White oak tree - Ask Extension
My tree is very slow at getting more leaves . I have been watering it. Looking for help for the tree. I just moved into the house in December.
Knowledgebase
White oak tree #937257
Asked June 29, 2026, 6:22 PM EDT
My tree is very slow at getting more leaves . I have been watering it. Looking for help for the tree. I just moved into the house in December.
Faribault County Minnesota
Expert Response
Patience. Give the tree more time to leaf out.
You could check a branch that does not have any buds on the ends and scrape the surface slightly. If you see green then the branch is alive. However creating a wound in an Oak at this time of the year is not a good idea because it leaves an opening for disease and/or insects to enter.
Your first picture shows some green at the base of the tree. Is this a weed or is it oak leaves? If it is oak leaves, then leaving it could be a sign that the roots are okay and that a second trunk may emerge.
As long as the tree is watered and not injured with a string trimmer or other means, leave it alone. Once it appears that the top branches are not leafing out and are dead, leave them alone till Nov. Oak trees should not be pruned between Mar and Oct because disease pathogens can enter the pruning wounds. See this web page for general information.
https://trees.umn.edu/white-oak-quercus-alba
Hopefully oak wilt is not the problem
https://ask.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=871970
You may also want to put a hardware cloth or chickenwire enclosure around the trunk to prevent rabbits from chewing on the bark in winter. See also the After Care section of this web page.
https://extension.umn.edu/how/planting-and-transplanting-trees-and-shrubs
You could check a branch that does not have any buds on the ends and scrape the surface slightly. If you see green then the branch is alive. However creating a wound in an Oak at this time of the year is not a good idea because it leaves an opening for disease and/or insects to enter.
Your first picture shows some green at the base of the tree. Is this a weed or is it oak leaves? If it is oak leaves, then leaving it could be a sign that the roots are okay and that a second trunk may emerge.
As long as the tree is watered and not injured with a string trimmer or other means, leave it alone. Once it appears that the top branches are not leafing out and are dead, leave them alone till Nov. Oak trees should not be pruned between Mar and Oct because disease pathogens can enter the pruning wounds. See this web page for general information.
https://trees.umn.edu/white-oak-quercus-alba
Hopefully oak wilt is not the problem
https://ask.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=871970
You may also want to put a hardware cloth or chickenwire enclosure around the trunk to prevent rabbits from chewing on the bark in winter. See also the After Care section of this web page.
https://extension.umn.edu/how/planting-and-transplanting-trees-and-shrubs
