Oaks: Is this Garry Oak dying? :-(

Discussion in 'Fagaceae (beeches, oaks, etc.)' started by dawna, Jun 21, 2021.

  1. dawna

    dawna New Member

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    It’s stunning to me that we live in a rainforest area but our plants still suffer from drought. I’m worried about 3 oaks that border our property (they are on park property). One of them has developed these marks on the leaves. Do you think that is a sign it is dying from drought?

    I have been trying to water them with my hose for the past couple of weeks but I don’t know if it’s enough
     

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  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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  3. dawna

    dawna New Member

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    Thanks for the reply. I have never watered a tree before and I wasn’t watering deeply enough and was watering too frequently. Any idea how far out from the trunk I should be watering? Watering right at the base close to the trunk probably doesn’t make sense.
     
  4. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Read this: Help an oak tree tolerate severe drought

    That added, I wonder if this might be insect damage when the leaf was forming given that there are gaps in the leaf. Just the one tree out of the three though? And no other thing you can think of that might have affected it and not the others?
     
  5. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    There are seemingly good suggestions in this article but I had to laugh to read this:

    If the soil under your oak 12 to 18 inches down is dry and crumbly, the oak is out of water.

    How on earth would you be able to determine the conditions below a few inches down? Also I find any root disturbance causes Garry Oaks to sucker.
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Garry oak occurs within a precipitation range of something like 10 in. to 103 in. in nature - the main obvious limiting factor for it is shading and crowding by faster growing trees. A grove planted by itself on the Smith Prairie at the Pacific Rim Institute near Coupeville, WA has taken 20 years to grow approximately several yards high - because it never gets watered. But it does continue coming along, despite the moisture regime on the site.
     
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