What kind of Oak is this?

MikeSwim07

Hi,

What kind of oak tree is this? It kind of looks like either a pin or red oak, but I am not sure.

Also, depending on what kind of oak it is, what eats it? I am wondering if I need to keep the cage up around it to protect it.

Also, the stem on the tree is a little bent because before I transplanted it, it was growing in ivy, which caused it to grow bent a little. Is there anyway to straighten it out? Should I just leave it? Will it straighten itself out?

The first picture is of the leaves and in the second one, you can see the stem at the bottom of the picture.

Thanks,

Attached Thumbnails

   

Brent Ferris

I believe it is Red Oak, Quercus rubra.

Eden Keeper might be able to identify a variety for you.

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Eden Keeper

It is definitely in the red oak group since the lobes are pointed rather than rounded, note the hair like tip of the lobes. I'm also leaning toward northern red oak, Quercus rubra L., due to the shallow sinuses between lobes. There is another half dozen otherwise similar species (pin, northern pin, southern red, scarlet, black, and Shumard's oak) reported in the area (Ohio) besides hybrids, thus uncertainty is to be expected with seedling of such a large and potentially mixed up group since the leaves used for identification are those growing in direct sunlight on mature trees where acorns and other keys are used to differentiate similar species.
The cage will only help protect against mammals causing random damage where the biggest risk is usually humans doing lawn care followed by deer, rabbits and beaver. Just weigh those risk against any risk of the tree rubbing against the cage in windy conditions. Correctly applied and maintained mulch -- at least 3 feet in diameter, at most 3 inches thick, and never touching the trunk -- is usually just as effective besides being more attractive.
The stem will stay bent (if nothing is done), although it will likely become less noticeable as the trunk diameter becomes larger than the bend. As small as the tree is it might be possible to use a bonsai technique to straighten/bend trunks/branches. This starts with wrapping the area with annealed copper wire (the wrapping stiffens the wire and allows the wrapped wood to be gently straightened/bent within reason) and diligence to be sure the wire is removed before the stem is effectively girdled.

MikeSwim07

Hi,

How do oak trees form hybrids?

Will the mulch diameter around the tree prevent deer, rabbits, etc from eating the leaves/bark? What else does the much help with?

The reason I put up the cage is because I had another tree planted and some animal (I think a deer) ate all of the leaves off of it.

So stems will not straighten themselves out. Do stems only grow diameter-wise once they have already grown vertically?

Thanks

Eden Keeper

Oaks are wind pollinated and if genetically close enough, which is fairly common, then all it takes is for the fertile pollen from one species to land on a receptive stigma of the other.

That is more for lawn mowers and string trimmers, but even that doesn't always work. Mulch helps keep control weeds and stabilizes both soil moisture and temperature.

Deer can get leaves higher that you might expect while most of the deer damage I get is from antlers being rubbed on the trunks while the tips of low hanging limbs of larger trees get damage where deer make scrapes on the ground under such branches. If the deer population is high the browse line will rise to the extent that the size of the deer allows so if there is a browse line the tree will need protection until about 2/3rds of the foliage is above that line since 1/3rd is the maximum recommended amount to prune or otherwise remove at any one time. I find defoliated trees more often result from insects. The cage may slow down some large moths from laying eggs but I doubt is would have any effect on Japanese beetles if they happen to get a taste for young oak leaves; hopefully nobody puts up a Japanese beetle trap since this is seemingly more effective at attracting males and resulting in all females in the area being breed thus increasing the population for a number of years.

Yes, the stems of most trees only increase in girth by adding growth rings after the initial elongation is completed, thus a low branch will always be a low branch. The increase in girth will not be as concentric on crooked or leaning tree as it attempts to keep its center of mass in line with the trunk and this will tend to straighten a bend that could be put through a pipe after the girth exceeds that of the pipe.

MikeSwim07

Hi,

So do you suggest removing the cage, mulching, and hope that an animal doesn't eat the leaves? Or should I keep the cage there until the tree grows tall enough so that deer cannot reach 2/3s of it (which could be many years)?

Thanks again!

MikeSwim07

Hi,

Any ideas?

Thanks

Eden Keeper

Sorry for the delay, I was out of town most of that time. I'm just giving options with some potential outcomes, but the final decision has to be yours based on the specific set of risk and reward. I've used cages with both success and failure to protect plants from deer and make them more visible to anyone driving lawn/farm equipment in the area. Most of the damage to plants, cages, and even mulch has came from the later. Mulch simulates the layer of duff (leaves, twigs, and bark) and thus the conditions of a forest floor with the aesthetic appeal of formal landscaping or manicured lawns. The cage doesn't seem large enough to fully protect the tree so I usually remove similar sized cages while it can still be done with minimal damage to the tree and/or cage, but I'd mulch either way since some benefits include helping the tree reach a deer resistant size sooner.

MikeSwim07

Thanks

Brent Ferris

I would be inclined to keep a cage, just make it bigger (and easier to remove) than the existing one to minimize deer feeding until the tree gets large enough and high enough to no longer need protection.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

MikeSwim07

Thanks!

I put mulch down, making sure it was 6 inches from the base of the tree. I also made the cage a lot bigger so that there is no way the tree can touch it and that the deer can't eat it.

audioenhancer44

Oaks have spirally arranged leaves, with a lobed margin in many species; some have serrated leaves or entire leaves with a smooth margin. The flowers are catkins, produced in spring. The fruit is a nut called an acorn, borne in a cup-like structure known as a cupule; each acorn contains one seed (rarely two or three) and takes 6–18 months to mature, depending on species. The live oaks are distinguished for being evergreen, but are not actually a distinct group and instead are dispersed across the genus.

Brent Ferris

Aren't catkins part of the Betulaceae family whereas Oak is part of the Fagaceae family?

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)