Caring for your oak

Planting: Give it a little TLC (Tree Loving Care)

Soil: Choose a spot with loose, well-drained soil

Water: Do not over-water

Location: Give it some space to grow

Conditions: Make sure there is access to sunlight

Growth: White oak seedlings grow slowly the first few years, but can get very big!

Caring for your oak

 Planting: Give it a little TLC (Tree Loving Care)

Plastic pots are ok for a while, but your baby oak should be transplanted before extensive root development occurs – or you could break the tap root.

You can either transfer to a larger pot with drainage holes and plenty of room to grow or directly place into the ground.

The planting hole should he twice as wide and deep as the pot and root ball. Carefully remove the root ball. Gently set the root ball in the hole with the root crown at the level of the soil surface. Fill the hole with soil, firmly tamp and soak.

 Soil: Choose a spot with loose, well-drained soil

Oak trees grow in all but the driest shallow soils, but try to choose soil that is fertile, flat, moderately dry spot for best growth and long-term survival.

Plant in loose soil, as your oak will struggle to penetrate an excessively compact surface.

Mix in some slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote into the soil as per package instructions.

 Water: Do not over-water

A spinkle once a week should suffice in the early days. Wet, poorly-drained soil, whether in pot or ground will cause rot and be lethal to your plant. Mature oaks are pretty drought tolerant.

 Location: Give it some space to grow

As a rule of thumb, your oak is going to be as big above the ground as it is below.

Use common sense when planting and give it the room it needs for future growth i.e. not right next to a fence, paving, road or building infrastructure, or under power lines.

Be kind – don’t bang it with the lawnmower or slash it with a week trimmer and if you stake it, be sure to remove any wire the tree outgrows.

 Conditions: Make sure there is access to sunlight

Oaks, like humans, need sun – an ingredient freely available and abundant in Australia.

White oak seedlings are shade intolerant and will not survive for long in too much shade so try to give it a sunny space, although avoid exposing your baby oak to an extended direct hit of summer sun and hot wind.

 Growth: White oak seedlings grow slowly the first few years, but can get very big!

Oaks invest most of their energy and growth into establishing a deep root system but, once establish, growth picks up and becomes fairly rapid during the adolescent years.

White oaks may be as tall as 10-15 feet (3-4.5m) in 10-12 years and up to 65-85 feet (19.5-25.5 m) tall at maturity, however the growth of a tree depends on the soil type, nutrient and water availability, and the amount of light it receives.

When given sufficient room to grow, white oak trees mature into exceptional shade trees. Their strong, straight trunks with attractive ‘white’ bark, interesting branch patterns and majestic crowns will provide a lovely living feature to mark your occasion for years to come.