Collected live oak

[Steve Kudela]

Hey everyone, here are a few pics of one of our live oaks. This one was collected about 8 years ago as a semi dwarfed stump with no branches to speak of. All branches except one or two tiny ones came from buds sprouting after collection. I think that it has developed fairly fast. It's 17 1/2 tall, 25 1/4 wide, 3 1/4 trunk, with a 10 1/2 root spread. Underneath the lichen growth there are a number of new surface roots developing, should look really good in a few more years. When i found it, it was buried up to just below the crotch where the branching begins. Hope you like it and thanks for allowing me to post.............SK

 

[markyscott]

Nice job Steve. Nothing says the south like a live oak. I have had a collected live oak for three years as well. Hope mine looks this good in five - you've set the bar high.

They adapt to bonsai culture very well - I think that they're really underutilized outside of California. Really surprising when you think about it - we have 5 native maple species in Texas and 38 native oaks. But I know far more people trying to make a red maple work than a live oak. Maybe after seeing yours they'll change their mind.

 

[j evans]

Nice tree, good job. I really like the nice thick trunk

 

[coh]

Very nice tree!

The foliage on that looks a lot like the foliage on the "willow oak" I got from Jay Wilson a couple of years ago. Do the new leaves come in red by any chance? Does the tree tend to drop its leaves just as the new ones are emerging? Or do they hang on for a few years?

Chris

 

[Wilson]

Steve you go some badass trees! I have tons of respect for your taste and patience on your collected trees. Thanks for sharing your projects with us!

 

[base797]

Sweet tree, nice work. Any earlier pics? I wouldn't trade locales with anyone for collecting, but damn, makes me wish I could find really cool deciduous trees.

Patrik

 

[rockm]

Nice oak. They do very well in containers once they're acclimated to it.

FWIW, I've had a live oak for almost 20 years now. It is my favorite tree as it is forgiving with root work, buds back like mad when hard pruned, and leaves reduce pretty well.

It has few problems with insects too. Tt does tend to attract gall wasps every summer that chew up some leaves, but nothing really bad.

The U.S. has a few oak species that are ideal for bonsai. Willow oak and live oak are at the top of the list. From what I've seen from spending time in East Texas, those two interbreed to some extent with leaves on willow oak looking a lot like live oak on some trees down there. The leaves are very different from willow oaks here in Va.

 

[JudyB]

You've managed the shape very nicely! It is a nice image.

 

[Steve Kudela]

Nice job Steve. Nothing says the south like a live oak. I have had a collected live oak for three years as well. Hope mine looks this good in five - you've set the bar high.

They adapt to bonsai culture very well - I think that they're really underutilized outside of California. Really surprising when you think about it - we have 5 native maple species in Texas and 38 native oaks. But I know far more people trying to make a red maple work than a live oak. Maybe after seeing yours they'll change their mind.

Thank you sir! I've always loved oaks especially live oak and it's variants. I have one more really young live oak that I'm working on as well as swamp chestnut and cherry bark. I agree, people should be going for these things and other natives besides acers. I know that there are things out there, you just have to look. I don't know if I'll ever be blessed with another find like this one, but I'm gonna keep looking! Thank you again.

 

[Steve Kudela]

Nice tree, good job. I really like the nice thick trunk

thank you sir!!

 

[Steve Kudela]

Very nice tree!

The foliage on that looks a lot like the foliage on the "willow oak" I got from Jay Wilson a couple of years ago. Do the new leaves come in red by any chance? Does the tree tend to drop its leaves just as the new ones are emerging? Or do they hang on for a few years?

Chris

Hey Coh, the leaves do indeed have a slight reddish tinge certainly more green than red. Barely noticable. The tree is in the process of dropping old leaves a few at the time as new buds swell. The new buds are bright green as we speak. I agree with rockm about the interbreeding. I have another seedling grown tree that has 3 different leaf shapes. My source for this one was from leftovers from State of Georgia DNR planting project. In Colquitt County where I am, there are thousands of these things around, wish I had more time to scout them out. Thanks for your kind comments and questions! Let me hear from you

 

[Steve Kudela]

Steve you go some badass trees! I have tons of respect for your taste and patience on your collected trees. Thanks for sharing your projects with us!

Wilson, thank you so much sir!!, I think I'm gonna cry.LOL. Actually, hearing that just makes me want to work harder. I've been in pursuit of those darned miniature trees for 34 years and hope that these pitiful little things will spur you on! I remember 10 or 12 years ago one afternoon while watering and looking things over, getting kinda choked up when I realized that after all these years some of these things are starting to look like REAL trees. Bonsai is not something for someone in a hurry.....results don't come quickly, so hopefully some of these things will serve to let some of the less practiced folks know that you will get there. Collected trees are my favorites and in the long run do save some time, you don't have to spend 200 years to get a trunk! Thank you again.....SK

 

[Steve Kudela]

Sweet tree, nice work. Any earlier pics? I wouldn't trade locales with anyone for collecting, but damn, makes me wish I could find really cool deciduous trees.

Patrik

Hey Patrik, thanks so much!! I regret to say that up until last year I've neglected to photograph my trees........I really wish that I had. I've always been somewhat envious of folks in the west and north with all those collected conifers. Would love to get my mitts on some of those things!!

 

[base797]

Ha, collecting envy, we all have it. I seem to take a lot of pictures, but with no staging, it's hard to see the trees clearly. Need to do a better job of the going forward.

Patrik

 

[Steve Kudela]

Nice oak. They do very well in containers once they're acclimated to it.

FWIW, I've had a live oak for almost 20 years now. It is my favorite tree as it is forgiving with root work, buds back like mad when hard pruned, and leaves reduce pretty well.

It has few problems with insects too. Tt does tend to attract gall wasps every summer that chew up some leaves, but nothing really bad.

The U.S. has a few oak species that are ideal for bonsai. Willow oak and live oak are at the top of the list. From what I've seen from spending time in East Texas, those two interbreed to some extent with leaves on willow oak looking a lot like live oak on some trees down there. The leaves are very different from willow oaks here in Va.

Hey rockm, thank you sir! I agree , container life suits it. Never had any bug problems and would agree that there should be a lot more usage of these. It's my understanding that oaks as a group tend to be interbreeders. Would love to see a pic of your oak. Thanks again!!

 

[Steve Kudela]

You've managed the shape very nicely! It is a nice image.

Thank you so much, Miss Judy!!!

 

[coh]

Hey Coh, the leaves do indeed have a slight reddish tinge certainly more green than red. Barely noticable. The tree is in the process of dropping old leaves a few at the time as new buds swell. The new buds are bright green as we speak. I agree with rockm about the interbreeding. I have another seedling grown tree that has 3 different leaf shapes. My source for this one was from leftovers from State of Georgia DNR planting project. In Colquitt County where I am, there are thousands of these things around, wish I had more time to scout them out. Thanks for your kind comments and questions! Let me hear from you

On the tree I mentioned, the leaves come in deep red/maroon (see photo below from last spring). We don't have a lot of willow oaks around up here, so I don't have much to compare. But I've read a lot about them and don't think I've ever seen any mention of new foliage being red. I suspect it may be some kind of hybrid. John G got one from Jay as well, I can't remember if he said the new leaves came in red. Maybe this year will be different, I'm anxious to find out.

Chris

(Tree came from Florida, by the way)

 

[LanceMac10]

Great looking tree, Chris!
Sweet color on the new growth.
Nice!!

 

[Steve Kudela]

On the tree I mentioned, the leaves come in deep red/maroon (see photo below from last spring). We don't have a lot of willow oaks around up here, so I don't have much to compare. But I've read a lot about them and don't think I've ever seen any mention of new foliage being red. I suspect it may be some kind of hybrid. John G got one from Jay as well, I can't remember if he said the new leaves came in red. Maybe this year will be different, I'm anxious to find out.

Chris

(Tree came from Florida, by the way)

View attachment 97771

That's a good looking tree! if you don't mind, what are the dimensions?

 

[coh]

Steve, it's about 16" tall from the soil line. I started a thread about it last spring, at http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/willow-water-oak-from-jay-wilson-2.18931/ I'm still feeling my way along with this one, trying to understand it's growth habit in my much colder climate. It was very vigorous last year, we'll see how it does this season.