Red oak size and trimming
 

Thanks to all who answered a previous question regarding Kousa dogwoods
and sun. It was very helpful.

A related question: I have a young red oak in my front lawn (facing
south), which I've been told could grow eventually to over 60 ft by 50
ft. (Of course, growing at about 1 1/2 ft per year, that means abut 40
years from now.) The problem is, I have a ranch home on a relatively
small lot, and at that size, the tree will totally dominate the yard as
well as place everything in shade. I like having some sun hit the
house, both for lighting purposes and for my garden at the front of the
house. My question is: is it possible/advisable to periodically trim
back the oak to keep its size more manageable? Or would this harm the
tree, or really not help reduce the size of the tree in the long run?

An alternative is to transplant the oak to a place where this won't be
an issue.

Thanks for the input. I'm new to this, and find I am learning an awful
lot reading this newsgroup.

Red oak size and trimming
 

A Red Oak wants to be the size it wants to be... pruning can slow the
process but never stop it (without immense intervention which wouldn't be
particularly healthy for the tree). 60' by 60' is typical at maturity. I
would disagree with others' assessment that this is a slow growing tree. In
optimum conditions 2' per year is not unusual. The technical term for this
oak is a BHT, or Big Honkin' Tree!

Dave

"Stuart E. Weiner" wrote in message
...
Thanks to all who answered a previous question regarding Kousa dogwoods
and sun. It was very helpful.

A related question: I have a young red oak in my front lawn (facing
south), which I've been told could grow eventually to over 60 ft by 50
ft. (Of course, growing at about 1 1/2 ft per year, that means abut 40
years from now.) The problem is, I have a ranch home on a relatively
small lot, and at that size, the tree will totally dominate the yard as
well as place everything in shade. I like having some sun hit the
house, both for lighting purposes and for my garden at the front of the
house. My question is: is it possible/advisable to periodically trim
back the oak to keep its size more manageable? Or would this harm the
tree, or really not help reduce the size of the tree in the long run?

An alternative is to transplant the oak to a place where this won't be
an issue.

Thanks for the input. I'm new to this, and find I am learning an awful
lot reading this newsgroup.

Red oak size and trimming
 

On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 20:40:32 GMT, "Stuart E. Weiner"
wrote:

I have a young red oak in my front lawn (facing
south), which I've been told could grow eventually to over 60 ft by 50
ft. (Of course, growing at about 1 1/2 ft per year, that means abut 40
years from now.) The problem is, I have a ranch home on a relatively
small lot, and at that size, the tree will totally dominate the yard as
well as place everything in shade.

Plant/cultivate trees and whatnot (a wisteria is a 'whatnot' :-) with
an eye to what the full-grown critter may become. Hate to keep
mentioning Isabel, but one wonders what an 80' pine tree is doing in a
suburban back yard where lots are 50'x100' (I didn't plant it, but I
didn't cut it down when I moved here, either.) Rather than trying to
prune, trim, "top" (ugh) various plant life (which makes many trees
unhappy and less stable), plant with a view to what you eventually
want. Some idiot "landscapers" put a row of photinas next to my house
as "bushes." Their normal growth results, in this area, in robust
20-30' trees, and they must constantly be pruned.

Bite the bullet. Remove the oak (unless you plan to move within the
next 5 yrs and pass the problem along to the next homeowner), and
replace with something more suitable.