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#1
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Ping Treedweller
First, thanks for your thoughtful and helpful posts on this group. Great to
hear from you. Second, a question, I live in the North SA area, and had a Texas Red Oak planted in my yard about four years ago. Although it is always healthy, it has not grown much at all in four years. I did as much research as I could to ensure I had a Texas and not a Shumard, and I'm pretty sure it's a Texas. And, I got it from a great nursery in my area. My thought is that we put it in an area of too much rock and the roots can't grow. There are no roots coming up to or above the top soil, however. I'd drenched the area a few times with Medina Soil activator and Hasta Grow, but not much difference. Any thoughts on this? Thanks~! |
#2
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Ping Treedweller
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 04:24:03 GMT, "Justin Wilson" wrote:
First, thanks for your thoughtful and helpful posts on this group. Great to hear from you. Second, a question, I live in the North SA area, and had a Texas Red Oak planted in my yard about four years ago. Although it is always healthy, it has not grown much at all in four years. I did as much research as I could to ensure I had a Texas and not a Shumard, and I'm pretty sure it's a Texas. And, I got it from a great nursery in my area. My thought is that we put it in an area of too much rock and the roots can't grow. There are no roots coming up to or above the top soil, however. I'd drenched the area a few times with Medina Soil activator and Hasta Grow, but not much difference. Any thoughts on this? Thanks~! If you have a Q. texana (aka Q buckleyi), it is not likely to be a fast grower. Interesting to note about this species is that it tends to have problems late in life, especially if it is treated badly. Moreso than most trees, Q. texana needs to retain inner foliage that some might incorrectly call "suckers." Similarly, the tree tends to have multiple trunks. One stem may break or die, but the root system will live on through other stalks. Bear this in mind, too, as the tree ages. I doubt your soil is a problem: that's what most of the ones I see around Austin are in. Also, depending on how big the tree was originally, it may still be adapting to the native site. The bigger a transplant, the longer it takes. Now that you've done some fertilizing, lay off awhile to see what happens. Too much fertilizer is frequently worse than not enough. The tree should be mulched, preferably with organic material like wood chips or bark mulch. Learn how at www.treesaregood.com The biggies to watch out for with any transplant are water and root crown exposure. Watering deeply during droughts is important, but allowing soil to dry between waterings is also important (twice- or thrice-a-week cycles on the grass' sprinkler system are not the way to go). The root crown (where the base of the tree starts to flare outward) should be visible above the soil and any mulch that is there. Sometimes, this means it should be planted higher than the top of the pot it came in. Even good nurseries are often dealing with suppliers that slowly raise the soil level each time they repot into bigger containers. If you have the native tree, we're talking about a specialty nursery and maybe they do a good job. Just look at the tree trunks and remove excess soil if the flares are not visible. A final red flag: you mention topsoil. If that's just what you call the top few inches of soil, fine. If this is a recent lot development where a bunch of sandy loam ("topsoil") was spread over the existing soil to facilitate laying sod, there could be a number of problems related to this. At the Web site above, click on the brochures about construction damage to learn more. Probably all is fine. You made an effort to find the right plant and worked with a good nursery. They should have helped get the rest right. If the tree looks healthy after four years, it's probably just a matter of patience. good luck, Keith |
#3
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Ping Treedweller
THANKS Keith - great info!
"Treedweller" wrote in message ... On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 04:24:03 GMT, "Justin Wilson" wrote: First, thanks for your thoughtful and helpful posts on this group. Great to hear from you. Second, a question, I live in the North SA area, and had a Texas Red Oak planted in my yard about four years ago. Although it is always healthy, it has not grown much at all in four years. I did as much research as I could to ensure I had a Texas and not a Shumard, and I'm pretty sure it's a Texas. And, I got it from a great nursery in my area. My thought is that we put it in an area of too much rock and the roots can't grow. There are no roots coming up to or above the top soil, however. I'd drenched the area a few times with Medina Soil activator and Hasta Grow, but not much difference. Any thoughts on this? Thanks~! If you have a Q. texana (aka Q buckleyi), it is not likely to be a fast grower. Interesting to note about this species is that it tends to have problems late in life, especially if it is treated badly. Moreso than most trees, Q. texana needs to retain inner foliage that some might incorrectly call "suckers." Similarly, the tree tends to have multiple trunks. One stem may break or die, but the root system will live on through other stalks. Bear this in mind, too, as the tree ages. I doubt your soil is a problem: that's what most of the ones I see around Austin are in. Also, depending on how big the tree was originally, it may still be adapting to the native site. The bigger a transplant, the longer it takes. Now that you've done some fertilizing, lay off awhile to see what happens. Too much fertilizer is frequently worse than not enough. The tree should be mulched, preferably with organic material like wood chips or bark mulch. Learn how at www.treesaregood.com The biggies to watch out for with any transplant are water and root crown exposure. Watering deeply during droughts is important, but allowing soil to dry between waterings is also important (twice- or thrice-a-week cycles on the grass' sprinkler system are not the way to go). The root crown (where the base of the tree starts to flare outward) should be visible above the soil and any mulch that is there. Sometimes, this means it should be planted higher than the top of the pot it came in. Even good nurseries are often dealing with suppliers that slowly raise the soil level each time they repot into bigger containers. If you have the native tree, we're talking about a specialty nursery and maybe they do a good job. Just look at the tree trunks and remove excess soil if the flares are not visible. A final red flag: you mention topsoil. If that's just what you call the top few inches of soil, fine. If this is a recent lot development where a bunch of sandy loam ("topsoil") was spread over the existing soil to facilitate laying sod, there could be a number of problems related to this. At the Web site above, click on the brochures about construction damage to learn more. Probably all is fine. You made an effort to find the right plant and worked with a good nursery. They should have helped get the rest right. If the tree looks healthy after four years, it's probably just a matter of patience. good luck, Keith |
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