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How can I successfully transplant oak trees that I started in pots from acorns to the outdoors #872666
Asked June 11, 2024, 4:53 PM EDT
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
From personal experience, I would recommend transplanting the trees into one gallon buckets for the summer to allow them grow. I placed chicken wire around and over the trees for the summer and through the winter. Then, next spring, plant the trees on your property and place a chicken wire fence around and over each tree to prevent deer browsing. In a few years, you can switch to 6 foot fencing to protect from deer browse. At that time, you can also use tree tubes to prevent mice and rabbits from nibbling on the trunks. A four foot tree tube is recommended - of any kind (there are numerous that come up on an internet search). Those with holes that allow air flow are better than those without holes.
Note that the trees should remain on your property. If the trees are given away, sold, or otherwise removed from the property the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) would require they be inspected for pests and disease before disbursement.
If you have any questions, please do feel free to reach out.
Thank you,
-Julie
Thank you for the quick reply. I do have the plants in 12" x 4" pots so they could grow a long tap root. I think those are almost a gallon, but I don't recall the geometry to calculate that. I thought these would be better than the traditional gallon pots that are common because they are deeper. I would like to find 24" x ~5" or so pots but so far my search has been unsuccessful. I started with 7" x 3" for the first few plants but will transfer those to the 12" ones. Squirrels have proven to be my major problem, but there are now rabbits living close by. I think I will build a six foot garden shed like structure with 1/4 inch hardware cloth because I can't keep carrying these saplings inside my house at night. I've read that the animals love the taste of the white swamp oak but I'm also seeing some small flies seem to like them also. I also have a few saplings with leaf discoloration or insect damage. What would you recommend for that? I'll attach pics of those and I've separated them from the others.
Sounds like you have the right idea about the pots. The garden shed structure sounds perfect!
About the lesions on the oak leaves....
The seedling with spots near the margin of the leaf with a tear in the lesion looks like bacterial leaf scorch? It can be spread by insects, then the bacterial infects the leaf causing it to appear scorched. You can read more about it in the article at the link below:
https://extension.psu.edu/bacterial-leaf-scorch
There is no easy fix for bacterial leaf scorch, I recommend burning the plant (not composting) so it can not spread to the others.
The seedling with the yellowing leaf looks a bit chlorotic? Chlorosis occurs when the soil pH is too high, and the tree is not able to take up essential nutrients. High pH can be caused by limestone, or an abundance of clay in the soil. Below is an article about chlorosis, including how to lower soil pH to a level more acceptable for trees.
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/chlorosis/
On the same tree, I'm not sure what caused the holes in the leaf?
If insects become a problem with the seedlings, you may consider using Neem oil on the leaves to repel insects. It's a natural, tree based oil that repels, and does not kill insects. It can discolor the leaves if applied in the hot sun, so best to apply in the evening hours. And always read and follow label directions when using any chemical product.
Lot of information included!! Please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Thank you,
-Julie
