# whats up with my red oak???



## knockbill (Jul 28, 2012)

hi guys,,, 
i'm new to this forum, usually hang out in chainsaw,, or firewood...

i planted a red oak in my front yard this spring,, the township shade tree commission gave it to me to replace the pin oak i had removed in february... its about 8-9 feet tall ...

i noticed the leaves are getting brown on teh edges as they grow,,, i water the tree most every day, unless it rains,, which hasn't been often this summer.... 

is this a disease that will kill the tree? is there anything i can do other than remove it?
thanks for the input,,, i hated to loose the pin oak, but it got wind damaged and had to come down...


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## sinawali (Jul 28, 2012)

Hi
I'm new here too. Want to improve my english, it isn't very good, but I'm hoping it is understandable. 

That don't have to bee only a water problem. Maybe it is a shock because the transplantation or a lack of nutrients. 
I wouldn't cut the tree, because the tree don't need all the leaves to survive.


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## knockbill (Jul 28, 2012)

sinawali said:


> Hi
> I'm new here too. Want to improve my english, it isn't very good, but I'm hoping it is understandable.
> 
> That don't have to bee only a water problem. Maybe it is a shock because the transplantation or a lack of nutrients.
> I wouldn't cut the tree, because the tree don't need all the leaves to survive.



thanks for your reply,, your english is fine,,,, most of the leaves have some brown on them, similar to the one i posted...i gave the tree miracle gro a couple times this summer,,, the tree has grown a a few new leaves on new branches, so far... but it hasn't really gotten any bigger...


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## sinawali (Jul 28, 2012)

Did you plant it under a shelter or is he standing free? 
In Germany, Quercus Rubra is growing fast. 
But when the tree don't drop the leaves, he can handle it.


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## knockbill (Jul 28, 2012)

sinawali said:


> Did you plant it under a shelter or is he standing free?
> In Germany, Quercus Rubra is growing fast.
> But when the tree don't drop the leaves, he can handle it.



its planted in the middle of the lot, where the pin oak was, it gets sun most of the day... the pin oak roots were ground out,, and i planted this balled red oak in compost mixed with soil....


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## sinawali (Jul 28, 2012)

Ok, sounds good. 
Waiting is the only thing you can do at the moment. 
Don't feed it with too much nutrients or something, because the roots have to envolve and when the upper layer is enriched, the roots don't go deeper. I think, the tree has to establish itself (or himself?) and this take a while.


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## knockbill (Jul 28, 2012)

sinawali said:


> Ok, sounds good.
> Waiting is the only thing you can do at the moment.
> Don't feed it with too much nutrients or something, because the roots have to envolve and when the upper layer is enriched, the roots don't go deeper. I think, the tree has to establish itself (or himself?) and this take a while.



thanks for your input,,, its been a very dry, hot summer here,,,maybe it will look better when it cools off a little...


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## Jace (Jul 28, 2012)

From
My iPhone, leaves look most likely just showing transplant shock(edges and tips)
It'll take off better next year. Mulch and give 1.5 -2" water per week ENTIRE root zone during this hot dry weather. (Hopefully there wasn't an "overly amount" of fresh compost mixed in the soil, could've maybe added to stress..)
My 2 cents...


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## Raintree (Jul 28, 2012)

What soil type are you in?


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## knockbill (Jul 28, 2012)

Raintree said:


> What soil type are you in?



not sure,,, same soil the pin oak was in for over 70 years....


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## knockbill (Jul 28, 2012)

Jace said:


> From
> My iPhone, leaves look most likely just showing transplant shock(edges and tips)
> It'll take off better next year. Mulch and give 1.5 -2" water per week ENTIRE root zone during this hot dry weather. (Hopefully there wasn't an "overly amount" of fresh compost mixed in the soil, could've maybe added to stress..)
> My 2 cents...



thanks for the reply,,,
transplant shock seems to be the consenses, i hope it comes back next season,,
i put a wheel barrow of soil mixed with a few buckets of compost in the hole, and around teh tree... thats how i've been watering it...its mulched well, also..


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## Raintree (Jul 28, 2012)

knockbill said:


> not sure,,, same soil the pin oak was in for over 70 years....



Pin Oaks can do well in heavy clay soil, Red Oaks not so much.


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## Jace (Jul 29, 2012)

Raintree said:


> What soil type are you in?



Hey rain tree, how well does a soil test "spell out" the specific "slots" in this pyramid?


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## Raintree (Jul 29, 2012)

Jace said:


> Hey rain tree, how well does a soil test "spell out" the specific "slots" in this pyramid?



Jace, not sure what you're asking. Many different types of soil tests, the more info required the expensive they get.
Don't want to hijack someone thread, here some info that may be helpful.

Soil Types and Testing


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## knockbill (Jul 29, 2012)

Raintree said:


> Pin Oaks can do well in heavy clay soil, Red Oaks not so much.



the soil is pretty porous, don't know what you call it, seems to hold water pretty well, but is well drained... teh rain doesn't puddle on it, i really don't know how else to describe it...i water the tree when it starts to dry a few inches under the mulch...


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## sinawali (Jul 29, 2012)

No matter what kind of soil is it. 
At the moment, I take care of a reforestation. They planted red oak in this soil and it growths


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## Raintree (Jul 29, 2012)

knockbill said:


> the soil is pretty porous, don't know what you call it, seems to hold water pretty well, but is well drained... teh rain doesn't puddle on it, i really don't know how else to describe it...i water the tree when it starts to dry a few inches under the mulch...



knockbill, your pic shows leaf scorch, one possible cause is anaerobic decomposition. Too many organics, old Pin Oak root system & new compost, in heavy poorly drained/high water table soil. Or it may be simple transplant shock due to compromised roots.


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## pdqdl (Jul 29, 2012)

Good post! I would go for the anaerobic condition, particularly with "watering every day". I see a lot of new plants get drowned.

OP: make sure you are not drowning your tree. Do a soil test. Dig a small hole right beside the new tree and fill it with water. If the water just stays there for hours, you have heavy clay soil.

Begin sticking your finger in the loose soil margin beside the root ball. If it is still wet, you don't need to water your tree.


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## knockbill (Jul 29, 2012)

pdqdl said:


> Good post! I would go for the aerobic condition, particularly with "watering every day". I see a lot of new plants get drowned.
> 
> OP: make sure you are not drowning your tree. Do a soil test. Dig a small hole right beside the new tree and fill it with water. If the water just stays there for hours, you have heavy clay soil.
> 
> Begin sticking your finger in the loose soil margin beside the root ball. If it is still wet, you don't need to water your tree.



thanks for replying,
that's basiclly what i do... i don't water it , if its moist a couple inches down, but, its been so hot and dry this summer, i water it almost every day...its been showering and cooling a bit, so maybe it won't need me to water as often ...


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## knockbill (Jul 29, 2012)

Raintree said:


> knockbill, your pic shows leaf scorch, one possible cause is anaerobic decomposition. Too many organics, old Pin Oak root system & new compost, in heavy poorly drained/high water table soil. Or it may be simple transplant shock due to compromised roots.



ok,, it is planted where the pin oak was,,, they ground out teh old roots about 2' deep and i removed 2 level pickup truck loads of "grinding/mulch", and put the mixture of old compost and soil in the new red oak hole... the tree came from a nursery about 60 miles away, and it was container grown, i believe...

if there are too many organics, as you explained, is there anything i should do to amend teh soil? my gut feeling at this point is to not water as often, and let it acclimate itself to teh location...i am waiting for fall to put top soil around the tree, about 3" from teh trunk, and replace the grass during teh fall grass season...the area affected by teh trunk grinding, is a circle about 12-15'

i appreciate your help....


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## knockbill (Jul 29, 2012)

sinawali said:


> No matter what kind of soil is it.
> At the moment, I take care of a reforestation. They planted red oak in this soil and it growths
> 
> thanks again for your input,,,
> ...


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