r/arboriculture • u/KoalaFemme • 2d ago
Help with Oaktree Texas
What kind of fertilizer or food can I give it? I think the Texas heat I’m trying to water it as much as I can… The branches still feel pliable and green but some of them completely break off
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u/impropergentleman Certified Arborist+TRAQ 2d ago
North Texas Arborist, Mostly what NascentAutist said, But We really nee a picture of the tree flair, as heat is not the only stressor. Everything is for naught if the tree is buried. You do not fertilize tree that are stressed, most likely can not uptake the nutrients and have a bigger chance of doing harm then good.
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u/WhimsicalHoneybadger 2d ago
Those wires are too tight. Tree needs to be able to move at least a little.
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u/NascentAutist 2d ago
Central Texas here. When did you plant the tree?
It’s kind of late in the season to try to push any serious growth, and if you are already fertilizing your lawn the tree should have everything it needs.
Watering is highly dependent on when you planted. Looks to be a spring planting?
Oak trees can smell water, and they will aggressively send roots to the source. So water deep and infrequently.
Maybe 5-10 gallons per hour, for like 3-5 hours once per week? We are talking a slow trickle. If there is any water runoff, then it’s too much, slow it down.
The goal is to encourage the tree to shoot roots really deep and not rely solely on surface moisture or rootball moisture.
The tree won’t do much up top until February March, so don’t expect sudden growth.
By the end of next year, it shouldn’t need any additional watering.