Southern Live Oak

[CapeFear盆景]

Last winter I chopped this live oak (Quercus virginia) to about 12in.



I’ve let the tree grow out in the ground all of 2020 then this November I decided to go ahead and dig it out.



The tree was growing in almost 100% sand which made it easy to dig out.








I’ve potted the tree in a box with mesh bottom. The soil mix is 1 part volcanic rock, 2 parts, potting soil, 2 parts DE, 4 parts turface.



I hope to keep posing the progression of this tree.

 

[Zach Smith]

Good start. Is there any particular reason you lifted the tree now? Have you had success lifting Live oak at this time of year? I ask because my experience with the species is that it is far from easy to lift, even with specimens you grow out in the ground. I think I cracked the code this year by lifting on March 1st, which for us down here is right before they change their leaves for the new season. My next experiment is coming up starting 3/1/21.

 

[CapeFear盆景]

Good start. Is there any particular reason you lifted the tree now? Have you had success lifting Live oak at this time of year? I ask because my experience with the species is that it is far from easy to lift, even with specimens you grow out in the ground. I think I cracked the code this year by lifting on March 1st, which for us down here is right before they change their leaves for the new season. My next experiment is coming up starting 3/1/21.

Thank you! I don’t have any experience with these threes, this is my first one. I dug it out now as kind of an experiment. At the same location there are 3 threes that I chopped at the same time and this was the least interesting one. I was planning on collecting the next one around the first week in January and the last one in March.

 

[Zach Smith]

Thank you! I don’t have any experience with these threes, this is my first one. I dug it out now as kind of an experiment. At the same location there are 3 threes that I chopped at the same time and this was the least interesting one. I was planning on collecting the next one around the first week in January and the last one in March.

Keep us posted. Live oaks are great for bonsai, but they are very different from other oak species I've collected and worked with.

 

[CapeFear盆景]

Hopefully I can get all three trees out and thriving this year.

I do have a question though, should I defoliate the tree now? Also when are the best times to do it? I’ve read that some people do it in summer and fall. Thank you.

 

[Zach Smith]

Hopefully I can get all three trees out and thriving this year.

I do have a question though, should I defoliate the tree now? Also when are the best times to do it? I’ve read that some people do it in summer and fall. Thank you.

Ordinarily I would say always defoliate, but at this time of year and with Live oak who knows? With my way in early March I do defoliate, but that's what the tree is going to do anyway.

 

[CapeFear盆景]

Thank you for the information. I’ll probably wait and see how it goes.

 

[Arlithrien]

I haven't had success collecting these. They grow extremely long whip-like roots with not many fines and never recover from the shock.

 

[Zach Smith]

Yes, the Live oak is a tough customer to collect successfully. My success rate is probably less than 20% over the past 30 years. I was encouraged this year when I lifted two on March 1st and both lived. What was very interesting about the post-collection behavior was that both specimens produced recovery buds fairly quickly, but then they more or less sat there for weeks and weeks. Finally, finally, they started to push growth and the vigor just kept on increasing through summer. That also extended to the root zone. So evidently it takes a good while for them to recover from lifting, but once they take hold they are strong growers.

 

[CapeFear盆景]

Thanks for the info. I think I’m going to wait until March like Zach Smith suggested. I’ll keep posting updates on the tree I’ve already collected and on the trees I’ll collect in March.

 

[Schmikah]

Yes, the Live oak is a tough customer to collect successfully. My success rate is probably less than 20% over the past 30 years. I was encouraged this year when I lifted two on March 1st and both lived. What was very interesting about the post-collection behavior was that both specimens produced recovery buds fairly quickly, but then they more or less sat there for weeks and weeks. Finally, finally, they started to push growth and the vigor just kept on increasing through summer. That also extended to the root zone. So evidently it takes a good while for them to recover from lifting, but once they take hold they are strong growers.

While I have no experience collecting live oaks, I've seen the same behavior whenever they get moved. My two Q. virginiana pouted for about two months when they were shipped to me. I thought one died because it didn't bud out after loosing its leaves until about June.

 

[CapeFear盆景]

It’s been one month since I collected this live oak. Here are some pictures, everything seems to be going fine. I’m guessing I won’t notice any changes until spring if everything goes alright. I’ll keep posting updates as the tree develops.

 

[CapeFear盆景]

It’s been three months since collecting the tree. The tree has lost some leaves. Spring hasn’t arrived yet and the tree isn’t showing any signs of buds pushing yet. However, the tree is still alive. I will be collecting the second live oak sometime in the first week of March like Zach Smith suggested and will post my updates.

 

[Trenthany]

I think it will make it based on my air layer oak. It was pulled in September with very limited roots and it has responded beautifully. From no leaves to this. Waiting a year before I layer it into a couple more pieces. Hoping for 4 trees out of it but definitely 3. Base of original tree to be layered and top I layered off. About 20 years old bark starting to get decently rough.

Edit: Damn it both are sideways. Sorry. At work I’ll try and fix before time runs out.
Edit 2: fixed them!

 

[CapeFear盆景]

It’s almost April and the live oak didn’t make it. I think it was a combination of not protecting it from the cold winds and my soil didn’t retain enough water. I am collecting another live oak from the same spot this weekend and will change up my soil ratios with a little more peat moss.

 

[Schmikah]

It’s almost April and the live oak didn’t make it. I think it was a combination of not protecting it from the cold winds and my soil didn’t retain enough water. I am collecting another live oak from the same spot this weekend and will change up my soil ratios with a little more peat moss.

I would hold off getting rid of it. When I got my live oak, it didn't push growth for the whole summer. It finally put out some leaves in late summer/early fall and is doing much better this year.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

It’s almost April and the live oak didn’t make it. I think it was a combination of not protecting it from the cold winds and my soil didn’t retain enough water. I am collecting another live oak from the same spot this weekend and will change up my soil ratios with a little more peat moss.

Wait. How do you know it didn't make it? Did it drop all its leaves and it's just sitting there?

 

[Wulfskaar]

Are Southern Live Oak similar enough to Coast Live Oak that this may apply to both? I have a similar situation where I'm sweating it out over a CLO I collected.

 

[Schmikah]

Are Southern Live Oak similar enough to Coast Live Oak that this may apply to both? I have a similar situation where I'm sweating it out over a CLO I collected.

from my understanding, all the live oaks are pretty similar in their growth habits. Only three or four people have different kinds of live oaks in my local club, but we've all had similar experiences after collecting/moving them to a different climate. One couple that brought their CLO from Texas said their's pouted for about six months, only put out something like two leaves in spring, and then put out decent growth in the fall.

Mine are completely different this year compared to when I first got them. They are just now dropping leaves for the new year growth compared to dropping them days after I got them last February. It seems like it takes at least a year for them to acclimate.

 

[CapeFear盆景]

We had very abnormal weather in my area for the last two weeks and all my conifers did well and some of my larger deciduous did fine as well but this tree just dryed out. Like I said it was a combo of the weather and my soil ratios.

When all the leaves dropped I figured it might just be normal because in my area this time of year I see live oaks dropping a portion of their leaves. Though after another week I scratched the trunk ans branches and there was no green. When I pulled it out of the pot the roots were brittle.

I have another live oak in the ground that I chopped at the same time, I’m going to dig it up this weekend and give it another try like @zachsmith said.