Advice on Southern Live Oak (quercus virginiana)

[Zelrod]

This is maybe a 10-12 year old tree, I’d guess. It is in a horse / cow field in the 9b-10a border of South Florida. The issue with the tree is that it only gets about an hour of direct light a day. I believe this is the reason the chop recovery has struggled. It’s in dark, rich soil but with poor light conditions. I chopped it on the new year weekend of 2023. It’s been 3.5 months and only two branches in the middle of the trunk. I really do not want to lose the top portion of the trunk if I can help it…

The question is, has anyone had success approach grafting oaks? I’d like to use the stronger branch from the central portion of the trunk to approach graft a new leader in place. Currently the cambium near the top is still alive but I’m scared I might lose it if I wait until next year to see what buds out. It is currently still in the ground in a mostly shaded area.

 

[Weaponman]

Take it out of the ground in January or February and put it in more sun……

 

[milehigh_7]

Should you decide to get it out of the ground, watch it closely and do root work just as new buds swell. You have a small window for the best results.

 

[Weaponman]

On second glance it looks more like a laurel oak. The best clue would be the trees nearby.
If a laurel then abandon with abandon, they struggle to heal from big wounds.

Check out sand live oaks, q. Geminata from local native nurseries. I find they are better from bonsai and take full sun in small pot better.