Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - July 03, 2012
From: Boerne, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Pruning, Trees
Title: Time for trimming oaks from Boerne TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I want to trim a native red oak but am scared to touch it because I dont want to lose it. It is the primary source of shade in our back yard. Also I want to trim the live oaks and am surrounded with Oak Wilt and Oak Decline. Please tell me when the best time of year is best to do that.ANSWER:
Thank you for asking. The main answer to your question is NOT NOW! Please look at this article from Texas Oak Wilt; in fact, it would be good if you took the time to read all of it, iincluding some videos on treatment and control.
The best thing to do is contact the Forest Service office in your region. Kendall County is in the Kerrville Region:
Kerrville Region – Includes Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Edwards, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, Real, Uvalde and Wilson counties.
Mark Duff
Texas Forest Service Project Forester
15110 Jones Maltsberger, Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78247
210-494-1742
[email protected]
Our main advice for right now is to avoid in every way breaking the bark anywhere on any of the trees. This can be caused by being bumped by lawn equipment or digging, even a weedeater can be the culprit. These wounds will cause sap to drip, which is lunch for the Nitidulid Beetle. He does not infect the tree, but if he has already snacked at an infected tree, it's very likely that he has the fungus that causes Oak Wilt on his body, and drops it off. Treatment of Oak Wilt is very difficult and expensive. The best course in the treatment of Oak Wilt is prevention-don't let it happen.
More Pruning Questions
Hedge of native Purple Sage in Austin
November 20, 2008 - Hi,
I would like to plant a dense hedge of Purple Sage that will hopefully grow from 6-8 ' tall and about 4' wide. I purchased the Silverado Sage Leucophyllum frutescens 'Berstar Dwarf' variety....
view the full question and answer
Pruning non-native Chinese fringe flower from Austin
June 24, 2013 - When is the best time of year to prune Plum Delight? And how severely can it be cut back?
view the full question and answer
Dealing with live oak suckers in Central Texas
March 05, 2015 - Hi, I have a couple huge Live Oak trees in my back yard. Trunks are 4' in diameter. These Live Oaks produce a lot of root sprouts/suckers. I had always head that a tree's roots feed on water/oxyg...
view the full question and answer
Failure to bloom of Texas Mountain Laurel
April 15, 2008 - My +/- 4 yr old Tx. Mountain Laurel, has never bloomed. It is in full sun. I sometimes (minimal) fertilize it. I've pretty much planted it and let it grow. Its been pruned back last year when som...
view the full question and answer
Failure of Bald Cypress to fully leaf out
April 14, 2008 - My family just moved to a house in Burnet County, about 7 miles south of Bertram, close to the Balcones Canyonlands NWR, with very rocky limestone soil. We bought several trees last fall, including a ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |