Coastal Live Oak Qs & help.

hack

Being in SoCal and having an affinity for local & indigenous species, I developed an interest what I think is the Coastal Live Oak
I'm talking about the plentiful, big (30'+), acorn-dumping, fat trunked sprawlers that get as wide as they do tall, pretty sure it's the Quercus agrifolia. I have one, prob 4 or 5 years old- 2 years in pot, that I just put in a 6" deep-8" diam., red clay pot (cottaterra?) from a deeper clay pot.
I'd just like any tips on how to keep it alive & make it thrive. Do these great oaks need anything special, real different from other trees?
I read they like it moist, but I thought they liked it drier?
I haven't developed any soils yet, I still use potting soil & clay conditioner mix for all, what do these oaks like for food? What kind of fertilizers do I use? Acidy soil?
Right now, the leaves seem real hard. I prob should have left it in the deeper pot (I want it to grow) but it seemed to have a bunch of feeder roots & be ready to move.
I see there is also smaller, scrubbier versions (dumosa or others), how do I tell?
Are these Quercus related to what people think of as "Oak Trees" the red oaks, white oak, etc?

Any tips pertaining to these trees would be cool.
Thanx.
I have no clue on containers but I guess that's another section.
lates

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TreeBay

Hi Hack,

The oaks are a wonderful genus of plants to work with for bonsai. I posted a page to some collecting photos earlier. If you seach on oak you will probably find it.

Quercus suber, the cork oak is a popular plant for bonsai as the corky bark is very unique.

We fertilize with organic fertilizer. Miracid can help to lower the pH of your soil. Leaves tend to water spot on oaks. Nothing terrible, just a little unsightly if you have hard water. Drainage should be very good. Many oaks are adapted to dry climates where their roots run deep.

Wire and twist branches into curliques. You can wire the branch and then wrap it around your finger a couple of times. Most of it will be cut off. Clip and grow works well, but to get an oakish appearance you sometimes need to cut to a bud growing in the "wrong" direction (upwards or toward the interior of the tree, so that you can later reverse the direction (down and out) so as to create the switchbacks and general graceful zaniness that is the habit of the tree.

Left to its own devices, you will wind up with a small shrub with many straight branches! Be sure to repot oak well before the buds break.

Regards,

Matt.

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hack

thanx.
So they do prefer a lower, acidy ph?

TreeBay

It varies with the species of oak. But generally I have to acidify a a bit to just to keep my soil neutral. As the pH becomes more alkaline you run into problems with iron and trace minerals getting bound up chemically, so generally speaking, a slightly acid soil is better.

Here is a nice chart:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/1731-29.html

Slightly acid to neutral
Q. palustris - Pin Oak
Q. rubra - Red Oak
Q. velutina - Black Oak

Neutral to slightly alkaline:
Q. alba - White Oak
Q. bicolor - Swamp White Oak
Q. ellipsoidalis - Northern Pin Oak
Q. macrocarpa - Bur Oak

The following chart is numeric and suggests a more acid soil:

http://msucares.com/pubs/is372.htm

A pH target of 6.0 would be good for most of these.

Neither chart lists Quercus Agrifolia. I did find a separate page on that that listed a wide pH range of 4.0 to 8.0, which ranges from very acid to slightly alkaline. Things are always a bit different in containers, though.

Regards,

Matt.

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