Leaning White Oak - Taproot Questions

[defstar]

this is a white oak in the front of my property...you'll notice it has grown to the picture right...along with most of the canopy...

i love the form of this tree and think it will provide wonderful shade in the front yard...but i'm worried if one day the angle of this tree will lead it to falling over...

i keep thinking..."it has lasted this long on it's own"...but i have also noticed that drainage of the land is washing picture right as well...which i think over time is washing away the top soil from the picture left side of the tree...which could cause it to be more apt to uprooting...

as you can see in the picture...i have started adding soil to that left side...in an effort to help support the tree...i plan on putting down an 1" every six months...is this a good thing to do...?...will it even help the tree...?

i have also thought about planting another tree on that left side to help hold things down...is this a good idea...?

recently i learned that white oaks have a deep taproot...but i read somewhere on the internet that a white oak loses this taproot as it matures...our soil conditions here are a sandy 6" top soil with dirt under that...then you hit clay at about 5' under the surface...so would the taproot even be able to get a good hold...?

i know i have a lot here...thanks in advance for any input on what to do about my white oak...if anything...

and i need some clarification on the taproot thing...

my pictures are below...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid197/p94fbc7e910e8589ac0728772d26a19f1/f0fe3c6d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid197/pa3bbe24d428988cdc05496bfd1aa5d80/f0fe3c7c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid197/p5baf4d71ff55456847c34ff82d247d6a/f0fe3c65.jpg

 

[treeseer]

Stimulate deep rooting by vertidal mulching. Swing a pick deep into the ground to make holes 12"+ deep. pull up on the handle to fracture the soil. Stuff the holes with compost and coarse sand or aggregate (vole-bloc).

"i have also thought about planting another tree on that left side to help hold things down...is this a good idea...?

Planting associates is also a good idea. I'd go with several smaller trees shrubs etc.

No answer on the taproot question without radar or autopsy.

 

[Dadatwins]

as you can see in the picture...i have started adding soil to that left side...in an effort to help support the tree...i plan on putting down an 1" every six months...is this a good thing to do...?...will it even help the tree...?

Adding soil to hold the tree down will only kill the roots that are on that side and possibly kill the tree as well. Roots need air and water and adding soil will stop the air flow. Aerate as Treeseer has suggested, you can put back the soil that has washed away but do not pile up soil to hold down the tree. Better than soil I would suggest some mulch , it will hold better to washout.

 

[JamesTX]

Stimulate deep rooting by vertidal mulching. Swing a pick deep into the ground to make holes 12"+ deep. pull up on the handle to fracture the soil. Stuff the holes with compost and coarse sand or aggregate (vole-bloc).

How many holes do you have to make in order for vertical mulching to be effective?

 

[treeseer]

How many holes do you have to make in order for vertical mulching to be effective?

It depends. one has an effect, aerating the wole rootzone has a greater effect. Specs are typically 1-2' apart. condition of soil and of tree and of budget determine how many.

 

[pinus]

The taproot will disapear when trunk will rotten and gets empty. This demands century or more time

 

[defstar]

so about a centurys time for the taproot to disappear...any guesses as to how old my oak is now...?

and on the deep rooting...how far from the root flare do you begin with the pick work...?

the soil i did add was only about an inch worth...and that mainly filled in the area that had previously been washing out...i'll give the tree some time to adjust to that...then i'll add mulch...

i'm also thinking of adding a small tree on the left side...possibly a japanese maple and then some smaller shrubs...all to serve as associates...

 

[pinus]

Good guestion
Seem that this tree has a lightning damage or something that, which caused the vertical crack and destroyed the tree topend
In the case of the lot of tree species the roots position is in some extent connected with the position of branches. The one side roots are mainly feeding the branches of the same side and, etc. The tap root is strongly correlated with the tree top. If it dies, then the tree top will usually die partially too.
If to look yours tree, then its age in my area for oak was be no more than something 70-90 years, but this estimation depends from many factors, soil fertility, shadening, etc. In Your area I cant give reliable estimation.
The taproot will not die exactly after 100 years for the species. This can happen may be at 80-200 may be in fortunate conditions after even 300-400 years.
Personally I´d pruned the large horizontal branch of it. The tree seem not being in very good condition and will not last more centurys anyway.
The pruning will give a better look and will probably not kill it, at least not very "quickly".

 

[defstar]

lightning damage...vertical crack...?

this tree has neither...

why do you say the topend is destroyed...?

 

[treeseer]

I think pinus refers to a seam visible on the right side of the trunk in pic 1. Not sure about the lightning theory; may be a result of twisting. why he advocates pruning that lower branch; maybe it throws the symmetry of the tree off and contributed to the seam/crack.

I surely would not take a big branch like that off without a very good reason. I would consider making two cuts to shorten it and make a more stable form.

You can plant what you wnat nearby, but scratch the ground first to be sure that you are not cutting any big roots.

 

[Sheshovel]

I would leave the tree alone.It looks like it will be just fine without your help. Leave the leaves down where they have fallen and don't rake them up.

 

[treeseer]

I would leave the tree alone.It looks like it will be just fine without your help. Leave the leaves down where they have fallen and don't rake them up.

She, do you think the seam may be related to asymmetry?

 

[skwerl]

I agree with sheshovel. IMO the more you do to this tree, the more you will hurt it. Piling too much dirt on top of the roots will suffocate those roots. Without any evidence that aeriation is necessary, I suspect unneccessary harm may be done by cutting roots when attempting to punch holes in the ground. The tree doesn't have much of a lean and it won't affect anythnig unless you keep looking at it and worrying about how to 'fix' it. If you keep 'fixing' it, you will end up cutting it down.

 

[pinus]

As the pics are only from one direction and are covering the tree only partially it is difficult to see what caused the crack and the development of such "wierd" branch.
Surely the tree had something serious damage on the past or was at least surrounded with other "stronger" trees which distressed it.
The cutting of the horizontal branch will give a better gravity balance also, IMO.
The other trees (oaks?) leafs are not fallen yet on pics, but for this tree they are fallen, which can refer to some problems with roots of it.

 

[treeseer]

pinus, oaks here shed at different times, more due to juvenility and genetics than root stress.

Are you seriously recommending removing that entire branch, or just reducing it?

If soil is compacted then aeration is recommended. Using an auger can damage roots; using a pick is far lesss likely to do so. Do not wait to mulch; suffocation is not an issue if roots are near the surface now.

If there is a seam in the trunk that is likely caused by twisting, then at least some light pruning is called for. 2 cuts on that branch, about 2" dia., would do a lot to reduce that lever arm and correct the overall lean.

 

[defstar]

i do have many white oaks...and all of them vary in the amount of leaves they have lost so far...some almost all like this one...and others have 60% or better remaining...i guess maybe it depends on the location of the tree...whether it's in the open or sheilded among other trees...but i do remember clearly that before the fall season...this oak was full of healthy green leaves...

i stopped by again the other day...the little bit of top soil i did add is still loose...and again is only about an inch thick...so i'm not too concerned with that hurting the tree...but i do NOT plan on adding anymore...just mulch in the future and some small trees/shrubs...

treeseer...the ground around the tree is still all natural...with the exception of the area i added soil on the left side of the tree...which is roughly only about 4' in diameter...and that is up near the base...not over the dripline roots...so for the most part...the tree's roots would not be considered "compacted"...correct...?

instead of buying mulch now...is it just as good to take sheshovel's advice and leaving the fallen leaves...maybe rake even more leaves around the tree...?

it seems too much of a risk to cut away big healthy limbs...giving the tree a large wound/s to try and heal...maybe pruning the smaller/outer branches on the far right side...but would that make much difference...?

i still don't see this seam/crack that was mentioned...?

 

[pinus]

That is good news for me, tree had a plenty of leafs during growing season.
Here, oaks have to a large variations and time periods for the unfolding and sheding, so that was meant as a one potential thing to look and analyze.
Root problems and following poor feeding of leafs with water and minerals is causing sparse canopy and shortened vegetation period of leafs.

If we can get one pic from the cross-direction of this branch covering all the tree and more detail pic about the crack-wound starting on the pic1, the more reliable conclusions can be made.

Treeser, on the basis of the present pics, I started at least the partial reduction of the big horizontal branch. If to cut it near trunk, the wound will not probably overgrow never, but, IMO, will not kill it at the next some 50 or more years.
If the tree cant cause a serious damage for something (house or something that), probably, the best is let it as it is as was adviced earlier too.

 

[treeseer]

i ..is it just as good to take sheshovel's advice and leaving the fallen leaves...maybe rake even more leaves around the tree...?

l...maybe pruning the smaller/outer branches on the far right side...but would that make much difference...?

i still don't see this seam/crack that was mentioned...?

Ideal to shred leaves and put them back under the tree; accelerates the natural cycle. lawn mower works; shredder works better.

Yes reducing ends makes a big difference in lever arm therefore strain.

Right side of the trunk is a vertical ridge that looks like a crack that sealed over with reaction wood. From here I seem to hear the tree saying it needs to be more balanced.

 

[Sheshovel]

She, do you think the seam may be related to asymmetry?

Very possible

 

[Sheshovel]

If anything,then this is what I would do.Leaves are mulch and tree food,bare ground is bad ground