Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
greatplainsturf

Shumard Oak that won't take a hint.

greatplainsturf
10 years ago

Just a question. I have one Shumard oak that never seems to start its change to fall until very late. All my other trees, Pin Oaks. Northern Red Oak, Red Maples all turned fall colors in October. This one Shumard oak just stays green until it gets really cold then just browns and drops. We had several nights below 32 degrees but still green. Then last week we had some nights at about 15 degrees. It's always been like this. I thought shumards would have equal color to NRO. Is it just the genetics of my tree or is it a product of the environment it grew up in before I got it?

Comments (11)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    i recall this name..

    how large was the transplant...

    and how long ago ..

    are we sure that this tree is FULLY ESTABLISHED ...

    because.. until it is.. its hard to come to conclusions as to what its doing ...

    ken

    ps: my Q. robur .. english oak is doing exactly the same thing this year... who knows what its issue is.. its 10 year in situ ....

  • greatplainsturf
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It was a 2.5 inch tree planed in the fall of 2010. Actually the first tree I planted at this house. All others were after.

  • poaky1
    10 years ago

    I have several trees of the same type that do different things with their foliage and growth speed etc. I just assume it is their location in my yard or just that the tree is like people in a family, sort of. My siblings aren't exactly like me in eye color and hair color, or wavy hair vs straight, etc. I planted some Q. Robur acorns from England I got off ebay, I have an Eng. oak that is upright (but not fastigiate) and grew over 5 ft the first year and is about 15 ft now after 2 or 3 years, the other 2 are much slower, but were from the same parent tree. The one that is in moister richer soil is a medium grower of about 2 -3 ft per year in height. Well, the tall one is in a good area where our horse manure pile was several years ago, too. As far as holding leaves Out of 3 Comptons oaks, 1 is evergreen and 2 not, the evergreen is uphill from where the other 2 are, and about 40-50 ft from our house, but is unprotected from northern winds. My shumard is greenish bronze last time I looked acouple days ago. I don't know if any of this helped, but, this is my yards ways, so I shared.

  • bengz6westmd
    10 years ago

    greatplainsturf, mine does the same. It doesn't even begin to change until after several freezes. It's right now just barely past full color (deep scarlet-red) & not a single leaf has fallen, while everything else is bare or almost. One might worry about snow w/all the leaves hanging on, but after 9 seasons it has been dumped on quite a bit w/o any problem -- branches bend, but they don't fall down.

    Maybe mine has some nuttall oak in it, or some of these shumards have deep-south origins -- I dunno.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    i dont know if a 2.5 inch trunked tree.. has recovered from the transplant ... in two or three years .....

    so if it is doing weird things.. i am not surprised ...

    you dont mention height.. nor ball and burlap or potted.. but if you think about a tree being twice as big underground.. as above.. you should appreciate how hard it is working underground.. to catch up to that above .. and it is making decisions??? ... lol... about where it is important to put the energy it makes.. and perhaps fall leaf color is not important to it .....

    i know you are asking about culitvar comparisons... and i am taking a different tack ... but i think.. it is important.. for what that is worth .. lol ...

    how did the rest of your plantings work out ... ???

    wasnt there some weird soil ph or something ...????? .. heavy clay .. a couple droughts.. etc ... all i seem to recall.. is that you struggled at first .... but seemed to be having fun doing it ...

    has it produced acorns yet??? ... other than maybe the first year ... sexual reproduction... threat aside [the planting process] .. may be an indicator of its overall health ... or 'establishment' ....

    i have about 8 different oaks... they are extremely variable as to fall color.. year to year .... this was not a very colorful year for mine ... two droughts in a row .... this year and last .... nut production was extreme last year.. barely any this year ... everything is variable on a tree... all i look for is that they produced leaves.. and lived .... on a tree that can live centuries.. this year.. and last year.. really dont mean much ....

    ken

  • hortster
    10 years ago

    The neighbor's Shumard is doing the same thing - it looks as green as it did in summer. Well, with maybe a twinge of fall color on the south side branch tips. We have been down to 22ð already and all the adjacent pin oaks are defoliating. My northern red oak is bright yellow this year and is just barely starting abscission. But there the Shumard sits, mostly green. Seems to be running very late this year.

    Picture taken this afternoon. Pin oaks on the left.

    hortster

  • dricha
    10 years ago

    In north Texas, shumards and Texas red oaks color up in December.

  • scotjute Z8
    10 years ago

    Pretty much ditto what dricha said for central Texas also. I would say that Texas Red Oaks tend to start coloring week of Thanksgiving and Shumards the week after. But there are always a few trees that like to be different.

  • greatplainsturf
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    We had a good summer this year with above normal rainfall. Very welcome after 2 bad drought years. I was wondering if these are of a southern source which causes them to want to hold leaves longer. I just wish it had the color it should. Good color year for everything else, this one is all brown now after the teen temps.

  • arktrees
    10 years ago

    It can take several years after transplant for trees to behave in a typical manner. Our Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple went in the ground Nov 2007. Fall color has gradually improved each year. This from a 1" caliper tree at planting. Our Commemoration Sugar Maple took three falls before generating significant fall color. Once read that it can be 10 years after transplant for even 2" caliper trees to behave completely normally. Droughts certainly does not help this. Just then same, IF "normal" growth has kicked in, and the tree is adding caliper at a good rate, I would expect some indications of fall color by now IF these things are being meet. So it may very well be genetics, in which case you would have a choice to make. If you do replace, then it would be wise to buy and plant in the fall so that you can judge for yourself the best fall color, and thats typically by far the best time to plant in the south anyway. Problem is the best selection is in spring.

    Arktrees

  • bengz6westmd
    10 years ago

    hortster, that shumard looks similar in form to the pin oaks.

    Mine's the same way -- small, numerous leaves & quite twiggy & branchy. Other shumards are different -- coarser, bigger leaves & twigs, and orange/red (not scarlet) fall color similar to N red oak.

    Wondering if the far southwestward/northwestward shumards are twiggy/smaller-leaved compared to typical southeastward shumards.

    Below, a typical shumard nearby that looks/colors like N red oak:

Sponsored
Bull Run Kitchen and Bath
Average rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars273 Reviews
Virginia's Top Rated Kitchen & Bath Renovation Firm I Best of Houzz