Wulfskaar's Quercus lobata (Valley Oak) from acorn

Wulfskaar

Omono
Messages
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Location
Southern California
USDA Zone
10a
I've really been wanting a Valley Oak, so I found some and grabbed a handful of acorns in fall of 2021. They were planted on Halloween. After being in soil for months (MUCH longer than Coast Live Oak's take) 2 of them finally breached the surface of the soil! They have been growing quickly ever since.

Please note that I could not find any pictures online of Quercus lobata that were less than several months old, so now you have them!

2/2/2022
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2/8/2022
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2/11/2022
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2/14/2022
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3/1/2022
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So promising/exciting to see new growth. Spring beckons😌. One suggestion please would be to wire as soon as hardened off/woody any section of trunk intended to keep. Sooooo much easier than any time later when thicker/harder to bend. By end of growing season will be set and can remove wire. Thin twigs/trunks set soon as next section grows out to harden off☺️.
 
I've really been wanting a Valley Oak, so I found some and grabbed a handful of acorns in fall of 2021. They were planted on Halloween. After being in soil for months (MUCH longer than Coast Live Oak's take) 2 of them finally breached the surface of the soil! They have been growing quickly ever since.

Please note that I could not find any pictures online of Quercus lobata that were less than several months old, so now you have them!

2/2/2022
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2/8/2022
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2/11/2022
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2/14/2022
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3/1/2022
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I love watching seedlings grow. They are on a mission and fast too. Nice little trees!
I wish my ficus religiosa seedlings would take off like that.
 
I love watching seedlings grow. They are on a mission and fast too. Nice little trees!
I wish my ficus religiosa seedlings would take off like that.
They took so long to push up above the soil that I'm surprised at how fast they have shot up. They are native to my area so that helps a lot too!
 
They took so long to push up above the soil that I'm surprised at how fast they have shot up. They are native to my area so that helps a lot too!
Late Winter earliest Spring spent growing tap and side roots THEN sprout has foundation to push🥳.
 
They haven't really grown since that 3/1/2022 picture. The leaves are a much darker green now, but no new growth.
 
A straggler jumped up within the past few weeks. I did collect acorns from 2 different trees. This one came very late and the leaves are slightly more lobed than an older one, which is in the same pot with darker leaves. :)

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A straggler jumped up within the past few weeks. I did collect acorns from 2 different trees. This one came very late and the leaves are slightly more lobed than an older one, which is in the same pot with darker leaves. :)
The leaves can change from year to year - and even from branch to branch on the same tree. They can be deeply lobed and smooth, or have shallow lobes and be pointier. In some instances I have had leaves that are almost without lobes. I was convinced in one case that the nursery sent me the wrong tree :) However as they get larger they tend to start looking more similar. I think I have about 30 atm because I am planning on putting a number of them in my landscape.
 
The leaves can change from year to year - and even from branch to branch on the same tree. They can be deeply lobed and smooth, or have shallow lobes and be pointier. In some instances I have had leaves that are almost without lobes. I was convinced in one case that the nursery sent me the wrong tree :) However as they get larger they tend to start looking more similar. I think I have about 30 atm because I am planning on putting a number of them in my landscape.
I noticed that on the parent tree of my Shreve Oaks (https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/oak-id-help.53051/). On one branch I took (with acorns attached) there were variations. Some were smooth and some serrated. The young ones are all serrated.
 
Year 2: After months without leaves, they are now coming back into leaf! I tossed some wire on this one. The others will be left alone for now.

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😫😢😤

This morning, stupid squirrels have eaten ALL but one (the one pictured above) of my Valley Oaks that I've been growing for a year! 🤬

I have place a cage around my last (and best) one.
 
I feel for you. I grew an English oak from acorn for a school 365 day photo diary for my daughter, got to about 150 days and my local squirrel ate ours.

I couldn't find any acorns to start again as wrong time of year so bought a 50 seed packet of Sequoia dendron giganteum. 24 seedlings. After two years I have 22.
 
I feel for you. I grew an English oak from acorn for a school 365 day photo diary for my daughter, got to about 150 days and my local squirrel ate ours.

I couldn't find any acorns to start again as wrong time of year so bought a 50 seed packet of Sequoia dendron giganteum. 24 seedlings. After two years I have 22.
Luckily for me, I planted several and my best one is still there.

I hope you plant some of those sequoias and make a nice grove of giant trees!
 
My surviving Valley Oak is doing ok. I've learned it only has one flush in spring and that's it for the year. In other words, it's growing very slowly.

This spring, as the new leaves were growing, I sprayed them with some bug killer. They turned blackish and parts of the leaves shriveled up a little. However, it recovered and the leaves are still there, albeit, slightly malformed. I won't make that mistake again.

This one still has a long way to go, but I'll enjoy it as it grows anyways. :)

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