Gardeners who are passionate about their work do not ignore the forest giant. By creating shady lawns in their garden plots, they choose for this powerful green long-liver, which will provide shade and coolness under its branches for many years. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren will relax in the shade of the oak tree and remember those who gave them this magnificent plant by planting a seedling long ago. You can also grow this beauty for your descendants; look at the photos and videos that show how to properly transplant a seedling from a nursery or oak grove. We will tell you how to care for and protect him in the first years of his life.
In northern latitudes, in temperate and tropical climates, about 600 varieties of this plant grow. For the purpose of landscaping garden plots, parks and city alleys, low-growing varieties of common (pedunculated) oak are used. These are Asplenifolia, Fastigiata, as well as Fastigiata Koster and Concordia. The main characteristic features of these varieties are:
The second most popular is red or northern oak. It is called so due to the characteristic color of the leaves. In the spring, when they bloom, they have a reddish tint, in the summer they are completely green, and in the fall they become red, crimson, even brown. The Aureus variety enjoys primacy.
Oak leaves
High-quality planting material can be purchased at nurseries for growing seedlings. These enterprises ensure that their young plants are free from disease and are grown according to agrotechnical requirements.
Attention! When storing a young plant for more than 24 hours, moisten the burlap by spraying it with water; do not keep it in a container with liquid, as the roots may be damaged and subject to rotting.
Before buying seedlings, familiarize yourself with the varietal characteristics of the plant, then it will be easier for you to determine the place to plant the tree. Its varietal affiliation characterizes what the plant will become in a few years: the size of its roots, crown diameter, height. Based on these indicators, plan where it should grow and what place to give it on your site. Basic requirements for all types:
Oak sapling
Having determined the landing site, we proceed directly to its implementation. In the spring, 20-25 days before planting, we prepare planting holes as follows;
Attention! When planting, the root collar of the plant should be slightly above the surface of the ground, but no more than 3 centimeters.
For the first 2-3 years, while the seedling takes root in a new place, it will need care and feeding, and in the future it will gain strength and fly upward on its own.
Seedling care technology:
The first couple of years of a young plant’s life will require feeding and watering.
In the third year of life, at the end of winter, the tree is pruned for the first time. Thereafter it is carried out every 2 years. There are various shapes and cutting methods, which one to choose depends only on your imagination.
A small, not yet strong tree must be protected from the winter cold and the attacks of bunnies - lovers of young succulent twigs. To protect your plant from such misfortunes, do the following:
In the spring, with the onset of warm days, remove all the insulation, the branches themselves will reach towards the sun, absorbing its warmth and energy, and you will be glad that you preserved this fragile plant, which over time will turn into a green mighty giant and will remind your descendants of you.
A mature oak is a tall, stately tree with dense foliage and a substantial trunk. It is not for nothing that he has been a symbol of power, strength and knowledge since ancient times, as folk tales and works of the classic A.S. tell. Pushkin.
In the modern world, oak trees are planted in parks and roadside areas, in summer cottages and even at home, decorative bonsai are grown in a pot in a special way.
You can get a healthy and strong plant from any planting material - an acorn or cuttings. In the first case, it will take more time; from the finished shoot, a tall oak tree will grow 2-4 years earlier. The cutting must be prepared and its roots must be sprouted. However, there is no guarantee that such a seedling will take root. It is easier to grow an oak tree from an acorn, which is why this method is preferred. The growth rate in the first 2-3 years is much higher than in subsequent years, so the process of monitoring development will be an exciting activity for small family members and amateur plant growers.
You can quickly grow an oak tree from an acorn if you prepare the planting material correctly.
The fruits are harvested in the fall, when the tree sheds its leaves and the acorns are fully ripe. They go to the deciduous forest in search of material. In Russia, pedunculate oak is more common than others; its other names are common, summer or English. The plant is characterized by frequent branches, medium-sized leaves with rounded edges, and thick brown-gray bark. The height of an adult is up to 40 meters.
There are 2 types of common oak: winter and summer. The summer leaves bloom in late spring in May-June, by autumn they hardly change color and fall off until October. In winter, these processes occur 2-4 weeks later; by October the leaves acquire a dark brown color and can remain on the branches until the next flowering.
Fallen oak fruits are suitable for germination. It is necessary to listen to the acorn - shake it and determine whether the nucleus is alive in it (it should not rattle). From the collection site you need to take some fallen native leaves and topsoil. They are necessary for preserving the material until planting.
At home, the suitability of the material is checked again: cold water is poured into a basin and the pickings are placed there. The specimens that quickly surfaced are empty; nothing will grow from them. A repeated check is carried out after 5 minutes: those that have not surfaced are good raw materials for planting.
The most natural and favorable way to plant a tree is in the spring; for the winter, the fruits are sent into hibernation in conditions close to natural:
This “preservation” imitates wintering under snow crust and the seed is preserved in its original form.
Before planting the overwintered fruit in the ground, it is necessary to germinate the roots. To do this, closed “nuts” are placed in a humid environment, for example, in a bag with wet sphagnum moss, and left in the refrigerator for 90-120 days. How long it takes for roots to break through depends on the type of tree.
When sure roots appear, the future seedling must be protected from mechanical damage.
If you were unable to stock up on raw materials in the fall, you can find an already sprouted acorn immediately after the snow melts, when the sprout has not yet entered the soil. It is necessary to pack it quickly in a humid environment. It is impossible to keep a seedling in the open air for a long time - the roots require constant moisture and care.
Oak is unpretentious to midland soils, but loves fertile soil rich in nutrients. To prevent the emerging sprout from dying out, it is planted in moist soil taken from the place of growth of the mother oak. If there is none, you can take soil from your dacha or fertile garden plot and add peat moss or vermiculite to it to retain water.
The pot should have drainage holes to remove excess moisture. The sprouted material is planted to a depth of 3-5 cm. For the first time, before the seedlings grow, you can use small plastic cups, which can be conveniently placed on the windowsill in your apartment. The plantings are covered with a damp cotton wool or rag, and a greenhouse effect is created with glass or film with ventilation holes. In the first year and up to 10 years, the growth rate of seedlings can reach 25-35 cm, then the process slows down.
As the plants grow, they need to be transplanted into larger containers and the soil replaced.
When the seedlings have grown stronger, it is time to transplant them into the ground in an open area.
Oak can be replanted without damage only at an early age. When a tree sits in one place for a long time, its root system grows and deepens, and the plant thoroughly takes its place. This fact must be taken into account before transplantation. There should be enough free space on the site; new houses and buildings should not be erected near the oak tree - the root system can subsequently damage the integrity of the foundation.
Oak cannot stand a dark place - you cannot plant it in the shade or under other mature trees, it will take a long time to take root, its growth rate drops significantly, and you won’t have to wait for a powerful, stately representative of the Beech family.
Where to plant oak in the country:
Algorithm of actions for a successful transplant:
The same plan of action should be followed if you want to make homemade oak. In this case, the container must have a volume of at least 100 liters. Of course, no matter how much you care for it, the potted plant will not become so large and powerful, but it will delight the eye with greenery for a longer time.
Like any plant, young oak requires care and attention. At first, “new settlers” may feel uncomfortable in an open space - the new place, the soil, the lighting. It is important to constantly monitor their condition.
Young shoots are attractive to birds and rodents. To prevent uninvited guests from spoiling the plant, they arrange protection - a small, frequent fence around the planting. To avoid insect attacks, the foliage is treated with pesticides.
Any type of young oak requires high light and constant moisture. To avoid competition on the site, the area around it must be cleared of foreign plants and fast-growing trees.
At first, the oak tree requires constant watering.
You need to care for the plant until it gets stronger, on average up to 4-5 years. Upon reaching this time, the dacha will already have a young tree up to 1.5 meters high.
How to grow oak is now clear, there is nothing complicated about it, just be patient for a few years.
After 30-40 years, a single oak begins to bear fruit - once every 6-8 years, acorns ripen on the branches, from which new seedlings can emerge.
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A mature oak is a tall, stately tree with dense foliage and a substantial trunk. It is not for nothing that he has been a symbol of power, strength and knowledge since ancient times, as folk tales and works of the classic A.S. tell. Pushkin.
In the modern world, oak trees are planted in parks and roadside areas, in summer cottages and even at home, decorative bonsai are grown in a pot in a special way.
Growing an oak tree in conditions close to home and then replanting it in a summer cottage or local area will allow you to acquire your own tree of strength and wisdom, which will delight the eye of more than one generation of observers.
You can get a healthy and strong plant from any planting material - an acorn or cuttings. In the first case, it will take more time; from the finished shoot, a tall oak tree will grow 2-4 years earlier. The cutting must be prepared and its roots must be sprouted. However, there is no guarantee that such a seedling will take root. It is easier to grow an oak tree from an acorn, which is why this method is preferred. The growth rate in the first 2-3 years is much higher than in subsequent years, so the process of monitoring development will be an exciting activity for small family members and amateur plant growers.
You can quickly grow an oak tree from an acorn if you prepare the planting material correctly.
The fruits are harvested in the fall, when the tree sheds its leaves and the acorns are fully ripe. They go to the deciduous forest in search of material. In Russia, pedunculate oak is more common than others; its other names are common, summer or English. The plant is characterized by frequent branches, medium-sized leaves with rounded edges, and thick brown-gray bark. The height of an adult is up to 40 meters.
There are 2 types of common oak: winter and summer. The summer leaves bloom in late spring in May-June, by autumn they hardly change color and fall off until October. In winter, these processes occur 2-4 weeks later; by October the leaves acquire a dark brown color and can remain on the branches until the next flowering.
Fallen oak fruits are suitable for germination. It is necessary to listen to the acorn - shake it and determine whether the nucleus is alive in it (it should not rattle). From the collection site you need to take some fallen native leaves and topsoil. They are necessary for preserving the material until planting.
At home, the suitability of the material is checked again: cold water is poured into a basin and the pickings are placed there. The specimens that quickly surfaced are empty; nothing will grow from them. A repeated check is carried out after 5 minutes: those that have not surfaced are good raw materials for planting.
The most natural and favorable way to plant a tree is in the spring; for the winter, the fruits are sent into hibernation in conditions close to natural:
This “preservation” imitates wintering under snow crust and the seed is preserved in its original form.
Before planting the overwintered fruit in the ground, it is necessary to germinate the roots. To do this, closed “nuts” are placed in a humid environment, for example, in a bag with wet sphagnum moss, and left in the refrigerator for 90-120 days. How long it takes for roots to break through depends on the type of tree.
When sure roots appear, the future seedling must be protected from mechanical damage.
If you were unable to stock up on raw materials in the fall, you can find an already sprouted acorn immediately after the snow melts, when the sprout has not yet entered the soil. It is necessary to pack it quickly in a humid environment. It is impossible to keep a seedling in the open air for a long time - the roots require constant moisture and care.
Oak is unpretentious to midland soils, but loves fertile soil rich in nutrients. To prevent the emerging sprout from dying out, it is planted in moist soil taken from the place of growth of the mother oak. If there is none, you can take soil from your dacha or fertile garden plot and add peat moss or vermiculite to it to retain water.
The pot should have drainage holes to remove excess moisture. The sprouted material is planted to a depth of 3-5 cm. For the first time, before the seedlings grow, you can use small plastic cups, which can be conveniently placed on the windowsill in your apartment. The plantings are covered with a damp cotton wool or rag, and a greenhouse effect is created with glass or film with ventilation holes. In the first year and up to 10 years, the growth rate of seedlings can reach 25-35 cm, then the process slows down.
As the plants grow, they need to be transplanted into larger containers and the soil replaced.
When the seedlings have grown stronger, it is time to transplant them into the ground in an open area.
Oak can be replanted without damage only at an early age. When a tree sits in one place for a long time, its root system grows and deepens, and the plant thoroughly takes its place. This fact must be taken into account before transplantation. There should be enough free space on the site; new houses and buildings should not be erected near the oak tree - the root system can subsequently damage the integrity of the foundation.
Oak cannot stand a dark place - you cannot plant it in the shade or under other mature trees, it will take a long time to take root, its growth rate drops significantly, and you won’t have to wait for a powerful, stately representative of the Beech family.
Where to plant oak in the country:
Algorithm of actions for a successful transplant:
The same plan of action should be followed if you want to make homemade oak. In this case, the container must have a volume of at least 100 liters. Of course, no matter how much you care for it, the potted plant will not become so large and powerful, but it will delight the eye with greenery for a longer time.
Like any plant, young oak requires care and attention. At first, “new settlers” may feel uncomfortable in an open space - the new place, the soil, the lighting. It is important to constantly monitor their condition.
Young shoots are attractive to birds and rodents. To prevent uninvited guests from spoiling the plant, they arrange protection - a small, frequent fence around the planting. To avoid insect attacks, the foliage is treated with pesticides.
Any type of young oak requires high light and constant moisture. To avoid competition on the site, the area around it must be cleared of foreign plants and fast-growing trees.
At first, the oak tree requires constant watering.
You need to care for the plant until it gets stronger, on average up to 4-5 years. Upon reaching this time, the dacha will already have a young tree up to 1.5 meters high.
How to grow oak is now clear, there is nothing complicated about it, just be patient for a few years.
After 30-40 years, a single oak begins to bear fruit - once every 6-8 years, acorns ripen on the branches, from which new seedlings can emerge.
Long gone are the days when only fruit trees were planted on plots. Today, trees are planted in dachas not only with an eye to the future harvest, but also for the soul. That is why our article today is devoted to how to properly plant oak on your site.
Interesting things about oaks
It is not for nothing that oaks are considered a symbol of longevity and strength, because their life span ranges from 500 to 1500 years. The oak trees do not stretch much in height - not a little, but 50 meters. In total, there are more than five hundred species of this plant in nature, but in our country the most common oak is the English oak, also known as the common English oak.
So, you have decided to decorate your site with this beautiful and noble tree. There are two ways to plant it correctly - transplant a young oak seedling from a nearby forest (or buy it at a nursery) or grow it from an acorn. Let's consider both of these options.
How to plant an oak acorn correctly?
The most important step in this method of planting an oak tree is choosing the right acorn and successfully storing it until spring. It is in the spring that we will plant the acorn, because if planted in the fall, it runs the risk of being eaten by mice. Therefore, in early October, we will go to the nearest oak tree for the last acorns remaining on its branches, from which we will select several of the largest and healthiest.
We send the collected seed to the basement or refrigerator until spring, packing it in a ventilated container and moistening it a little from time to time. In the spring, we lower the acorns into a container of water and weed out those that float to the surface - they died during the wintering process.
As soon as the last frosts have passed and the soil has warmed up sufficiently, the acorns are planted in open ground, located at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. Acorns should be placed horizontally in the soil, buried 20-30 mm and sprinkled with a little earth. Acorn germination is a fairly long process and begins with the appearance of a root. Only 1-1.5 months after the root, the acorn produces a shoot.
How to plant an oak tree from a seedling?
When planting an oak using this method, you need to remember the characteristics of the root system of this tree, which forms one long main root and many lateral ones. The success of planting an oak seedling lies in minimal damage to its roots.
It is better to plant an oak seedling in early spring, before the first leaves appear on it. Choose a place for the oak tree that is well-lit, protected from wind and stagnant groundwater. A depression of about 25 cm is made in the ground with a stick, into which the seedling is placed and the soil around it is compacted.
Oak and everything about it The oak genus belongs to the beech family and contains about 600 species. These include evergreen and deciduous trees. The Latin name of the family comes from Greek and means “rough”.
But the Alps became a natural barrier. In North America, plants that respond to frost have survived only in the southern direction, but are still found today. Find out how to cheaply and quickly make a roof for a country house. Oaks are trees 20-30 m high. Some species can be taller - more than 50 m. But a small number of species are shrubs or very low shrubs that cover the ground with a carpet, and their height rarely exceeds 2-3 meters. Oaks are monoecious plants, their leaves and flowers appear at the same time - in May.
The male flowers of the oak tree are collected in unusual inflorescences in the form of thin, long yellow-green hanging earrings, which are somewhat reminiscent of hazel earrings, hanging in large bunches from the branches, practically no different in color from the young foliage, which are located on the lower part of the shoots . The female, pistillate flowers are small in size, located one at a time or, in some species, 2-3 at the top of the shoot.
Subsequently, acorns emerge from the female flowers in September or early October. The oak is one of the most majestic and magnificent trees, known for its solidity and durability. According to the ancient Roman scientist Pliny, centuries-old oaks were even recognized as a wonder of the world, whose age was compared with the age of the universe itself. In central Russia, the most widespread pedunculate oak is the most important forest-forming species in Western Europe and the European part of Russia.
At low altitude, branches begin to grow from the trunk. Oaks love sunlight, and their branches are massive, twisted, and have bizarre bends. In North America, rich in deciduous forests, there are many varieties of oaks, which, due to their unique decorative properties and unpretentiousness to adverse conditions, are quite widely used in landscaping.
The natural habitat of the red oak is the east of North America. It is a tree 25 meters high, very fond of light, with dark green leathery leaves with pointed blades. This species is considered very decorative as the foliage turns orange and bright red in autumn.
In old trees, during the same period, the leaves turn brown and yellow. Acorns appear in the second year of the tree’s life. They are wide, ovoid in shape, and fit into a flat plus.
Red oak loves light, especially illumination of the top of the crown, but easily tolerates lateral shading. Also undeniable properties of this plant are frost resistance, resistance to gases and poisons.
This tree is a representative of those species that drown out city noise. The second type - swamp oak - has a very slender, rounded crown, which becomes narrower with age of the plant. The average height of the tree is 25 m. There are no branches in the lower part of the trunk; it is branched evenly and quite densely.
The leaves of the tree are very beautiful, shiny on both sides, lighter below and bright green above. This species is not as frost-hardy as red or petiolate. In severe winter frosts, young shoots often freeze slightly.
In this case, although the acorns set, they do not ripen and fall off. In North America, the leaves are dark red, but in Moscow they become yellow in autumn. The white oak leaf is similar in shape to the swamp oak, but differs in its flatter rounded top. The height of the tree is 25 m, the branches are very wide and spreading, the crown is tent-shaped.
The bark of the tree is light gray, sometimes even white with cracks. Towards the base, the leaves become narrow, deep, sometimes up to the midrib they are cut with narrow grooves. When the leaves bloom, they have a bright red tint, slightly pubescent and silvery; at a more mature age they acquire a bright green color, slightly bluish below.
In autumn, the foliage remains on the tree. This is one of the most beautiful oaks in North America. Large-fruited oaks are common in the Great Lakes region, often reaching 30 meters in height, and have a tent-shaped crown. The name of the tree is associated with the large size of the acorns.
In Moscow conditions they do not ripen every year and one at a time. It grows quite quickly, is frost-resistant, but loves moisture very much. The natural habitat of Mongolian oak is the southern part of the Far East, but now it is also found in Korea, China and Northern Japan.
This is a very beautiful tree, reaching 30 meters. Forms extensive forests on mountain slopes and along river banks. In autumn, the leaves of the tree acquire bright yellow-brown shades. It loves sunlight, does not tolerate shading from above, but lateral shading, on the contrary, promotes the rapid growth of the tree. In Russia, there is a serrated oak, which also grows in China, Japan and Korea.
Prefers mountain slopes and dry hills. It is also photophilous, very resilient and tolerates drought quite calmly. Gives a very good offspring throughout the year.
Oak is the basis of forest parks and large parks in those areas where there are conditions suitable for its development. When planted alone, the tree becomes wide and short, with a spreading crown. In close and group plantings, oak grows taller, slimmer and straighter.
Decorative oak species are used in single stands, looking especially good with coniferous plants, while creating an elegant park landscape. Oak is often used for planting in alleys; the distance between trees should be about 6-8 meters. Oak trees have a very wide and spreading crown, which requires quite a lot of space, and this should be taken into account when wanting to plant a tree on a personal plot.
Oak is undoubtedly the king among deciduous trees. And many owners of land plots are not averse to planting this plant in their own country in order to subsequently enjoy its majestic beauty.
Oak is propagated in several ways, for example, by rooting green cuttings. Just keep in mind that cuttings taken from adult plants almost never take root, but those taken from young plants are much more successful.
According to DachaDecor.ru, cuttings of annual plants root by 70-90%, and biennial plants - 30-70%. Rooting is also influenced by the time of cutting. The first ten days of June are best for cuttings of young plants, but for older plants - May. Heteroauxin can be used as a good stimulant. Oak trees also reproduce well by planting fresh acorns.
Harvesting takes place in September and October; for some species, even November is suitable. Acorns should be sown immediately after harvest, without allowing them to dry out.
If the autumn is dry, then after sowing acorns they need to be watered and it is recommended to cover them with spruce branches to prevent damage by rodents. If you do not have the opportunity to plant acorns immediately in the fall, then dry them until 60% moisture is retained. A dried good acorn should not be dry, but the top should not separate.
Otherwise, the acorns are overdried. Dried acorns are stored in a basement with excellent ventilation, the box with them should be closed in several layers: the first layer is 10 cm sand, the second is 2 cm acorns, the third is 2 cm sand. The sand humidity should be 60%, temperature storage - 2-5 degrees Celsius. If the batch of acorns is small, then it can be left in the refrigerator, using a bag with small holes for breathing.
The ideal temperature for storage will be 2-3 degrees. If you store acorns in a completely sealed bag, they will die. Every ten days it is advisable to remove the acorns and inspect them for mold.
If it was found, rinse the acorn well, dry it and hide it in the refrigerator again. Storage for the winter can also be done by digging the acorns into the ground in the fall to a depth of 20 cm. In this case, they should be covered with a sheet of waterproof material, leaving a small layer between the acorns and leaf, which will provide protection from rodents.
There is no need to carry out subsequent spring treatment in the spring. After proper winter storage after sowing in the spring, seedlings should appear within a month. During germination, the top of the acorn cracks and a white root appears on the outside.
After two weeks it grows to 10 cm, and then throws out the stem. In the first year of life, the tree shoots reach 10-15 cm.
Oak has monopodial branching, meaning its main stem continues to grow until the end of the plant's life, dominating the side shoots. All types of oak have a powerful straight trunk, sometimes several.
You can limit the crown by pruning the tree, which should be done once every 2-3 years. The above-ground part of the tree is formed using different methods of pruning branches. You can slow down the growth of the trunk by removing the apical bud.
You can also pinch shoots, cut out branches, shorten branches and shoots. Trimming growth along the crown promotes branching of the plant. The optimal time to prune oak is late winter and early spring.
In winter, branches can be removed only if the outside temperature does not drop below -5 degrees. Lower temperatures can cause freezing of areas of wood and bark adjacent to the cut. In summer, pruning a tree is also not recommended. Sanitary pruning involves removing drying, diseased, damaged branches, as well as those that grow inside the crown.
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Join our Group!A personal look at the mighty oak and caring for the sacred tree“Near Lukomorye there is a green oak tree...” Even as a child, I fell in love with this mighty tree. I even went to Belovezhskaya Pushcha on an excursion at school, but mostly to admire the perennial giants. And since I was interested in everything connected with oak, I found out that the Slavs considered it sacred and even revered it. The giant was dedicated to Perun. Even then, power, strength, hardness and even masculinity were associated with him. But the Baltic Slavs believed that the Gods lived in the oak grove. In general, you can find a lot of interesting things that the handsome man is associated with. And that’s why I decided to start growing oak. As soon as I bought my house, the first thing I decided to place was my dream - oak. I really like the marsh plant, whose leaves are bright green. It can even grow twenty-five meters tall. But I don’t dare to breed a named one, since this type does not tolerate frosts well. But there are other species from which I decided to find a pet. By the way, do you know what a giant flower looks like? Now I will reveal this secret. So flowers are earrings that can be both male and female, and grow on the same tree. Although I knew a lot of interesting things about the giant, I still lacked some information on how to draw up all the rules. And I found instructions on how to grow, how to plant and how to care for such a powerful beauty. I had to re-read a lot of books before I figured out all the features. I think there is no need to say that these beauties are not bred at home. The Resilient Oak and the Cultivation of a Symbol of MasculinityNow let's talk about oak care, which I do myself, and I can give advice that is sometimes just so necessary. So, let's talk about the lighting that a pet needs for good growth and development. So, for the handsome man, I chose a fairly bright place, but placement is also possible in partial shade. Next, I remove the weeds around it and feed it periodically, which I do in the fall. So in the spring I use urea, mullein and ammonium nitrate, which I dissolve in water. And in the fall - nitroammofoska. I also thoroughly prepare for the onset of winter, for which I collect and burn leaves, and mulch the tree trunks. I cover young pets that I have just placed for another two to three years for the winter, for which I wrap each one in burlap, and often wrap it in two layers. But over time, the babies grow up and become more resistant to frost and can endure winters without shelter. But some problems occur. For example, pets have their own characteristic diseases. I’ll tell you about this in more detail now. So they suffer from powdery mildew, due to which they lose their decorative properties, since the leaves become covered with a gray-white coating, and sometimes balls also appear on them and even on the trunk. To get rid of the infection, I spray the beauties, for which I use colloidal sulfur or foundationazole. But they are also worried about necrosis of branches and trunks. In this case, the cortex is affected. To prevent this from happening, before the buds open, I treat the cuts and cuts with iron sulfate. But there are also pests that attack my offspring. These are the longhorned beetle, the leaf roller and the fruit cap moth. I use special drugs to combat them. Unusual landingNow I’ll tell you about when to plant and when is the best time to replant. By the way, the transplant takes place at the end of February - beginning of March, since at this time the buds are not yet opening, and the healing of injuries and wounds occurs faster, the engraftment process is much better. I do this as follows: I choose a long stick and use it to make a hole equal to a quarter of a meter, since a wider one is not needed, since the seedlings have straight roots that do not have side branches. So, I lower the seedling into the hole, and I make sure that the rest of the acorn on it is only two to three centimeters below ground level. Afterwards, I make sure to compact the soil around the baby. Of course, I would also like to tell you about reproduction. So, seeds are perfect for this, in this case acorns. But it is best to do this procedure in the fall, since they are stored very poorly. But if, nevertheless, you store them indoors, then it is best to put them in a cellar or basement. Special wateringI will say that oak easily tolerates short-term drought. But, nevertheless, in the spring and summer, during drought, I water abundantly. Young specimens especially need it. After placing them on the site, I make sure to water the seedlings for the next three to four days. But so that my lovely ones can thoroughly prepare for the winter period, I finish the water treatments a month before the leaves fall. Pruning is carried out only when necessaryNow let's talk about how to trim and whether it needs to be done at all. So I do pruning when there is a need. I usually remove dying branches to make the appearance beautiful. I also clean the trunk of top shoots. Photos of real giantsOf course, I have photos, but they won’t impress you because they show little kids at all. An oak tree looks serious and impressive when it has already lived for at least a hundred years. I really like looking at photographs of natural wonders that are about five hundred years old or more. Even one of these can be found in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. There is a specimen growing there that is about 550 years old and 31 meters high. |
Oak is distinguished by a huge variety (up to 600) species. They are common in the temperate and tropical zones of the northern hemisphere, even reaching the north of South America. Many species are forest-forming species, others occur as admixtures.
Their requirements for growing conditions are very different from each other. Among them there are both moisture-loving and drought-resistant, light-loving and shade-tolerant, tolerating fairly low temperatures and very heat-loving species.
Oak trees can be evergreen and deciduous, and their leaves are entire, serrated, more or less lobed. Occasionally, oak grows as a bush, some species are low trees, most species are powerful giants with a spherical crown, powerful trunks and a root system that is highly developed both in depth and in width.
Staminate or pistillate flowers are found in different inflorescences. The fruit is an acorn surrounded by a plus, covered with scales on the outside. Oak trees reproduce by acorns sown in the fall, as they quickly lose their germination capacity.
For spring sowing, they must be stored at a temperature of 2-4 C. Oak can also be propagated by cuttings, but they have a low rooting percentage. In the first year of life, the tap root that forms makes replanting difficult, so to obtain a developed fibrous root system, it should be pruned.
At first, oak grows in height slowly; after the 5th year, the growth rate of the main shoot increases sharply. This is one of the most durable species. Its bark, wood, and acorns are used.
Wood, bark, galls formed on leaves, as well as plush contain many tannins (tannids) used for tanning leather. Oak is indispensable in landscaping.
It has long been, together with the linden, the main tree when creating landscape parks, and is often found in manor parks in the temperate zone. It is planted in clearings as single standing trees, created in groups, arrays, alleys, and used in forest belts in forest, forest-steppe and steppe zones.
Oak in the landscape design of a garden plot When we think of an oak tree, we immediately imagine a thousand-year-old fairy-tale giant. It must be admitted that even young oak trees have a respectable growth... If you let them.
So, before we settle an oak tree, let's think about what we want to see in 10-20 years. A slender oak can be a solitaire on a lawn, but it is also possible to use its bush form as a frame for a “edge” or a hedge.
Keep in mind that the oak tree blooms late, so in the spring you will see its openwork crown against the background of the young foliage of other plants. The easiest way to grow an oak tree is from a mature acorn. The acorn, like many large seeds, germinates very easily.
This is the most reliable method, and if you entrust this task to a child, it is also exciting and useful. Just imagine how a child will run every day to check if the acorn has sprouted.
And fantasize about how he will tell his children and grandchildren that he once planted that huge oak tree himself...You can transplant a small oak tree from the forest or from a country street where it grew on its own. But keep in mind that even a very young oak tree has a very long root, it is difficult to dig it up entirely, especially from dense forest soil intertwined with many roots, or from the compacted side of the street.
The oak tree will not tolerate the slightest damage to the taproot. Decorative forms can also be found on sale now. Among them there are species that are resistant to the main scourge - oak powdery mildew. There are also forms with unusual foliage colors.
By the way, you shouldn’t get carried away with unusually colored species. Individual plants with red, golden or striped leaves look interesting against a green background. The garden, full of colorful foliage even in summer, looks at least unnatural.
When laying out parks and estates, the old masters subtly played with different ones. Weeding and watering in the first years of life. Control and prevention of powdery mildew, especially in very young trees. This fungus does not affect the entire tree, but only affects the foliage.
But the loss of foliage is dangerous for immature plants. This is important. Without pruning, an oak tree will not fit in a dacha. For many trees and shrubs, I recommend starting shaping as early as possible.
Not so with oak. Strong pruning of a young oak tree turns it into... If a hedge is not part of your plans, cut it later and let the stem form.
After that, you can try your hand at topiary art - using a haircut to form a ball on a leg, for example. What is the subtlety? Trimming only the entire crown promotes branching and thickening. This is a technique of topiary art.
To maintain the shape of the crown, branches must be cut from the trunk. We remove part of the growth and entire branches. In this case, the crown turns out to be openwork and even lets in some sunlight. occupies one of the highest places in popularity among other types of oak in Russia.
This is not surprising: red oak is the most frost-resistant among its fellows. Its frost resistance is 40 degrees, and if the root system is solid and the tap root is not cut, then the degree of its frost resistance increases.
Despite the fact that oak trees do not grow in the wild on the territory of the Tomsk region, there are specific examples of oak growing here and successfully! Red oak is a slender tree up to 25 m tall, with a dense tent-shaped crown. The trunk is covered with thin, smooth, gray bark, cracking in old trees.
Young shoots are reddish-felt, annual shoots are reddish-brown, smooth. The leaves are deeply notched, thin, shiny, up to 15-20 cm, with 4-5 pointed lobes on each side of the leaf, reddish when blooming, dark green in summer, lighter below, scarlet-red in autumn, before falling, in young trees, the old ones are brownish-brown. The red oak blooms simultaneously with the leaves blooming.
Acorns are spherical in shape, up to 2 cm, red-brown, as if chopped off at the bottom, unlike pedunculate oak, and ripen in the fall of the second year. Fruits steadily and abundantly from 15-20 years. When young it grows faster than European oaks.
The conditions for successfully growing oak are as follows::- a good place to land. Red oak loves dry and bright places with acidic soil (pH 5.5-7.5), so there is no need to pour ash into the planting hole.
It cannot be planted where the soil is flooded in the spring, or where there is constant stagnation of water. Oak does not like stagnant water, so when planting it at the bottom of the hole, be sure to add drainage.
And so that in a few years, when the soil in the planting hole settles, the root collar does not end up in a depression where water can accumulate in the spring, you need to plant the oak tree so that after the hole is finally filled with earth, the root collar of the seedling is on a small mound (the root collar is what the place where the roots go into the trunk). Over time, the mound will settle, and the root collar will be flush with the soil level.
Oak is light-loving and susceptible to a disease called powdery mildew, so it must be planted in a bright, well-ventilated place;- . To prevent the oak from getting powdery mildew, it should be sprayed from time to time with an infusion of kombucha (1-2 glasses of a month’s infusion per bucket of water) or shungite water, or a mixture of these solutions. But we must remember that this is a means of prevention, not control.
When this fungal disease appears, it is already too late. In general, it makes no sense to fight fungal diseases with the help of “chemistry”, but prevention using the above means gives excellent results;- Under no circumstances should plants be fertilized with fresh manure!
Excess free nitrogen contained in manure forms loose tissue in all parts of the plant; the wood of such branches and trunks with loose tissue does not ripen by autumn, and in winter a plant fed with manure can become severely frozen or even die. Plants fed with manure are also susceptible to attack by pests and diseases, especially fungal diseases. In red oak, unlike pedunculate oak, acorns ripen not in one season, but in two.
And one more significant addition that needs to be mentioned for successful oak growing. Many plants (especially forest plants) grow very slowly without the presence of mycorrhiza on their roots. What is mycorrhiza?
You probably know the different cap mushrooms that grow in the forest. So, these same mushrooms are already fruits, and the body of the mycelium itself is located in the upper layer of soil, its hyphae (thin threads of the fungal body) spread horizontally over many meters, plant roots and forming mycorrhiza on their surface, mycorrhiza is a community of roots of different plants and mycelium.
Without this mutually beneficial partnership, some plants do not grow at all or grow very poorly, especially if they find themselves in unusual conditions. There are myceliums that specialize in certain plants, and there are universal ones.
For example, porcini mushroom grows under pine and oak, boletus under aspen, boletus under birch, fly agaric under different plants, common fungus is a very versatile mycorrhizal mushroom, if you manage to have it in your garden, then any plants will be happy with it, and will grow and bear fruit very productively. How to infect oak roots with mycorrhiza?
Find an old, overgrown porcini mushroom or common mushroom in the forest, bring them home, soak them for a day in a bucket of water (preferably rain or from some clean reservoir). After a day, pour this water into the holes made around the oak trunk, mulch the soil around the trunk with leaves from the forest, sow forest grasses or green manure in this place, and under no circumstances ever loosen or dig the soil around the trees.
In this case, the growth of the mycelium is disrupted and it may die. This is the main secret of growing mycorrhizal fungi: they do not grow where the soil is loosened or dug up. When the mycelium grows (in about three years), the first mushrooms will appear.
This will be a sign that you did everything right. Red oak does not need shelter for the winter. It is prone to dampening of the root collar, so you need to make sure that the root collar is ventilated and does not get wet from weeds (especially woodlice).
To avoid root collar rot, flooding by spring meltwater and groundwater should not be allowed. If you have close-lying groundwater on your site, then you need to plant on a mound and arrange drainage in the hole (pour broken brick or expanded clay, pebbles in a layer of 15-20 cm). One of the most important forest-forming species in Russia, widespread in nature from Western Europe to Ural.
In the north of the forest zone it grows in valleys, to the south - in mixed forests with spruce, and even further south it forms pure oak forests. In the forest-steppe and steppe zones it grows along ravines and ravines, not reaching such powerful development as in the forest zone.
In urban plantings, oak can be found throughout its natural distribution area, with the possible exception of particularly dry places. Not a single forest park, city park, or ancient estate can do without it.
The planting of oak forests began with Peter I. The importance of oak in the national economy is great. It produces construction timber of very high quality.
Beautiful and durable, it is used in carpentry, furniture, cooperage, shipbuilding and carriage building, is used for the manufacture of parquet, and is also widely used for firewood. Oak wood is light, with a beautiful pattern, after lying under water for a long time, it acquires a dark color ( bog oak) and is especially valued in furniture production. Oak bark contains up to 20% tannins, wood - 6%.
They are widely used for tanning leather. In a zone favorable for its growth, the oak reaches a height of 40 m, the trunk diameter exceeds 1 m. The largest old specimens live up to 1000-1500 years, with a trunk diameter of 4 m. Free-standing oaks form a dense, round, spreading crown, supported by powerful strong branches.
Mature trees have thick, deeply longitudinally fissured, gray-brown bark. Young shoots are olive-brown, then red-brown.
Leaves are up to 15 cm long and 7 cm wide, oblong-obovate, with ears at the base, with 6-7 blunt, long lobes, the depressions between them reach a third of the width of the blade. The leaves are shiny, glabrous, green above, lighter below. In spring, in May, when the leaves begin to bloom, staminate catkins become noticeable at the base of the shoots.
Pistillate flowers sit in the axils of the leaves on long peduncles of 2-5 pieces. Acorns are oval, 3.5 cm long and 2 cm in diameter with a spine at the top, brown-yellow, shiny, on a stalk, which is why this species is called petiolate.
The plus is shallow, cup-shaped, 1 cm high, the scales covering it are gray-pubescent. Acorns ripen in October. Oak grows best on degraded chernozems and gray forest loams, with sufficient moisture.
It is demanding of mineral and organic nutrition, protection from wind and direct sunlight, especially at an early age, but it is drought and salt tolerant. The majestic, stocky giant of the forest, oak, is beautiful at any time of the year. In spring it pleases with its light yellowish-green foliage and long graceful yellow catkins; in summer it appears as a mighty giant with a thick dark crown, so dense that it can protect both from the scorching sun and from pouring rain.
In autumn, the oak tree appears in a new guise. Its foliage turns yellow and then acquires a dark brown color. It falls off much later than other trees.
