Young oak in a neglected spot

[Fonz]

This is turning out to be a great thread for a beginner like me. Just read the article on bonsai4me and it looks like I'm going to collect half a dozen young oaks next month (august). Thanks for the input everyone. I really appreciate it.

Congrats on the rebirth of your oak americanelmer

 

[Fonz]

Got another question about working the roots on these young oaks.

Should I start working the roots already and cut off the tap root and plant the little tree back on a tile in full ground? Or is this all a little premature?

 

[americanelmer]

When does it start to get cold where you are?

 

[Fonz]

When does it start to get cold where you are?

I'd say late october/november.
Not sure if this has anything to do with it but what I learned from this thread so far is that oaks recover best in mid summer...

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I'd say late october/november.
Not sure if this has anything to do with it but what I learned from this thread so far is that oaks recover best in mid summer...

With deciduous oaks in particular if you are doing root work you have to give them time to recover before cold temps start to set in in the Fall. I always err on the side of conservatism, and in the case of Belgium, I might wait until next spring.

I respect what RKatzin is saying, and all I can say is I have had no experience collecting yamadori oaks. I have three species atm (Coast Live Oak, Cork Oak, and Valley Oak) and because I live in Southern California my experience may be very different than someone else's - either in species or environment - but I always repot and/or do root work on oaks in the spring after the oaks start to bud. The first two species are both live oaks (i.e. don't drop their leaves in the winter) but the valley oaks are deciduous. They seem to all put up with a lot of abuse, as long as you don't mess with their roots too much.

When I bought the valley oaks, I heard from the seller that they were the only deciduous oaks that will live in Southern California. I have had them three years and they are growing like weeds. They are the largest native oaks in North America.

 

[americanelmer]

I agree. I would wait until late spring so that they have the full summer to recover and become bulletproof for winter.

A_E

 

[HankB]

Thanks for the information on oaks. I picked up a few seedlings several weeks ago. They had sprouted underneath my brother-in-laws trailer so I dug two up and brought them home. One was replanted in the garden and another in a pot. I trimmed the tap root on both before replanting. But I have much to learn. The one in a pot went under a table to get some protection from the sun. I should have given the one in the garden some protection too. It got a little burn on two leaves. I covered it with a handful of grass and it seems to be holding it's own. The one in the pot went AWOL a couple mornings ago, replaced by a hole dug in the potting mix. Apparently a chipmunk (possibly a squirrel) dug it up for the rest of the acorn. I found it on the ground next to the pot and the acorn was gone. I repotted it and it is convalescing inside. I have a long way to go with these but hopefully I'll live long enough to see them grow into something interesting.

 

[bonsaidave]

I hear you HankB. Squirrels are bastards like that. I lost all my oak seedlings 2 years ago in one weekend.

The Weekend of the Hungry Terror Squirrels!

 

[Potawatomi13]

If growing from acorns one MUST cage trees until acorn is used up. Pro active care.

 

[Johnathan]

Okay guys, I plan on collecting a small oak tomorrow from a friend's backyard. We had a good day of rain today, and I picked up some fresh NAPA to get my summer repotting done...

I finally got around to reading the bonsai4me article... Considering the bonsai4me article, and something I read on bonsai tonight about cork oak - although this is not a cork oak

.... A few quick questions....

Has anyone tried the submerging in water?

Would you guys think a fabric garden basket would work better than a pond basket?

Also, any thoughts on the planting over wood/ tile to encourage trunk thickening?

 

[Potawatomi13]

Wooden box, Terracotta bulb pot or grow bag better than more plastic junk in environment. Do you desire roots to dry out excessively or want to do more watering?

Wood or tile under roots is to make roots grow sideways if understanding correctly.

Submerging in H2O? Why do? Can aid in spread of any bugs, fungus, etc not particularly desired in Bonsai collection.

 

[Johnathan]

Wooden box, Terracotta bulb pot or grow bag better than more plastic junk in environment. Do you desire roots to dry out excessively or want to do more watering?

Wood or tile under roots is to make roots grow sideways if understanding correctly.

Submerging in H2O? Why do? Can aid in spread of any bugs, fungus, etc not particularly desired in Bonsai collection.

The collected oak from the read still had leaves. The belief, if I'm understanding correctly, was that the ability to absorb as much water as possible allowed the leaves to continue flourishing after collecting. It only stayed in water for a week or two slowly acclimating to its change of scenery. It was gradually taken from submerged to "dry" over that period.

I don't believe the pot was ever fully covered with water, so submerged is probably a bad term.