How to plant and grow a red oak in your summer cottage
Every summer resident dreams of planting a red oak on his site because of the bright crown, which takes on the appearance of a green tent in the summer, and turns into a beautiful red in late autumn. The plant is a favorite among landscape design connoisseurs. It will take many years to grow a noble tree on your site, but despite this, gardeners enthusiastically take on a fascinating process.
Signs of a majestic tree
The leaves have a unique shape, thanks to which this plant cannot be confused with anything: deep grooves, sharp blades on each side, maximum length up to 20 cm, narrow shape. During the blooming period, the foliage of the red-leaved oak acquires a characteristic reddish hue, which gradually turns into a bright green color and by autumn turns into a brown and even brown tone, depending on the age of the plant.
Flowering is observed in May and lasts no more than a week. Inflorescences begin to form along with the leaves. After which the tree enters the moment of fruiting. The fruits are round acorns with a rounded end. Their length reaches 2.5 cm.
The first fruits appear only in the second year after planting oak seedlings in the open ground in the fall.
Homeland red oak - North America, where it grows on the shores reservoirs... It is these territories that are considered the main supplier of valuable goods, which are in great demand. Red oak wood is a high quality material with excellent performance characteristics.
The plant got to Europe only in the 17th century. Meet him in England, Germany, France. It is also actively cultivated in parks in Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
How to plant a red oak
Planting and caring for a young red oak tree does not require special skills and experience. It is enough to carefully study all the recommendations and strictly follow them.
It is important to know when to plant oak seedlings in order to ensure its rapid establishment and development. It is better to postpone the procedure until early spring and carry it out before the buds begin to bloom.
The choice of planting material
Planting material is recommended to be purchased in proven nurseries. When choosing seedlings, pay attention to their age. Plants that are 1-2 years old are considered the most surviving.
It is important to opt only for seedlings with a closed root system: if the rhizome is bare, then the tree is unlikely to take root.
Site selection and soil requirements
When choosing a site for planting, it is important to take into account its size in adulthood, therefore, the site must be large-scale and spacious for the full development of the plant. It is better to plant a red oak in a well-lit area; it also feels comfortable in shaded areas. Due to the stability and power of the root system, the tree is not afraid of strong winds, hurricanes. But, in the early stages, it does not hurt to plant several shrubs around the seedling.
Oak is not picky about the composition of the soil. It will grow well in any soil.The plant is adversely affected only by waterlogged and limestone soils.
Planting process
Planting a red oak is carried out in several stages:
- Dig a small hole: depth - 30 cm, width - 50 cm.
- At the bottom of the hole, pour a layer of small pebbles or expanded clay 2-3 cm thick, which will protect the plant from stagnant water.
- Place the seedling in the recess and cover with a soil mixture consisting of turf and leafy soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 2: 1: 2: 1.
- In order for the plant to adapt to environmental conditions and take root faster, it should be watered regularly throughout the week.
When planting several seedlings, maintain a distance between the planting units of at least 5 meters. Otherwise, the trees will not be able to fully develop and form a lush crown.
Further care of a young plant
The subsequent care of the oak does not require much effort and time. It is enough not to forget about regular activities at the initial stages of its cultivation:
- Watering and loosening. The tree is drought-resistant. Young plants should be watered every three days in dry weather. After each watering, loosen the soil to a depth of 25 cm to destroy weeds and saturate the earth with oxygen.
- Mulching... Systematically renew the mulch by applying a 10 cm layer of peat or sawdust. This manipulation will help prevent rapid drying of the ground cover.
- Pruning. Every spring, carry out sanitary pruning of the tree, removing dry, damaged, broken branches. Oak needs decorative pruning, if necessary, to limit the growth of the crown. In this case, it is recommended to shorten only the central trunk. To improve branching, you can remove lateral growths.
- Preparing for cold weather. The winter hardiness zone of red oak is 4, it is able to withstand a drop in temperature to -34.4 degrees. This means that in some regions, a young plant may freeze slightly. Therefore, it is important to wrap young trees with a dense natural cloth.
Diseases and pests
Red oak is a strong and resilient tree, but in the early stages of development it can fall prey to powdery mildew, as well as leaf rollers and moth caps. Also, after winter, cracks can form, which are very susceptible to pathogens and insects, so it is important to treat them with antiseptic drugs or folk remedies.
To prevent fungal diseases, you need to spray the plant every season with a solution prepared from 10 liters of water and 500 ml of kombucha infusion.
It is impossible to cure a powerful plant from powdery mildew, so preventive measures should not be neglected.
Reproduction of red oak
If you want to grow a seedling yourself or expand your plantation of plantations of red oak, you can use the traditional seed propagation method.
To grow a red oak from an acorn at home can only be done by a purposeful and patient gardener, since the process can be delayed for a long period and require some effort.
Selection of material for propagation
A strong and healthy tree can only be obtained with a high-quality selection of planting material, so this stage should be taken responsibly.
Fruit intended for further germination must have the following characteristics:
- Acorns must be picked during fruiting, the best time is September, October.
- Use fruits only from a healthy adult tree. It is better to pluck them from branched and tall branches.
- The shell should be light brown with a slightly greenish tint. A hat is optional for successful growth.
- Instances with visible damage and signs of disease and pests should not be used.
Conduct a suitability test. Put the collected acorns in a bucket of water and wait 2-3 minutes.Those fruits that remain on the surface must be thrown away, as they are spoiled.
Preparation of planting material
Before planting an acorn in the ground, it is required to prepare it in advance, to carry out a stratification procedure.
Acorn preparation technology for planting:
- Take a container and a lid with special holes for air exchange.
- Fill it with dry wood chips, vermiculite, moss mixture, or other medium that can retain moisture.
- Poison the acorns into the nutrient and cover.
- Remove the container to a cellar, refrigerator or other place while maintaining a temperature regime of + 2-3 degrees.
Acorns should be checked regularly. The growing medium should be slightly moist. With excessive moisture, the fruits may rot, and with dry, they may not grow.
Further germination
Instructions for growing a future acorn seedling:
- Planting material is ready for planting after 45-50 days of storage.
- Select suitable pots with holes and fill them with fertile soil with a high mineral content. Get the soil in the grove or assemble it yourself from leafy earth and sphagnum.
- Plant sprouted acorns to a depth of 3-5 cm and send to a greenhouse, protecting it from cold weather, drying out and direct sunlight.
When the seedling has a height of 10-15 cm and small leaves, you can plant it in a permanent place in the open ground.
The spectacular view of the majestic tree, which surprises with its beauty and power, will not leave anyone indifferent. Therefore, many owners of private plots, if the area allows, express a desire to plant a red oak in the garden. This very fun process is easy to practice. The main thing is to adhere to the rules of agricultural technology when planting and carry out appropriate care measures.