I presume this is some type of live oak that does not drop its leaves. I have a couple with long runners like this and I plan to cut them back when I am getting leaf drop in my other trees. I figure they will have resorbed as much nutrition as they want at that point, but still be active enough to compartmentalize the cut. Mine will go into the just above freezing greenhouse for the winter after seeing a couple of light frosts.
Thanks for the reply Marty and anticipating my message. I’m embarrassed to say I messed up the post. Somehow I got the pics posted but after writing out the text I couldn’t figure out how to add…any way I screwed up.
Yes my question pertained to timing on pruning these long (and unsightly) runners. 2 of these are coast live oaks and one is a deciduous blue oak. I’m tempted to cut off these long runners now but didn’t want to do the wrong thing. So I also will wait until deciduous leaf drop to address these. Thanks again.
You can also prune the runners after the first several leaves of the new growth hardens, but early enough for any new shoots to harden off before fall. This is typically mid-June through mid-August for me. I’ll have to push some of the young plants to see if I can do two cutbacks during the growing season to produce more ramification.
I’ll have to be more diligent with my oak pruning next year, especially the second pruning in August. Also watch my fertilizing. They got their monthly granular feeding of 5-5-5 but then i gave them an additional dose of Miracle Grow in August. I won’t be doing that again.
Yep. Miracle Grow is bad news. I tried it once and the trees blew out. Lately I’ve been trying out Vigoro Organic plant food (the regular kind, not specific to any specific plant group - 5-5-5). I used it earlier in the summer and got good results. It’s a bit smelly though, but in your bonsai garden, you are among friends, right?
In my drier climate, it seems to work better than BioGold. Next, I will try the NPK fertilizer.
I live near San Francisco Bay, and in our area, mildly warm but not as hot as further inland, I plan on cutting back my oak growth for the last time in November, to give you a data point. People have told me they get multiple pushes with oaks (I am a newbie at them).
Maryann
Maryann, Yea I’ll be keeping that high octane MG fertilizer away from my oaks in the future. It works well as an occasional supplement to the usual organic fertilizers, especially on conifers. I’ll prune these long runners in Nov-Dec also. Thanks for the tip.
There might be two reasons why you would want to prune these runners a little sooner. One is if you’ve obtained the branch caliber size at this point in your tree. The other would be if you want to develop more ramification a little quicker.
There might be two reasons why you would want to prune these runners a little sooner. One is if you’ve obtained the branch caliber size at this point in your tree. The other would be if you want to develop more ramification a little quicker.
Depending on where you live, you might be able to get one more flush of growth if it’s hot in your area.
Broadleaf evergreens will continue to have some ongoing physiological activity even when it cools off.
Personally, I cut oak runners when they get to be about 15 inches long. There are a number of variables to take in the consideration, including the size of the plant.
There are a number of variables to take in the consideration, including the size of the plant.
I think it’s a balance of giving the plant energy, the correct branch size and working on ramification.
Nice tree.