Leaf ID

[Oregon Bigfoot]

I didn't think "Wood ID" was going to fly yet on this sapling. I have this sapling that sprung up in my flower bed this year. I want to transplant it to my sister's property, where I store my future wood, because they have 7 acres of pasture and trees. In the past 15 years, about half my wood has come from their property from blow downs, standing deads, and a couple of trees we "pruned" There is a standing dead honey locust (I think) in their yard, I'll get next year, maybe 3/4 cord give or take.

Anyway, what kind of tree sapling is this? It's about 3 feet tall, and lost most of it's leaves. I'm flat out guessing, but is this a red oak?

Oregon White Oak is the native oak around here, and the leaf looks different than the Oregon White Oak.

As a second question, any tricks on transplanting a sapling? I've not done it before.

Oregon Bigfoot

 

[Adabiviak]

I can't help with the oak species... would need to see it a bit more mature and barked up. As far as transplanting saplings, I've only tried it with local blue oaks. If this oak physiology is similar, that tap root will be at least as deep as the sprig you have there, if not deeper, and losing a good chunk of the tap root has invariably killed the saplings I've tried to transplant. How much dirt can you bring with it?

 

[Woody Stover]

I would guess maybe it's some type of Oak but nothing that I'm familiar with. I've never seen lobes staggered like that...

 

[Wood Duck]

I would move it during the dormant season, that is to say move it before around march 1. I would move intact a chunk of soil containing the tree. The bigger chunk the better, but I generally end up moving a chunk the depth of a garden shovel and about as wide on each side as my garden shovel and most of the things I transplant survive. Cut the soil to the depth of the shovel on each of four sides around the sapling cutting any roots that are in the way. There are probably a few roots from the tree growing out of the chunk of soil you'll be moving as well as roots from other things growing into your chunk of soil from the outside. Cut them all. roots separated from the soil they're in won't be much use anyway, and it is important to keep the chink of soil intact. Carefully lift the soil and put it in a bag or pot. If you make a chunk the size of a shovel it will fit nicely into a plastic grocery bag. Place the soil in the new location in a hole big enough to leave some space around the edges, and firmly fill in the space with soil. Water carefully all summer about once a week, especially the first couple of months.

that tree is apparently some sort of Red Oak. I suspect it is either a native species or maybe the seedling of some nearby oak. The Northern Red Oak that grows in the east isn't native to oregon but is probably planted as a shade tree.

 

[billb3]

red leaves in the Fall and pointed tips with rather fat lobes is likely northern red oak.

sometimes watering before digging can help keep soil on the roots.
especially if it hasn't rained for a while.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Oaks in the seedling stage do not have the same leaves as mature trees. It certainly looks like one of the red oak family of trees.

For instance this is a red oak...

Matt

 

[jimosufan]

its either white oak or bur oak. Acording to the tree book I got for christmas.

 

[firefighterjake]

I would move it during the dormant season, that is to say move it before around march 1. I would move intact a chunk of soil containing the tree. The bigger chunk the better, but I generally end up moving a chunk the depth of a garden shovel and about as wide on each side as my garden shovel and most of the things I transplant survive. Cut the soil to the depth of the shovel on each of four sides around the sapling cutting any roots that are in the way. There are probably a few roots from the tree growing out of the chunk of soil you'll be moving as well as roots from other things growing into your chunk of soil from the outside. Cut them all. roots separated from the soil they're in won't be much use anyway, and it is important to keep the chink of soil intact. Carefully lift the soil and put it in a bag or pot. If you make a chunk the size of a shovel it will fit nicely into a plastic grocery bag. Place the soil in the new location in a hole big enough to leave some space around the edges, and firmly fill in the space with soil. Water carefully all summer about once a week, especially the first couple of months.

that tree is apparently some sort of Red Oak. I suspect it is either a native species or maybe the seedling of some nearby oak. The Northern Red Oak that grows in the east isn't native to oregon but is probably planted as a shade tree.

+1 on how to transplant it and when to transplant it . . .

Oak . . . looks like white or red . . . I can never remember which is which . . . one has more pointy lobes, the other more rounded.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Reds are pointy, whites are rounded.

Burr is in the white family and looks like a club of sorts wth the end much wider than the base by the branch.

Here is a good site comparing oaks:

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/pages/compare-oaks.htm

Matt

 

[Woody Stover]

Here is a good site comparing oaks:

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/pages/compare-oaks.htm

Hmmm. Several in the White family look to have staggered lobes. Definitely worth transplanting.

 

[ohiohearthstone]

+1 on the red oak.
While it is probably not politically correct in this era..this is something I was taught in school.
Remember Native Americans (reds) shot arrows (pointy leaves) while the white man ( white oak)shot bullets (round leaves)

 

[ChrisNJ]

+1 on the red oak.
While it is probably not politically correct in this era..this is something I was taught in school.
Remember Native Americans (reds) shot arrows (pointy leaves) while the white man ( white oak)shot bullets (round leaves)

LOL never learn that in school these days.

Like Adabiviak said, I have attempted to transplant many young oak just like that and the success always was determined by how well I got out that tap root, not much else to oak root systems other than that anyway.

 

[Wood Duck]

Keep in mind that in Oregon the native oaks are all different species than we have in the east. You may not be able to ID is for certain without a good (and rather technical) field guide or wait until it grows up. If there are wild oaks in the area I'd look at those and assume your seedling is the same species.

 

[firefighterjake]

+1 on the red oak.
While it is probably not politically correct in this era..this is something I was taught in school.
Remember Native Americans (reds) shot arrows (pointy leaves) while the white man ( white oak)shot bullets (round leaves)

Not sure if this is PC or not . . . but it certainly will help me remember which oak is which species . . . thanks.

 

[tfdchief]

Red, Black, or Pin Oak.

 

[Oregon Bigfoot]

I forgot about transplanting this tree last year. It grew another 2 feet tall in 2012 and branched out quite well. It lost its leaves much earlier this year. Today, I transplanted it to my sister's property. It had two tap roots. One tap root was about 4 feet long and kind of corkscrew in nature, the other about 2 feet long, and I broke the smaller root with my shovel. The larger root, I pulled out with my hands pretty easily. I planted the tree about 3 feet deep and about 10 feet from the Little Pudding River, not far from some Oregon Ash trees, and one Oregon White Oak tree. It's probably 50 feet from the nearest tree. We'll see what happens if it makes it or not. I just could not have an oak tree 4 inches from my driveway. I could just picture the roots eventually cracking the concrete.

I think this tree is some kind of red oak tree, but I'm still not sure. Sorry, I did not get pictures today. I'll try to remember and takes pics this summer, after it gets more leaves.

 

[Mr A]

It's parent tree is probably somewhere close by, that is an oak.

 

[bogydave]

I transplant birch right after the leaves come on in the spring.
Keep it good & damp for the first 2 - 3 week & extra water on a hot sunny day.

Reason is the roots are full of stored sugar thru the winter , used to feed the new leaves
growth in the spring. Any root damage now is lost energy for the spring leaf growth.
After the leaves are on, the tree can make food then & grow/repair the roots.
You do allot of damage to the roots when moving no matter how careful you are.

Have about a 99% success rate.
That's birch here but I'd think most hard wood would be the same.

Call a nursery in your area & ask

 

[Mr A]

I transplant birch right after the leaves come on in the spring.
Keep it good & damp for the first 2 - 3 week & extra water on a hot sunny day.

Reason is the roots are full of stored sugar thru the winter , used to feed the new leaves
growth in the spring. Any root damage now is lost energy for the spring leaf growth.
After the leaves are on, the tree can make food then & grow/repair the roots.
You do allot of damage to the roots when moving no matter how careful you are.

Have about a 99% success rate.
That's birch here but I'd think most hard wood would be the same.

Call a nursery in your area & ask

Makes sense to me. I always read to transplant in the fall. The plant has already stored up some winter nutrients, the soil is still warm, it has some time to make repairs, the sun is not too hot or too cold, and the plant is shutting down for winter so wont go into shock. I'm no nurseryman, I've always had better success in the fall with plants. Spring and fall are really the only times for planting.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Think of the word red. That is 3 letters. 3 points make a triangle. If the leave has points rather than rounded, it is in the red oak family.