
8b
Hello,

This is a new tree of mine, just delivered yesterday. From Graham Potter's Kaizen.

I believe it was collected 2 years ago and has been with them ever since, repotted in Spring.

Let me know what you think and with any advice for its care. It's my first oak, my previous (current) species experience is with Elm, Olive, Maple, Pyracantha and Ficus.
Link at the bottom is to a load more pictures, in case you'd like to see more.

IMG_5622.JPG IMG_5623.JPG IMG_5625.JPG IMG_5626.JPG IMG_5627.JPG IMG_5628.JPG IMG_5632.JPG IMG_5635.JPG IMG_5637.JPG IMG_5643.JPG

https://flickr.com/photos/150283904@N08/sets/72157685942640455

Main priority and plan is a happy healthy tree.
 
This looks awesome! I'm really jealous, I want an oak so bad, any oak :(. An English oak is one of the trees I've wanted for a long time; finally found a field maple, actually 2 :D
 
Extremely nice oak. What species is it? Doesn't quite look like English Oak...

What kind of care did the seller recommend? Looks like you might have some chlorosis in the leaves...
 
oops sorry. Quercus Faginea
Don't know if this is related to Quercus Suber (cork oak), but both are Mediterranean climate species, which means if you get prolonged periods of freezing, you may have to provide some frost free shelter in the winter. I almost bought a very nice Cork Oak bonsai a few years back from a National Arboretum surplus sale. Asked the bonsai curator at the time if the species was winter hardy in Virginia. He said not without substantial winter shelter.

Additionally, from what I've read, the species, like many oaks, is susceptible to gall wasps. I have an issue with those every summer. They are tiny wasps that lay eggs on new shoots and leaves, those eggs hatch into tiny worms that fold portions of leaves over for protection as they chew the remainder. They don't do big damage, but enough to be watchful for the folded leaves...
 
Never heard of this species but I'd be happy to own that one. That leader is really tall and taperless. tons of possiblilty. I'm surprised you don't have any english oak since you live in the UK. You make us east coast americans jealous with those things
 
cbroad said:
Yup :(, does anybody know if English oak does well in zone 6-7? Too hot?
Click to expand...
A 4" trunk diameter is is in my raised grow bed right now and doing great! No leaf issues of any kind at all and pushing 2nd growth.

It's in full sun all day and no leaf burn.
 
BeebsBonsai said:
Beautifully textured trunk. Very interesting leaves. Large to be sure, but interesting. That is a leaf type I don't believe I have ever seen.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the comment. Yes some of the leaves are very normal large sized but some of the inner ones are much smaller. Tells me there is much potential for reduction of leaf size.

cbroad said:
This looks awesome! I'm really jealous, I want an oak so bad, any oak :(. An English oak is one of the trees I've wanted for a long time; finally found a field maple, actually 2 :D
Click to expand...

Yeah I need to get an English oak too, they certainly have my attention at the moment! But I'll stick with this.. maybe next year! :).
I want a field maple too or trident.
 
rockm said:
Extremely nice oak. What species is it? Doesn't quite look like English Oak...

What kind of care did the seller recommend? Looks like you might have some chlorosis in the leaves...
Click to expand...
rockm said:
oops sorry. Quercus Faginea
Don't know if this is related to Quercus Suber (cork oak), but both are Mediterranean climate species, which means if you get prolonged periods of freezing, you may have to provide some frost free shelter in the winter. I almost bought a very nice Cork Oak bonsai a few years back from a National Arboretum surplus sale. Asked the bonsai curator at the time if the species was winter hardy in Virginia. He said not without substantial winter shelter.

Additionally, from what I've read, the species, like many oaks, is susceptible to gall wasps. I have an issue with those every summer. They are tiny wasps that lay eggs on new shoots and leaves, those eggs hatch into tiny worms that fold portions of leaves over for protection as they chew the remainder. They don't do big damage, but enough to be watchful for the folded leaves...
Click to expand...

Hey Rockm, thank you for the post. Always appreciate you taking the time for me.
Care advice is full sun, not sure whether they especially more or less watering but with the mix, it's not my usually inorganic so I have to make sure I monitor watering very carefully. Main advice is to use my finger in the soil to judge it, which I will do (home in 40 mins to see).
Can you point out the chlorosis for me? Curious to see where the indicator is.
In terms of wintering, I believe it's limit is -5c. Our winters do get to around -4,-3c, so prolonged periods, you are completely right, of shelter it in an ingested garage or shed, keep the freeze off.

I have noticed those folded over, stick white residue bits on my olive and beech! I see caterpillars but didn't realise these were the gall wasps! Makes a lot of sense now. They are very small, all folded over, annoying cos my pesticide, I would bet, doesn't get to them due to that folding.
I manually go through and pick them out.
Starting a schedule of pesticides and fungicide protection this month.
Any advice going forward with this tree, aside from keep it happy and healthy :)
 
discusmike said:
The base n leaves are cool,your leader needs more taper
Click to expand...

Agreed, that is my larger concern at the moment. It's leader is well shaped I think but does lack taper. Will have to see where I go with that.
rockm said:
Ya shoulda got this one ;)
http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/portuguese-oak-yamadori-bonsai-material-rm1518
Click to expand...

Yeah right! That's been for sale on there for ages.. long time. It's huge. Glorious bark but damn huge.
Since they won't ship to you, I'd be happy to take care of it for you, just get it delivered to me ;).
GGB said:
Never heard of this species but I'd be happy to own that one. That leader is really tall and taperless. tons of possiblilty. I'm surprised you don't have any english oak since you live in the UK. You make us east coast americans jealous with those things
Click to expand...

Yeah agreed about the leader.. I'll have to tackle that. I think it is tall, bringing it down but keeping it in proportion with the chunky trunk will be a good goal to achieve. I don't feel it'd need to come too much? But it does need to in order to get taper so... decisions..
I'll spend of time looking at it and thinking, as we all do. I've had no time to look at it yet, so I know it barely any better than you guys do from these pics.
Those English oak come highly recommended! I'll have to look in to it lol. Cork oak too.
 
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@cbroad microscopic beat me to it, but I have quite a few sapling oaks in my grow out beds. I had a really hard time finding any for sale so I bought bulk saplings in fall. They are doing really well so far (i'm zone 6) and I've treated them terribly. Jokes on me though, very slow growers. If you can, pick up something with some size to it
 
Have a friend in No.Va. that got more than two dozen seedlings from somewhere. Can't really remember the name exactly, honest, but you can get them on ebay or other mail order sites in the U.S. My friend's seedlings have grown like weeds for the last three years in his backyard. They are pretty strong trees and I think they get a bit of a kick in the pants here because of the longer growing season.

There's really no secret to finding them. I'd bet more than a couple of nurseries in Richmond have them.

Wholesale nurseries sell them to landscapers, etc.
https://waynesboronurseries.com/trees-hot-sites/
 
@ConorDash so just reading a bit (yeah Google!) It seems that they are semi-evergreen and are found in the same areas as Holy Oak and Cork Oak. So I would pretty much give them the same care. Best advice I ever got on European evergreen oaks was from Mauro Stemberger and that was to do any repotting just before bud break.

If they are like the others, they will grow really fast so don't let the wire bite in. You will want to wire when the branches are small. Check out the Grouper's tutorial on baby bending. https://www.bonsainut.com/resources/the-fine-art-of-baby-bending.13/


Oh with oaks NEVER put new soil or leaf litter on the root crown. They are susceptible to crown rot. It's one of the few "gotchas" with oaks.
 
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