How to grow an oak properly?

Not every gardener decides to plant and grow an oak on his site. But at the same time, such a tree has a decorative appearance; it can decorate any landscape. Today we will talk about how to plant an oak properly, how to care for it.

Before planting this plant in a summer cottage, you should pay special attention to the choice of a suitable location. Oak is unpretentious to soils in the middle lane. But still, the tree is very fond of the earth, saturated with nutrients.

Besides, when choosing a place, it should be borne in mind that such vegetation prefers areas well-lit by the sun, easily tolerates prolonged droughts. And also the oak loves space. It is not recommended to choose places where there will be stagnant water at the roots. The acidity of the soil should be neutral.

Now we will look at how to properly plant such a tree on the site. First you need to choose the right planting material. Most often the cultivation of oak comes from an acorn.

Acorns are harvested in the fall season, when the plants shed their foliage. By this time, such planting material is already fully ripe. In this case, fallen fruits are quite suitable. But at the same time, they must be intact, there can be no damage on their surface, such as black spots, mold, holes.

The most suitable fruits are considered to be brownish in color with a slight green tint. And also their hat should come off a little.

After that, damaged nuts will float to the surface of the liquid, and high-quality ones will remain at the bottom of the container. All the water is drained. The fruits are laid out on a paper napkin or on a towel so that they can dry out. However, remember that they should not be placed in the open sun or on a battery.

Nuts should also be stratified. In this case, they need to be put in a bag, sawdust and moss are added there, they will retain moisture. In this form, everything is placed in the lower compartment of the refrigerating chamber.

The performed procedure will allow the planting material to germinate much faster in the spring. In this case, it will be necessary to constantly monitor the humidity in the bag, regularly adding liquid there. Otherwise, the nuts may start to rot.

Sprouted fruits are removed from the bag, this should be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage their root system. Then they are planted in separate containers. Simple disposable plastic cups can also be used.

Garden soil is poured into prepared containers. Additionally, peat is added to it. The roots of sprouted nuts should not be buried too deep. At the first stage, the seedlings should be watered frequently. The material should be grown on the south or west side.

Young plants are planted in open ground only after they have at least 5 small leaves. The root system should be large enough and white.In this case, the height of the sprout will be about 15 centimeters.

The selected area should be cleared of all vegetation in advance, so that in the end you get a flat area, the diameter of which is at least 1.5-2 meters. After that, the earth is carefully dug to a depth of 25-30 centimeters.

Dry soil must be moistened. Next, the planting pits are formed. To do this, make holes with a depth slightly more than the length of the root. Their diameter should be about 30 centimeters.

Young seedlings are carefully lowered into the dug holes. All this is covered with earth. Then the vegetation must be watered abundantly. In order to prevent the growth of weeds, it is necessary to lay a layer of mulch at a distance of 25-30 cm from the stem.

Next, we will look at the main ways of propagating such a tree.

• Cuttings. It should be remembered that cuttings that were taken from adult species are quite difficult to root, so it is better to take the material from annual individuals. They must be planted in time from June to July. In this case, only strong and healthy branches should be selected, without damage and rotten areas.
• Acorns. This option is the most common among gardeners. Earlier, we have already looked at how to properly germinate plants with these nuts. Fruit collection is usually carried out in September-October. In this case, the germinated material can be additionally treated with special biostimulants to accelerate growth.

In order for an oak to grow and develop normally, to have a beautiful appearance, it is necessary to provide it with proper and timely care.

Such a tree in the first time after planting will require regular abundant watering. On average, 30 liters of water should be used for each plant in two weeks. But closer to the autumn season, the number of procedures should be reduced, because the oak has a rather powerful root system that goes deep into the soil, it is able to independently obtain water for itself.

You will first need to prepare the necessary tools for this procedure. It is better to soak the secateurs in advance in warm clean water, the saw blade can be processed in a solution with bleach. These devices are rinsed immediately before pruning and removed to dry out.

Pruning plays an important role in crown formation. Throughout the life of an oak, you can observe the active growth of its main stem. At the same time, the development of the upper part is much faster in comparison with the lateral branches.

In order to slow down the active growth of the apex, it is necessary to carefully cut off the apical bud, and also to shorten or remove the shoot or branches. In order for the crown to turn out to be delicate and beautiful as a result, it is worth removing only part of the growth, and sometimes even whole branches.

The trimming process also removes all diseased and damaged parts. This procedure must be carried out from the collar of the barrel to the outside. A trunk collar is a growth that appears on a plant where the branches and trunk meet.

If you make a haircut with such a collar, then you can greatly harm the tree, since tissues that are important for further active growth will be affected. It is worth shortening the longest branches, cutting them to buds or side branches.

Fertilizers also play an important role in maintenance.It is especially important to make nutritious dressings after planting, when young seedlings are still taking root in a new place. In the spring, it is recommended to fertilize with various substances that contain nitrogen. In this case, ammonium nitrate will be the best option. Organic fertilizers (cow dung and urea) are also suitable.

At the beginning of the autumn season, it is best to feed the trees with complex mineral fertilizing. They contain all the main macronutrients and trace elements that ensure the correct growth and development of oak. Nitroammophoska is often used.

Oak can be affected by various harmful insects.

• Silkworms. These butterflies are honey-white with black patterns. They feed on the shoots of young trees. These insects can easily chew on leaves that are just starting to bloom, as a result, only veins remain. These pests begin to multiply rather quickly. Most often, compounds such as "Karbofos", "Decis" are used to combat silkworms. In this case, the treatment is carried out by spraying.
• Leaf rollers. These harmful insects are small butterflies, the body of which is completely covered with fine hairs. Their colors are variegated. The caterpillars of these butterflies are able to quickly destroy the leaves on the tree. They will begin to roll up into thin tubes or gather in a small bundle. Most often, this pest infects vegetation in early spring. It can appear due to excessive moisture levels. In this case, you can use drugs such as "Karbofos", "Fitoverm" and "Decis".
• Moths. Moth butterflies have a slender body with triangular wings. Caterpillars can eat leaf blades, flowers and only blossoming buds. Such pests appear, as a rule, in early summer or late spring due to too dry and warm weather. To combat the pest, they also use "Karbofos", "Fitoverm".
• Oak barbel. Such an insect has a black-brown body. There are small thorns on its sides. The color of the oak barbel is white and yellow. It feeds on the root system, the heart of the trees. The pest is able to suck the juices from the oak. It can appear from the end of spring until the end of the summer season. To destroy the insect, you should spray the diseased plant with the preparation "Karate". And just one such procedure will be enough. You can use other formulations ("Kinmix", "Karbofos"), but you will need to do several treatments to remove the insect.

In addition, oak can be affected by various diseases.

• Powdery mildew. In this case, a white bloom will form on the leaf blades. And you can also see small balls - spores of harmful fungi. When affected by this disease, the vegetation will quickly lose its decorative appearance. The infected parts will stop developing and growing normally. Powdery mildew greatly reduces the frost resistance of oak and weakens the tree. Typically, vegetation begins to ache in June. Powdery mildew develops in conditions of too dry and hot weather. In addition, a large amount of nitrogen in the soil can also provoke its appearance. Colloidal sulfur can be used when contaminated. And also the drug "Fundazol" is used, the treatment is carried out by spraying (at least 5 procedures).
• Necrosis. In this case, slightly depressed areas are formed on the vegetation, which later begin to rot. The bark gradually begins to fall off. The color of the wood may also change. The cause of the disease is pathogenic fungi.Necrosis can also lead to drying of the crown and individual branches, and in the future, to the complete death of the oak. Necrosis can result from prolonged drought. Iron sulfate is used to fight the disease.
• Brown spotting. When damaged, green-yellow spots will appear on the trees. They are usually round. Further, these areas will turn brown. Pathogenic fungi are also the cause of brown spot. To cure a sick oak, you should immediately use ready-made preparations ("Fundazol").

Often, a variety of folk remedies are used to combat diseases, as well as to carry out preventive measures.

• Composition with soda. To prepare this composition at home, you need to mix in one container 1 liter of filtered water, 4 grams of soda. And you can also add 4 grams of crushed laundry soap there. All the resulting mass is thoroughly mixed. The finished mixture is sprayed with oak 2 times with a break of two weeks.
• Composition with wood ash. In this case, 0.5 cups of ash, 1 liter of boiling water are mixed. In this form, the mass is infused for two days. After this time, the mixture is filtered, a little crushed soap is added there, which is previously diluted with water. Processing is carried out 2 times with an interval of a week.
• Composition with mullein. When cooking, 1/3 of a bucket of manure and cold water are mixed. In this form, everyone is sent to infuse for three days. The mass will need to be mixed regularly. After that, the mixture is filtered through a dense fabric and diluted with water (in a ratio of 1:10). This infusion is used for spraying oak. The procedure is recommended to be performed only in the evening to avoid burns.
• Composition with kefir. The fermented milk product is mixed with filtered water in a ratio of 1:10. The whole is stirred until a homogeneous mixture is formed. After that, the composition is sprayed on the trees.

Before the onset of the winter season, it will be necessary to remove all the foliage around the trees. And also mulching should be carried out. For this, peat, dried grass and humus are best suited. A layer of mulch is carefully laid out in the near-trunk zone.

The branches of the plant are slightly bent towards the surface of the trunk. A protective cover made of burlap is put on top. Other non-woven dense fabrics can also be used. If in the future it turns out that some parts are still frozen in winter, the wood is cut to a living layer.