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strange autumn behavior
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Posted by
dogwind Z8a TX (
My Page) on
Wed, Nov 16, 11 at 8:26
| Just recently, after a record heat wave and dry summer, the native bur oak in my front yard changed colors and dropped all of its leaves. However, in my back yard, a Japanese maple and shantung maple are just beginning to change color. We have not had any freezing weather yet. Normally the maples change color and drop leaves before the oaks do. This year, the complete opposite happened. Should I be concerned about the bur oak? Other than this anomaly, the oak seems healthy. I think it produced fewer acorns this year, and grew less overall, but I attribute that to the extreme heat and lack of rain all year. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: strange autumn behavior
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| IMHO, not to worry too much. Be aware of it in case other things begin to happen (losing chunks of bark), but it's probable nothing. Trees will sometimes give up their leaves early due to stress such as drought, and just try again next year. BTW, what color did you get from a Burr Oak? Arktrees |
RE: strange autumn behavior
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| IMHO.. there is nothing to do for a tree ... otherwise fully established ... a good long DEEP drink before winter.. probably would not hurt... given soil with good drainage .... how long has it been in the ground?? ken |
RE: strange autumn behavior
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| Sure enough, on my drive in to work I noticed a few other young bur oaks in similar condition...leaves have mostly changed to brown or have dropped off already. The red oaks are not as far along. Traditionally bur oaks in my area don't provide much if any fall color, mostly just brown. What surprised me most was that the maples have barely started changing. |
RE: strange autumn behavior
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| I have two small bur oaks in my yard, and their leaves have already turned and mostly dropped as well. My shumard hasn't really shown much change at all either. |
RE: strange autumn behavior
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| The 4 yr old bur oak in my yard still has leaves (watered once a month during heat/drought). The 2 yr old trees out in the field (maybe watered once) have lost their leaves. |
RE: strange autumn behavior
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| My bur oak has been in the ground for 4 years also. I never watered it other than the water it gets from the sprinkler system for the yard. In the future I'll water it more deeply. I know in the wild they get huge in deep alluvial soils and do well in areas that are near water. |
RE: strange autumn behavior
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| I have several drought-resistant trees that are in the 3-5 yr. age range. During June -Sept. I try to water monthly if we have had less than 2" rainfall that month. Probably dumping ~50 gallons or so on them at a time. Takes some of the stress off the tree. Don't water the grass at all, but am in a rural setting. |
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