Tired of Willow Oaks yet? Here's yet another one

[Rick Moquin]

See attached pic for the ground-layer result. I've had very mixed results in trying to ground-layer my native oaks. As often as not, I just get a lot of corky growth and no roots.
Thanks for the interest folks.

Interesting Jay is it the species itself or the method used (for education). Would you mind explaining your method?

 

[rockm]

Jay,

Your willow oak leaves look much different than those on willow oak here in Va. The leaves on yours have lobes and look a bit thicker than the smooth edged, relatively thin leaves on the species here.

THat's not surprising to me. I"ve observed that willow oak in the Southern part of its range has those characteristics. My parents have a big Quercus phellos in their front yard in East Texas that looks like yours. It is also pretty much evergreen, with green leaves hanging on until spring when they are replaced.

My theory is that down there, Willow oak interbreeds with live oak...and has shares similar leaf shape and growth habits with that species. Up here in the Northern edge of its range, there are no live oaks, so there isn't any "mingling" between the two...

 

[Jay Wilson]

Interesting Jay is it the species itself or the method used (for education). Would you mind explaining your method?

Rick, I don't think it's the method itself that's the problem... It happens sometimes on the stub of the taproot or even on the end of a cut off root. I've taken off tennis ball size hunks of cork from various places in the root ball on many different trees that weren't being layered. I've learned to live with it. I just cut off the cork and usually it will go ahead and throw roots the next year.

 

[Jay Wilson]

Jay,

Your willow oak leaves look much different than those on willow oak here in Va. The leaves on yours have lobes and look a bit thicker than the smooth edged, relatively thin leaves on the species here.

THat's not surprising to me. I"ve observed that willow oak in the Southern part of its range has those characteristics. My parents have a big Quercus phellos in their front yard in East Texas that looks like yours. It is also pretty much evergreen, with green leaves hanging on until spring when they are replaced.

My theory is that down there, Willow oak interbreeds with live oak...and has shares similar leaf shape and growth habits with that species. Up here in the Northern edge of its range, there are no live oaks, so there isn't any "mingling" between the two...

I think you are on the right track with your hybrid theory.
I have three general species of oaks on my place and they all seem to interbreed. Here's a link that seems to agree.. http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/quph.html

 

[Rick Moquin]

Rick, I don't think it's the method itself that's the problem... It happens sometimes on the stub of the taproot or even on the end of a cut off root. I've taken off tennis ball size hunks of cork from various places in the root ball on many different trees that weren't being layered. I've learned to live with it. I just cut off the cork and usually it will go ahead and throw roots the next year.

Gotcha, species related! Well I guess approach grafting will have to do I am glad you tried on a different tree though. I thought you had lost 2 years, but will openly admit you probably gained 10 in the process (not ruining the pictured tree). Where you aware of this phenomena prior to?