repotting an oak

[thebeard]

i hav e a little english oak which i grew from an acorn about 5 yrs ago, its only about 30-40 cm tall, but very healthy. its been in a smallish pot for a good while now and i'm thinking of giving it a bigger home to see if it grows a little larger. whens the best time to do this without stressing it too much?

should i keep most of its original soil? i kind of want to because theres a Hebeloma mushroom which lives with it that pops up every year and don't want to damage the mycorhiza

[snowdrop]

i kind of want to because theres a Hebeloma mushroom which lives with it that pops up every year and don't want to damage the mycorhiza ..............


How interesting. I'm looking forward to the replies from the learned guys we have on this site.

[partyboy]

the ideal time would be autimn but as it is a pot grown plant you can repot any time of the year as long as you keep the root ball intact.

[thebeard]

excellent, thankyou very much, i was thinking of doing it just before the growing season but i guess i can do it whenever now!

cheers
tom

[Lance Morgan]

Yes any time put in a bigger pot (not too much bigger - next size up) and keep as much of the root ball and soil attached. Use frest compo to 'firm in'.

[Jim Ford]

You probably also know to take careful note of the depth it was growing by noting the mark on the trunk, and ensuring the tree is replanted to the same depth. Some trees don't like being planted more deeply or shallowly than they were originally.

Jim

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by thebeard

i hav e a little english oak which i grew from an acorn about 5 yrs ago, its only about 30-40 cm tall, but very healthy. its been in a smallish pot for a good while now and i'm thinking of giving it a bigger home to see if it grows a little larger. whens the best time to do this without stressing it too much? should i keep most of its original soil? i kind of want to because theres a Hebeloma mushroom which lives with it that pops up every year and don't want to damage the mycorhiza

With any deciduous plant, transplanting in the dormant period is safest - however, with pot grown plants it is sensible to provide some protection of the roots from heavy frosts and waterlogging in the winter months.

At 5 years old an Oak's further growth will likely be constrained by any container you put in, though it will probably survive indefinitely so long as there's enough compost to hold it's water needs during the summer months.

The current soil has probably been depleted of nutrients by five years of watering but unless you are concerned to grow the plant on - in which case open soil planting would probably make more sense - then re-using the current pot soil is fine, though adding a nutrient richer compost to make up the space in a new pot may well persuade your hebloma that there's no urgency to fruit. Also don't be surprised if the Oak has no identifiable rootball - as with many immature trees the lack of a mass of fine roots isn't evidence that the plant hasn't outgrown it's current pot, this is in contrast to most perennials and shrubs where the size of the root ball is a good indicator as to whether potting on is required.

CM

[metalfish]

Totaly agree with C. Marble, I'd only repot a desiduous tree from after all its leaves'v fallen off to March at the latest. It'd be best to keep the soil it's in as this will contain bacteria that are beneficial to the tree and aid it in converting nutrients from the soil into its food.
I'd give it a good soak before you repot it too, same as you would if you were planting it out.
I've got a 15 year old oak in a small pot, it's growth is restricted but that is what I want, I just top dress it (excavate abit of the compost off the top and chuck new compost on) occasionally. I'm a bit negligent really but it seems fine.

[snowdrop]

Partyboy wrote.....the ideal time would be autimn but as it is a pot grown plant you can repot any time of the year as long as you keep the root ball intact...........

I use the original pot as a template for a new one by resting the original on the new bottom soil placed in the larger pot... and filling in around the outer edges (of the old pot).

[thebeard]

excellent advice people, thanks very much, lets wait til spring to see how happy it is! need to get a new pot and actually repot it first!