Show us your Oak (Quercus) Pre-Bonsai

[n8]

Quercus lobata -- They are all over where I live and we have the most magnificent full-grown VOs in the world. No joke.

I think I've figured out how to get these valley oaks going from acorn. I yank dozens out of my backyard each spring, spread around by squirrels and acorn woodpeckers. They throw a fierce tap root, but if they stay alive in a nursery can for a few years, you'll start to get some lateral roots near the surface. I have killed many by trimming the tap root too soon.

I snipped the tap on this one three weeks ago and it has a pretty nice base and feeder roots under the soil. Looks like it'll pull through.

 

[BrianBay9]

Quercus lobata -- They are all over where I live and we have the most magnificent full-grown VOs in the world. No joke.

I think I've figured out how to get these valley oaks going from acorn. I yank dozens out of my backyard each spring, spread around by squirrels and acorn woodpeckers. They throw a fierce tap root, but if they stay alive in a nursery can for a few years, you'll start to get some lateral roots near the surface. I have killed many by trimming the tap root too soon.

I snipped the tap on this one three weeks ago and it has a pretty nice base and feeder roots under the soil. Looks like it'll pull through.

View attachment 428231

Any luck field collecting lobata? I haven't heard of too many successes.

 

[n8]

Any luck field collecting lobata? I haven't heard of too many successes.

I have a source with hundreds of young valley oaks. I go dig around bases each winter, but I haven't found any that I think will survive the dig. I'm also out of space, so I haven't been to eager to go for it. Maybe next winter!

 

[Pj86]

Quercus grisea. Purchased this one about 1.5 years ago from Cho Bonsai. I will probably style it this year or next year depending on it responds during the growing season.

 

[LuZiKui]

Purchased my very first oak tree for my collection, a Quercus Suber from fellow b-nutter @Housguy this weekend at bonsai-a-thon. I've been wanting a cork oak so I'm excited to start learning more and see where this guy goes.

 

[Housguy]

Purchased my very first oak tree for my collection, a Quercus Suber from fellow b-nutter @Housguy this weekend at bonsai-a-thon. I've been wanting a cork oak so I'm excited to start learning more and see where this guy goes. View attachment 428569View attachment 428570

Right on Chris, so nice to meet you! Enjoy!!

 

[Big Country Bonsai]

Did you collect those locally? They are nice.

Yep. These were from the Dallas area

 

[John P.]

Doing this to q. Lobata only means the next year is a bit slow. After one year, it’s back to big growth.

 

[Scrogdor]

Coast live oak I picked up last August. I was told it was put in this training pot spring 2021 so I haven’t done much to it. I have to say it is one of my most vigorous trees though!

 

[Scrogdor]

One more. This is an Oregon white oak that I also picked up in august or September. 1inch trunk diameter.

What’s weird is that the only two branches that had leaves prior to fall did not develop buds for the spring and have no leaves. Overall the tree seems a lot more spry than when I got it.

Also managed to cut a 5 gallon pot down so I could slip it in the railing there. Full sun, and no complains . Love the leaf shape on this species along with the smooth/leather texture.

 

[Potawatomi13]

One more. This is an Oregon white oak that I also picked up in august or September. 1inch trunk diameter.

What’s weird is that the only two branches that had leaves prior to fall did not develop buds for the spring and have no leaves. Overall the tree seems a lot more spry than when I got it.

Also managed to cut a 5 gallon pot down so I could slip it in the railing there. Full sun, and no complains . Love the leaf shape on this species along with the smooth/leather texture.

Glad you like our Oak. Curious where you got it? Did it shed leaves in fall?

 

[Scrogdor]

Glad you like our Oak. Curious where you got it? Did it shed leaves in fall?

Yeah it did shed its leaves in fall, but it didn’t have very many when I got it, just on those two branches that don’t have any now.

It did have a lot of buds however, which are the leaves you see now.

I picked it up at Lone Pine Gardens. Awesome Bonsai and cactus place. Tons of pre bonsai that you don’t normally see at more mainstream places.

 

[rowan of appalachia]

lol, how young is too young to be considered 'pre-bonsai'? While investigating native plants for the contest, I discovered the Engelmann Oak, a native species I had absolutely no idea existed until recently--and I've lived here all my life! Unlike the ubiquitous Coast Live Oaks, the Engelmann or Mesa Oak as it's sometimes called, is in the blue oak family, and well, the reason I never knew they existed is because they're endangered. There are a few pockets of them still around in So Cal, and each population seems to have slightly different leaf characteristics, some being smooth-edged, others fully or partially lobed / serrated. They can hybridize with Scrub and Valley oaks, which may explain the diverse genetics.

I bought a seedling just for the heck of it, but it's got a lotta growing to do!

View attachment 366755

Old post, I know, but if you don't mind me asking how has this plant behaved for you? I've found no other examples of someone on either this website or the bonsai reddit using this species, and I'm trying to get a rough estimation of its limits and yearly timings before I do anything too harsh.

 

[dacoontz]

Oregon white oak

 

[Esolin]

Old post, I know, but if you don't mind me asking how has this plant behaved for you? I've found no other examples of someone on either this website or the bonsai reddit using this species, and I'm trying to get a rough estimation of its limits and yearly timings before I do anything too harsh.

Unfortunately, I can't offer any real advice. I've only had my seedling for about a year and it's still in the same nursery pot. Haven't done any work to it yet--it's so young I'm letting it build a little momentum/girth first. It lost its leaves during the winter and has just leafed out for the Spring.


I'm basically treating it the same way I treat my Coast Live Oaks since they come from nearly the same Mediterranean-type environment. I'm giving it GrowPower and/or Osmocote fert and Agrifos/Garden Phos as a fungal rot preventative. When I do eventually repot it, I'll do it during its winter dormancy, same as with CLO, and put it in a similar soil mix recommended by Al Nelson. Is that the best model for Engelmanns? Don't know. Although they grow side-by side with CLO and look similar, they are a different oak subspecies, and potentially more fussy. According to the chart on this webpage, it's more closely related to lobata (Valley Oak), so perhaps this is a better care model? Who knows.

Private Site

I'm not surprised there aren't any Engelmann bonsai yet. It's not a very prolific species in the wild, and I suspect the recent decades of drought have further harmed seedling counts. There just aren't many to dig up and native plant nurseries have only recently started carrying them. Maybe someday.

 

[rowan of appalachia]

Unfortunately, I can't offer any real advice. I've only had my seedling for about a year and it's still in the same nursery pot. Haven't done any work to it yet--it's so young I'm letting it build a little momentum/girth first. It lost its leaves during the winter and has just leafed out for the Spring.

View attachment 429587
I'm basically treating it the same way I treat my Coast Live Oaks since they come from nearly the same Mediterranean-type environment. I'm giving it GrowPower and/or Osmocote fert and Agrifos/Garden Phos as a fungal rot preventative. When I do eventually repot it, I'll do it during its winter dormancy, same as with CLO, and put it in a similar soil mix recommended by Al Nelson. Is that the best model for Engelmanns? Don't know. Although they grow side-by side with CLO and look similar, they are a different oak subspecies, and potentially more fussy. According to the chart on this webpage, it's more closely related to lobata (Valley Oak), so perhaps this is a better care model? Who knows.

Private Site

I'm not surprised there aren't any Engelmann bonsai yet. It's not a very prolific species in the wild, and I suspect the recent decades of drought have further harmed seedling counts. There just aren't many to dig up and native plant nurseries have only recently started carrying them. Maybe someday.

The leaf variation is pretty incredible. I saw seedlings under a mature tree that had leaves with looks ranging from like a Texan Live Oak to closer to that of the tree that I have.

 

[Esolin]

The leaf variation is pretty incredible. I saw seedlings under a mature tree that had leaves with looks ranging from like a Texan Live Oak to closer to that of the tree that I have.

Indeed! The propensity that all these oak species have for hybridizing is good from a genetic diversity/survival adaptation perspective, but it sure makes them hard to positively ID sometimes. There's a small stand of wild Engelmann's in the next town over that I want to visit and see how their leaves look. It's one of only two stands left in my county. I wonder how much genetic variety they'll have.

My seedling has mostly smooth leaves, but might develop more serration when it gets older maybe. I've also noticed that stem color is somewhat variable. Last year the leaf stems were more reddish. This year they're more greenish. Maybe there are some environmental factors to this, like sun/heat levels.

 

[rollwithak]

How it started….




…..How it’s goin

 

[Potawatomi13]

Oregon white oak

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View attachment 429583

Aahh Spring! Sure of ID on this? Personal ones just swelling buds now. Some wild ones showing tiny leaves.

 

[Mikecheck123]

Both my California oaks (blue and valley) survived their first Virginia winter. Not a huge surprise, but a relief nonetheless.