Any tips on growing oak seedlings once they sprout?

[Robert W Snow]

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I'm located south of Sacramento by about 30 miles and have heavy clay soil here. I planted about 60 different locations last fall with mostly White oak acorns and a few Live Oak acrorns that were from an adjoining ranch. A few have have just started to pop up and I'm hoping someone may have good advise so as to give them the best chance for their survival. Should I use some type of tree shelters and if so what type (wire baskets, plastic tubes)? Should I fertilize and if so when and how and with what type? When do I prune and do I prune all the lower limbs or none at all? Should I use some type or mulch at the soil level, maybe straw, to keep them from drying out or is that needed? Any advise will be appreciated. Thank You -Robert

 

[JackD_ME]

Don't mow them!!! LOL

Sorry, couldn't help it.
I use JOBE tree fertilizer sticks. Just stick them in the ground per the instructions.
As for pruning, it all depends on what you want each tree to look like. Top pruning makes a squat/wide tree. side pruning promotes tall growth.
It depends on what you want.
I use the plastic tube that's been spit down the side to protect the base from rabbits!

 

[treeseer]

you may want to post this on the nursery forum...

 

[nicklt040]

I be yall dont have to many deer in Cali. but they ate mine up.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Keep the grass cut down around them so they can get sunlight. And perhaps some oat straw to help hold the moisture in the ground.

Don't mow them!!! LOL

Billy

 

[Ed*L]

I use the plastic tubes from Tree Pro, then mulch to hold in moisture and keep the weeds down. The tubes also keep the vermin away!

Ed

 

[PB]

Don't mow them!!! LOL

Sorry, couldn't help it.
I use JOBE tree fertilizer sticks. Just stick them in the ground per the instructions.
As for pruning, it all depends on what you want each tree to look like. Top pruning makes a squat/wide tree. side pruning promotes tall growth.
It depends on what you want.
I use the plastic tube that's been spit down the side to protect the base from rabbits!

Don't use fertilizer sticks on seedlings, you will burn the roots. For seedlings, it is not imperative to fertilize, just make sure that grass and weeds are not robbing moisture from the ground surrounding it. Remove or trim the grass/weeds around the seedling and water regularly, but don't overwater. Overwatering in clay can be done very easily, so be careful. Also with clay soil make sure that your ground is aerated to allow for oxygen to get into the roots. In my experience, leaving seedlings alone for the first two or three years gets them a good start. Trying to prune to early only reallocates resources to wound healing instead of growth, and the removal of leaves retards is food producing abilities. Once the tree gets older, it can handle pruning and fertilizing much easier.

You can get tree starting tubes from any nursery supply. Keep the deer and rabbits away.

Good luck.

 

[Newt*]

Robert, this site is for nursery production of young trees and how to prune them and should be helpful.
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/nursery_production.html

Newt

 

[diesel_power101]

Pruning

I have the Ortho's "All about Pruning" and it says not more than 1/3 of a tree per year. Less is more. Prune oaks any time that they do not have leaves. I.E. in the Fall after the leave fall off or before the spring bud. This is when the tree is dormant. It's a good thing. They say that the longer you wait before spring the less time that the wound will be open to the hard winter. I have trees that are from 1 to 5 years old. I started planting when I moved in 5 years ago. Each year the hardwoods get around 8 to 12 inches pruned from the spot that they were pruned last year. The softer maples get 12 to 18" pruned. Each tree is different. If one does not grow as fast as the others, take less off.

I water mine trees if it has been a week without rain. Mulch the bottoms with a 3 to 4 foot circle 2 to 4 inches thick. This keeps in moister and keeps the roots cool. No volcano jobs, it should be the same thickness all the way out. The top roots need soil, water and air. Keep the mulch 2 to 4 inches back from the trunk to prevent root in the base of the tree. Sit back and enjoy.

 

[techdave]

Hi Robert, best to go with local adivce

contract the nearest chapter of the California Native plant society, or the California Oak foundation.


No offense to the rest of you, but unless you have mild wet winters, and hot dry summers your oaks grow under a totally different climate than those in most of California.


if you cant find them, pleae repost and I will hunt them down for you.

My fellow native plant lover geeks, errrrrrgh afficionados, will love to help you out.

I dont know if yuohave chaparral plants there, but I have had good luck with letting a sumac or manzanita grow in an open part of my fields, when its been there a few years a few oaks almost always sprouts under it.

I prune the shelter plant carefully back as the oak grows.

 

[PB]

contract the nearest chapter of the California Native plant society, or the California Oak foundation.


No offense to the rest of you, but unless you have mild wet winters, and hot dry summers your oaks grow under a totally different climate than those in most of California.


if you cant find them, pleae repost and I will hunt them down for you.

My fellow native plant lover geeks, errrrrrgh afficionados, will love to help you out.

I dont know if yuohave chaparral plants there, but I have had good luck with letting a sumac or manzanita grow in an open part of my fields, when its been there a few years a few oaks almost always sprouts under it.

I prune the shelter plant carefully back as the oak grows.

No offense back, but unless you are growing CAM plants, the basics are all the same. Seedlings need moisture, sunlight, and nutrients.

 

[techdave]

no offense intended back, but ...

If you have not worked here with native plants in a non commercial setting you are not as up on things as some CNPS and COF people .

The WHEN and HOW of providing the basics are a big part of how well his seedlings do, and more's the point, of makng sure his survivors are suited for his micros.

Itaint brain surgery, but theres no sense in doing it ok or even good when better and best are options.

You may (edit-almost certainly do if you are a plant bio )know more than ME about plants and even Oaks, and maybe even California's Oaks but you definitely dont know more about them than some of the field experienced, educated, dedicated folks at CNPS and COF.

I am rep-ing their views, as well as my experiences with Chaparral Oaks.

NoCal is wetter, and slighly colder in winter, but will be similar to SoCal chaparral in some key ways. The parallels of Englemans and Blues illustrate this.

 

[techdave]

Hi Robert

If you can match the area the acorns came from it would be good for the trees. If there are seedlings under the trees over there sprouting from under thick layer of leaves, oak leaf mulch some of yours too. if there are certain plants around, try to plant some of yours accorns around those kinds of plants at your place.


Its goood to do some each year for several years if you want to really give what you do the best shot at yielding some biguns decades later.

My Gpop and wife gdad both were old "pocket planters", the families aint sure about any one tree off family property, but almost 100 years later lots of their old planting areas are more densely wooded. good gift from some old farm and ranch guys!!

have fun with it, I wish i had more acreage to play around with.