willow oak tree

10 years ago

I was given a willow oak tree, quercus phellos, in begining of the summer in a pot. Roughly 4 ft tall.
I could not plant it because I had a broken leg so I kept it in its pot and watered it daily, sometimes twice a day.

Sadly, when I went to the shore for 3 days, I came home to a tree that had all of it's leaves dried up.

I left the tree in the shade inside a shallow rubber made container and soaked it before I left, then put about an inch or so of water in the container. My neighbor was going to keep an eye on it for me but he had a death in his family and forgot. His mother passed.

Now, I've been watering it everyday like before but I'm not seeing any new leaf growth.

When I scrape the bark with my finger nail there is green under the bark.

I'm starting to think it's done.

I know pictures would be great but I don't know how to post them from my cell phone.

Should I give up on it, plant it anyway or continue to try and nurse it in it's pot?

Thanks in advance.

PS: the tulip poplar I planted a few years ago is close to 20+ ft now thanks to the people who helped me here. It looks great.

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

10 years ago

no treatment on a stressed plant... except proper water...

if the roots are all shriveled... its probably dead ...

if there are white tip ends.. there is hope...

i would not expect an oak to releaf this late in the season ...

quit scratching it.. and plant it.. it either leafs out next spring.. or it doesnt... and there is nohting else we can tell you ...

post us a pic of the roots.. maybe we can see something,...

planting guide at link

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Comments (9)

Embothrium
10 years ago
Look at the roots.
hairmetal4ever
10 years ago
Even if it's still alive, it's unlikely to grow new leaves this late in the year. It probably just went into an early winter dormancy, and may releaf next spring if the roots are OK.
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fmart322
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok, so there's some hope. What should I look for in the root system? Just over all life I guess.
If the roots look good then it's ok to plant now? Any special treatments or tips?
fmart322
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok, so there's some hope. What should I look for in the root system? Just over all life I guess.
If the roots look good then it's ok to plant now? Any special treatments or tips?
fmart322
Original Author
10 years ago
Quit scratching. Funny.
I bet the trees saying the same thing.
drpraetorius
10 years ago
Be patient, you will lose nothing by waiting to see what happens in the spring. Keep the roots moist, not saturated, and hope for the best. Oaks are pretty tough trees.
fmart322
Original Author
10 years ago
I figured I'd be somewhat ok. I didn't panick because I had trees lose leaves before due to hot dry weather. Just never one in a pot.
I knew I would get the right advise from this tree message board because its full of knowledgeable posters.
calliope
10 years ago
You are more likely to lose the leaves in a potted tree than in ground. I have had potted stock get away from me and go nekid and be just fine. Like said, prolly not this late in year.