Family: beech (Fagaceae).

motherland

Most often, the oak tree can be found in regions of the Northern Hemisphere with a temperate climate. The southern limit of its habitat is the tropical highlands.

Form: tree or shrub.

Description

The oak plant is powerful, tall, deciduous, less often with voluminous lush. Oak leaves are leathery, in evergreen species they remain on the tree for several years, in other species they fall off every year or, gradually drying out and decaying, remain on the branches. The leaves are lobed, some evergreen species are entire. The flowers are small, male and female are formed on the same plant. male flowers are standing or long hanging earrings, women's - small bunches or also earrings. Most of the oak tree species make up a significant part of mixed forests and are a source of valuable timber. Like a tree, oak lives extremely long - three hundred - four hundred years, individual specimens are known up to two thousand years old. The oak tree grows mainly in height only for the first hundred years, while growth in thickness does not stop throughout its life. Oak fruits - acorns, are characteristic of the entire beech family. The acorn is a dry one-seeded fruit, the rigid pericarp of which is enclosed in a kind of cup - a plush. or beech usually contain two or three acorns in a cup, oak fruits differ in that there is one acorn in a cup. Oak is resistant to adverse conditions, durable, and at the same time it is a very decorative tree. Oak is widely used in landscaping due to these qualities.

white oak (Q. alba) - a large tree up to 30 meters high with a spreading crown. The bark is gray, covered with shallow cracks. Oak leaves are oblong-oval in shape, quite large in size, up to 25 centimeters. In spring, the leaves have a bright red color, in summer they become bright green, the underside of the leaf becomes matte. White color. In autumn, the shade of the leaves varies from burgundy to deep purple. White oak is native to eastern North America. Drought tolerant, but not hardy enough. It is not picky about the level of soil moisture; white oak also tolerates saline soils well. Growing fairly quickly short time gaining impressive heights. Due to its rapid growth and spectacular appearance, white oak is often used for decorative cultivation.

Red oak or northern oak (Q. rubra / Q. borealis) - high, up to 25 meters, a tree with a dense crown, covered with smooth thin bark. Oak leaves are large with pointed lobes. Red oak got its name because of the reddish foliage in spring and autumn before falling. Distributed in North America. Frost-resistant. Not picky about soils, tolerates even acidic, but does not tolerate calcareous soils. Resistant to diseases and pests, tolerates air pollution well. Due to these qualities, red oak is actively used in landscaping.

Swamp oak (Q. palustris Muenchh) - a slender tree up to 25 meters high. It differs from most relatives by its pyramidal crown. The bark is smooth, greenish-brown. The leaves are bright green with deeply cut pointed lobes. The plant is native to North America. Oak grows on wet soils along the shores of lakes and swamps, from which it got its name.

Mongolian oak (Q. mongolica Fisch) - high, up to 30 meters, tree. Oak has a spherical densely leafy crown. The leaves are dense, oblong or ovoid in shape with short rounded lobes. Mongolian oak grows in the southern regions of Eastern Siberia and Far East. Frost-resistant. Grows slower than North American species.

Willow oak (Q. phellos) is a beautiful deciduous plant. Oak has a wide rounded crown and a slender trunk. Differs in long narrow leaves resembling willow. Frost-resistant, undemanding to the soil. Photophilous.

large-fruited oak (Q. macrocarpa) - a tree with a spreading crown and a thick trunk. Reaches 30 meters in height. The trunk is covered with light brown cracking bark. The leaves are dark green, oblong, lobed. Oak is moisture-loving, frost-resistant.

(Q. ilex) is an evergreen tall plant. Oak reaches a height of 25 meters. It has a smooth dark gray trunk and a spreading dense crown. Differs in dense leathery leaves of small size (up to 8 cm). It grows on dry stony soils in warm regions - in southern Europe, northern Africa, the Mediterranean. However, it tolerates frosts down to -20°C without consequences. Shade-tolerant. Drought tolerant. Handles haircut well.

Oak rock, or sessile color (Q. petraea Liebl) - a tree up to 30 m high with a tent-shaped crown. The leaves are large, lobed. The bark is smooth, in old plants covered with small cracks. Rock oak is widely distributed in the Northern Crimea, in the Northern Caucasus, as well as in the west of Ukraine, where it forms forests together with others. deciduous trees. Photophilous.

Application

Many types of oak are decorative. Oak is used to create alleys, in single plantings, as well as in green massifs, exclusively oak or in combination with other deciduous trees, such as chestnut, sycamore, ginkgo, American ash. Small-leaved forms of holm oak are used to create. Red oak is used for noise protection.

Growing conditions

As a plant, oak is photophilous, frost-resistant, drought-resistant. Most species of oak are not demanding on the composition of the soil - they are able to grow on acidic, dry, saline soils. Waterlogging is not desirable, although the oak is able to endure flooding for quite a long time. For the most part, oaks are photophilous, although certain types tolerate lateral and full shading.

reproduction

Oak reproduces by acorns. Sowing with acorns is best done autumn due to the fact that they are poorly stored in artificial conditions. Young trees are best planted in the spring. Also good results show coppice shoots, provided that the tree is at least twenty years old. Ornamental varieties are propagated by grafting; species of oak that are resistant to adverse conditions, for example, fluffy oak, are used as a stock.

Landing and care

Landing is preferable in open, well-lit areas. After subsidence of the soil, the root neck of the tree should not be located below ground level. For planting, sand, peat and sod land are needed, as well as a drainage layer of gravel of at least twenty centimeters. After planting and in the next four days - watering is necessary. Despite the drought resistance of the tree, in late spring and summer, in the absence of rain, it is required regular watering. Young seedlings are much more sensitive to dry periods than mature plants. Before the onset of winter, it is necessary to mulch the trunk circle. For this purpose, peat compost and wood chips are suitable. The layer can be from ten to fifteen centimeters. After the cold weather subsides, the tree will need top dressing with urea, ammonium nitrate and mullein. As necessary, dead branches are carried out and the trunk is cleaned of top shoots.

Diseases and pests

Oaks are susceptible to various infectious wood diseases caused by fungi and bacteria. Necrosis of trunks and branches is dangerous for oak, due to which the tree can dry out in a short time. Powdery mildew is one of the most dangerous oak diseases. The disease, noticed at an early stage, is easily stopped by spraying with a one percent solution. blue vitriol. Oak leaves are very attractive to gall midges, a small insect that lays its eggs inside the leaf. Grown up larvae form galls, dense spherical growths of yellow color. This can significantly spoil not only the state, but also appearance tree. Also, leaf-eating insects and stem pests, such as large oak barbel, green oak leafworm, fruit moth, are dangerous for oak. Damage caused by such organisms can stop the growth and lead to the death of the plant.

Popular Shapes

Forms of holm oak:

  • f. aureo-variegata - yellow-mottled form. Differs in color of foliage;
  • f. microphylla - small-leaved form;
  • f. longifolia - long-leaved form;
  • f. angustifolia - narrow-leaved form;
  • f. crispa - form with curly leaves;
  • f. rotundifolia - round-leaved form;
  • f. integrifolia - whole-leaved form with lanceolate leaves without lobes;
  • f. Fordii is a form of Ford. It has a pyramidal crown and small narrow leaves.

Forms of sessile oak:

  • f. pendula - weeping form, characterized by a drooping weeping crown;
  • f. purpurea - purple form, young leaves have a dark purple color, later changing to rich green;
  • f. variegata is a variegated form with white-variegated leaves.

Red oak shapes

  • F. aurea is a golden form. The height of an adult tree does not exceed 15 meters. The leaves are large and have pointed edges. The color of the leaves is rich bronze.

Differs in a huge variety (up to 600) species. They are common in temperate and tropical zones northern hemisphere, go even to the north South America. Many species are forest-forming species, others occur as an admixture. According to their requirements for growing conditions, they are very different from each other.

There are among them both moisture-loving and drought-resistant, light-loving and shade-tolerant, tolerating fairly low temperatures and very thermophilic species. Oaks can be evergreen and deciduous, and their leaves are entire, serrated, more or less lobed.

Occasionally oak grows bushy, some species are low trees, most species are mighty giants with a spherical crown, powerful trunks and a root system that is highly developed both in depth and in width. Staminate or pistillate flowers are in different inflorescences. The fruit is an acorn surrounded by a cupule covered with scales on the outside. Oaks are propagated by acorns sown in autumn, as they quickly lose their germination capacity. For spring sowing, they must be stored at a temperature of 2-4 C. Oak can also be propagated by cuttings, but they have a low percentage of rooting. In the first year of life, the resulting taproot makes it difficult to transplant, therefore, to obtain a developed fibrous root system, it should be cut. At first, the oak grows slowly in height, after the 5th year the growth rate of the main shoot increases sharply.

This is one of the most durable breeds. Its bark, wood, acorns are used. The latter contain a large amount of starch, they are used to prepare a coffee substitute, alcohol or feed pigs. In some species of oak, acorns are sweet, edible fresh and roasted. Cork oak bark is used to make cork. The wood, bark, galls formed on the leaves, as well as the plush, contain a lot of tannins (tannins) used for tanning leather. Oak is indispensable in landscaping. It has long been the main tree along with linden in the creation of landscape parks; it is often found in manor parks in the temperate zone. It is planted in clearings with single-standing trees, creates groups, arrays, alleys, and is used in forest belts in the forest, forest-steppe and steppe zones.

Oak in the landscape design of the garden plot

When we think about oak, we immediately imagine a thousand-year-old fairy-tale giant. It must be admitted that young oaks also have a solid growth ... If they are allowed. So, before settling an oak tree, let's think about what we want to see in 10-20 years. A slender oak can be a solitaire on lawn, but it is also possible to use its bush form as a frame of the "edge" or a hedge. Keep in mind that oak blooms late, so in spring you will see its openwork crown against the background of young foliage of other plants.

planting oak

The easiest way to grow an oak tree is from a mature acorn. Acorn, like many large seeds, germinates very easily. This is the most reliable way, and if you entrust this business to a child, then it is fascinating and useful. Just imagine how the child will run every day to check if the acorn has sprouted. And fantasize about how he will tell his children and grandchildren that he once planted that huge oak tree ...

You can transplant a small oak from the forest or from the country street, where he grew himself. But keep in mind that even a very young oak tree has a very long root, it is difficult to dig it out entirely, especially from dense forest soil intertwined with many roots, or from a compacted roadside. The oak tree will not tolerate the slightest damage to the tap root.

On sale now you can find and decorative forms. Among them there are species resistant to the main scourge - oak powdery mildew. There are also forms with an unusual color of foliage. By the way, do not get carried away with unusually colored species. Individual plants with red, golden or striped leaves look interesting against a green background. The garden, full of colorful foliage even in summer, looks at least unnatural. When laying out parks and estates, the old masters played subtly with various shades of green.

Care

Weeding and watering in the first years of life. Control and prevention of powdery mildew, especially in very young trees. This fungus does not affect the entire tree, but only affects the foliage. But the loss of foliage is dangerous for fragile plants.

Trimming and shaping

It is important. Without pruning, oak cannot be accommodated in the country house. For many trees and shrubs, I recommend starting molding as early as possible. Not so with oak. Strong pruning of a young oak turns it into an oak bush. If a hedge is not included in your plans - cut later, let the stem form. After that, you can try your hand at topiary art - to form a ball on a leg with a haircut, for example.

What is the subtlety? Shearing only growth throughout the crown promotes branching and thickening. This is a technique of topiary art. To maintain the natural shape of the crown, the branches must be cut "from the trunk." We remove part of the growth and entire branches. In this case, the crown turns out to be openwork and even lets in a certain amount of sunlight.

Oak red.

Red oak occupies one of the very first places in Russia in terms of popularity among other types of oak. This is not surprising: red oak is the most frost-resistant among its counterparts. Its frost resistance is 40 degrees, and if the root system is solid and the tap root is not cut, then the degree of its frost resistance increases. Despite the fact that in wild nature oaks do not grow on the territory of the Tomsk region, there are specific examples of the fact that oak grows successfully here!

Red oak is a slender tree up to 25 m tall, with a dense tent-like crown. The trunk is covered with thin, smooth, gray bark, cracking in old trees. Young shoots are reddish-felt, annual shoots are red-brown, smooth. The leaves are deeply notched, thin, shiny, up to 15-20 cm, with 4-5 pointed lobes on each side of the leaf, reddish when blooming, dark green in summer, lighter below, in autumn, before falling off, scarlet-red in young trees, the old ones are brownish-brown.

The red oak blossoms at the same time as the leaves open. Acorns are spherical in shape, up to 2 cm, red-brown, as if chopped off from below, in contrast to English oak, ripen in the fall of the second year. It bears fruit steadily and abundantly from 15-20 years. When young, it grows faster than European oaks.

The conditions for successful oak cultivation are as follows:

Good place to land. Red oak loves dry and bright places with acidic soil (pH 5.5-7.5), so there is no need to pour ashes into the planting hole. It can not be planted where the soil is flooded in the spring, as well as where there is constant stagnation of water. Oak does not like stagnant water, so when landing at the bottom of the pit, it is imperative to pour drainage. And so that in a few years, when the earth in the planting pit settles, the root neck does not end up in a depression where water can accumulate in the spring, you need to plant an oak tree so that after the pit is finally filled with earth, the root neck of the seedling is on a small mound (the root neck is something where the roots meet the trunk). Over time, the mound will settle, and the root neck will be flush with the soil level. Oak is photophilous and prone to a disease called powdery mildew, so it must be planted in a bright, well-ventilated place;

seedling health. So that the oak does not get sick with powdery mildew, it should be sprayed from time to time with an infusion of kombucha (1-2 cups of a monthly infusion per bucket of water) or shungite water, or a mixture of these solutions. But we must remember that this is a means of prevention, not control. When this fungal disease appears, it is already too late. In general, it is pointless to fight fungal diseases with the help of "chemistry", but prevention with the help of the above means gives excellent results;

In no case should you fertilize plants with fresh manure! An excess of free nitrogen contained in manure forms loose tissues in all parts of the plant, the wood of such branches and trunks with loose tissues does not ripen by autumn, and in winter a plant fed with manure can freeze severely or even die. Also, manure-fed plants are attacked by pests and diseases, especially fungal diseases.

In red oak, unlike pedunculate, acorns ripen not in one season, but in two. And yet, an essential addition that needs to be mentioned for the successful cultivation of oak. Many plants (especially forest plants) grow very slowly without mycorrhiza on their roots. What is mycorrhiza? You are probably familiar with different hat mushrooms that grow in the forest. So, these same mushrooms are already fruits, and the body of the mycelium itself is located in the upper layer of the soil, its hyphae (thin threads of the body of the fungus) spread horizontally for many meters, the roots of plants and forming mycorrhiza on their surface, mycorrhiza is a commonwealth of roots of different plants and fungi. Without this mutually beneficial community, some plants do not grow at all or grow very poorly, especially if they find themselves in unusual conditions. There are myceliums that specialize in some particular plants, and there are universal ones. For example, White mushroom grows under pine and oak, boletus under aspen, boletus under birch, fly agaric under different plants, common fungus is a very versatile mycorrhizal mushroom, if you manage to have it in your garden, then any plants will be happy to grow and bear fruit will be very productive. How to infect oak roots with mycorrhiza? Find an old overgrown porcini mushroom or common oyster mushroom in the forest, bring them home, soak them for a day in a bucket of water (preferably rain or from some clean reservoir). After a day, pour this water into the holes made around the oak trunk, mulch the soil around the trunk with leaves from the forest, sow forest grasses or green manure in this place, and in no case ever loosen or dig the soil around the trees. In this case, the growth of the mycelium is disrupted, and it may die. This is the main secret of growing mycorrhizal fungi: they do not grow where the soil is loosened or dug up. When the mycelium grows (about three years later), the first mushrooms will appear. This will be a sign that you did everything right.

Red oak does not need shelter for the winter. It is prone to decay of the root neck, so you need to make sure that the root neck is ventilated and does not get wet from weeds (especially wood lice). In order to avoid root collar rot, spring melt water and ground water should not be allowed to be heated. If you have close-lying groundwater on your site, then you need to plant it on a mound and arrange drainage in the pit (fill in broken brick or expanded clay, pebbles with a layer of 15-20 cm).

Pedunculate oak (Q. robur)

One of the most important forest-forming species in Russia, widely distributed in nature from Western Europe to the Urals. In the north of the forest zone it grows along the valleys, to the south - in mixed forests with spruce, and further south it forms pure oak forests. In the forest-steppe and steppe zones, it grows along gullies and ravines, not reaching such a powerful development as in the forest zone. In urban plantations, oak can be found throughout the territory of natural distribution, with the exception, perhaps, of especially arid places. Not a single forest park, city park, old manor can do without it. The beginning of planting oak forests was laid by Peter I. The importance of oak in the national economy is great. It produces construction timber of very high quality. Beautiful and durable, it is used in carpentry, furniture, cooper production, in shipbuilding and car building, is used for the manufacture of parquet, and is also widely used for firewood.

Oak wood is light, with a beautiful pattern, having lain under water for a long time, it acquires a dark color (bog oak) and is especially valued in furniture production. Oak bark contains up to 20% tannins, wood - 6%. They are widely used for tanning leather. In a zone favorable for its growth, the oak reaches a height of 40 m, the trunk diameter exceeds 1 m. The largest old specimens live up to 1000-1500 years, while having a trunk diameter of 4 m. strong branches. Mature trees have thick, deeply fissured, grey-brown bark. Young shoots are olive-brown, then red-brown. Leaves up to 15 cm long and 7 cm wide, oblong-obovate, with ears at the base, with 6-7 obtuse, long lobes, the depressions between them reach a third of the width of the plate.

The leaves are shiny, glabrous, green above, lighter below. In the spring, in May, when the leaves begin to bloom, stamen catkins become visible at the base of the shoots. Pistillate flowers sit in the axils of the leaves on long peduncles of 2-5 pieces. Acorns are oval, 3.5 cm long and 2 cm in diameter with a spike at the top, brown-yellow, shiny, on the stalk, which is why this species is called petiolate. The plush is shallow, cup-shaped, 1 cm tall, the scales covering it are gray-pubescent. Acorns ripen in October. Oak grows best on degraded chernozems and gray forest loams, with sufficient moisture. It is demanding on mineral and organic nutrition, protection from wind and direct sunlight, especially at an early age, but it is drought and salt tolerant.

The majestic stocky giant of the forest oak is beautiful at any time of the year. In spring, it pleases with its light yellowish-green foliage and long graceful yellow inflorescences-earrings; in summer, he appears as a mighty giant with a dense dark crown, and so dense that it is able to protect both from the scorching sun and from pouring rain. In autumn, the oak appears in a new guise. Its foliage turns yellow, and then acquires a dark brown color. It falls much later than other trees. In winter, an oak, even in a leafless state, is able to charm with its power, when its deeply furrowed thick trunks loom against the background of fallen snow, and the branches and branches intertwined in a bizarre graphic pattern resemble the fabulous Berendey's kingdom.

In our nursery you can buy seedlings oak wholesale and retail.

There are several curious facts about oak: At the Paris exhibition in 1900, an oak ridge was shown, sawn from a 485-year-old oak 31 m high and 169 cm in diameter. Shumerlinsky forestry of the Chuvash Republic.

And in 1861, in the Yadrinsky district of the Kazan province, an oak was cut down “50 feet long” (that is, 15 m in height) and “48 inches in the upper cut” (213 cm in diameter). This tree was counted 500 years old, at that time it was completely fresh, healthy and still increasing in volume ...

The oak was sacred tree many peoples, including the ancient Slavs and Celts, worshiped him as a deity. Even today it remains a symbol of courage and resilience, and not just, so to speak, “impenetrability” ... By the way, to see an oak strewn with acorns in a dream - to well-being and career growth.

Pedunculate oak (summer, English, common) (Quercus robur). © Leafland

Botanical description

Oak (Quercus) is a genus of deciduous or evergreen trees of the beech family. The leaves are alternate, simple, pinnatipartite, lobed, serrated, sometimes entire. Oak flowers are small, inconspicuous, same-sex, monoecious; staminate - in long hanging catkins, pistillate - single or several, sessile or on a pedicel. The fruit is a single-seeded acorn, partially enclosed in a cup-shaped woody cupule.

Oak grows slowly, at first (up to 80 years) - stronger in height, later - in thickness. Usually forms a deep tap root system. Gives abundant shoots from the stump. Photophilous. Some types of oak are drought-resistant, quite winter-hardy and not very demanding on soils. It begins to bear fruit at the age of 15-60, in open places earlier than in plantations. It reproduces mainly by acorns. For sowing, acorns collected in the same year are used, because. they quickly lose their viability. There are about 450 species of oak in the temperate, subtropical and tropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere. In Russia - 20 (according to other data, 11) wild-growing species in the European part, the Far East and the Caucasus; 43 species of oaks are grown in culture.

The most important in forestry is Pedunculate oak, or summer ( Quercus robur), - a tree up to 40-50 m high and 1-1.5 m in diameter. The leaves are elongated obovate, with 5-7 pairs of short lobes, on petioles up to 1 cm long. Acorns 1-3 on the stalk. It blooms simultaneously with the blooming of leaves from 40-60 years. Fruits abundantly every 4-8 years. Grows fairly quickly in side shade, but requires good light from above. Lives up to 400-1000 years. Distributed in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus and almost throughout Western Europe. In the northern part of the range it grows along river valleys, to the south it goes to watersheds and forms mixed forests with spruce, and in the south of the range - pure oak forests; V steppe zone found in ravines and gullies. One of the main forest-forming species of broad-leaved forests in Russia.

Close to Pedunculate Oak Rock Oak, or winter ( Q. petraea), with almost sessile (2-3) acorns, found in the west of the European part of Russia, in the Crimea and the North Caucasus. In the eastern part of the North Caucasus and in Transcaucasia grows Georgian oak (Q. iberica) with leathery leaves and sessile (1-2) acorns; V alpine belt these areas is growing Large anthered oak (Quercus macranthera) with densely pubescent shoots and sessile acorns or on a short stalk. The main species of the valley forests of Eastern Transcaucasia is Long-legged oak (Q. longipes). An important forest-forming species of the Far East - Mongolian oak (Q.mongolica) is a frost-resistant and drought-resistant tree.

Oak wood has high strength, hardness, durability and a beautiful texture (drawing on the section). It is used in shipbuilding, for underwater structures, because. does not rot; used in car building, in furniture, carpentry, cooperage, construction of houses, etc. Bark of some types ( Cork oak- Q. suber) gives a cork. The bark and wood contain tannins (tannins) used for tanning hides. The dried bark of young branches and thin trunks of English oak is used as an astringent in the form of an aqueous decoction for rinsing in case of inflammatory processes in the oral cavity, pharynx, pharynx, as well as for lotions in the treatment of burns. Acorns are used as a substitute for coffee and as food for pigs and some other agricultural products. animals. Many types, for example Chestnut oak(Q. castaneifolia), bred in gardens and parks as ornamental plants.

Oak cultivation

Oak acorns, unlike the seeds of the vast majority of our other trees, do not retain their germination capacity when dried and stored for a long time at room temperature. Therefore, it is necessary either to sow them in the fall before the snow falls and the soil freezes, or to provide them with special storage conditions. Autumn sowing is the easiest, but there is a serious risk of damage to some of the acorns by rodents.

For spring sowing oak acorns must be properly preserved. Better conditions storage are created at low (about 0 ° or a little higher) temperature, high humidity and moderate ventilation. Acorns can be stored in the basement, where potatoes are well preserved in winter; you can also dig them into the soil in the fall to a depth of at least 20 cm, covering the top with a sheet of waterproof material, leaving a layer of air between this sheet and acorns and providing protection from mice. In any case, healthy acorns without external damage should be stored for winter storage, preferably collected in dry weather and dried at room temperature for a week. Any special preparation of seeds that have survived the winter is not required before sowing.

Before sowing, evaluate the quality of acorns by opening a few of them. Live oak acorns have yellow cotyledons, and at the place of their connection with each other there is a live (yellow or red-yellow) embryo. Dead acorns are black or grey. By external signs, it is not always possible to distinguish living acorns from dead ones. Soaking acorns in a container of water gives good results - dead acorns mostly float, live ones mostly sink (if there are a lot of acorns, then this method of separating the dead from the living is quite recommended, but a small part of the live acorns will be lost).

If you have not been able to stock up on acorns since autumn, then in some years (after big harvest acorns and under the condition of a “harvest failure” of mice, and if the winter was not very frosty) you can recruit live and germinating acorns in the nearest forest or park. It is necessary to collect germinating acorns in early spring, almost immediately after the snow melts, otherwise you will find damaged roots in many acorns. Collected oak acorns must either be sown immediately or stored until sowing in such a way that the roots do not dry out (for example, mixed with wet leaves in a plastic box put in a refrigerator or a cold basement). Even with short-term storage, it is necessary to ensure that germinating acorns do not become moldy (throw away damaged ones immediately), and ensure their ventilation. The faster you can sow the acorns collected in the spring, the more of them will be able to develop into seedlings.

Oak acorns. © Twid Sprouted oak acorn. © Beentree

sowing acorns

When sowing acorns, mark parallel furrows on the bed at a distance of 15–25 cm from each other. Arrange the acorns in the furrows at the rate of 15-50 pieces. per 1 m of the length of the furrow, depending on the quality and size (if the acorns are large and almost all live, then they should be laid out less often, if small and with a large proportion of dead and doubtful - thicker). If you plan to plant annual oak seedlings in a permanent place, then acorns should be sown even less often - at a distance of 7-10 cm from each other (this will ensure the maximum growth of each tree). Press the acorns into the bottom of the furrow so that they are at a depth of 2–3 cm from the soil surface in spring planting and 3–6 cm in autumn. After that, level the furrow by covering the acorns with earth.

Acorns germinate for a very long time. First, they develop a powerful root, reaching a length of several tens of centimeters, and only after that the stem begins to grow. Therefore, oak sprouts can appear on the soil surface only a month and a half after the start of germination. Do not rush to conclude that your oak trees have died and dig up a bed with crops (as the experience of novice amateur foresters shows, this happens). If in doubt, try digging up some acorns. If their roots have grown, then the acorns are alive.

Oak seedling care

Oak seedlings are much less affected by weeds and soil drying out than seedlings. coniferous trees(thanks to stock nutrients large roots and leaves immediately develop in the stomach). However, try to always keep crops free of weeds and ensure watering during severe drought, especially if you want to get large seedlings in one year. Stop any additional watering about a month and a half before the time when mass leaf fall begins in your area - this will allow oak seedlings to better prepare for wintering (too late growths in oak often freeze out in winter).

In summer, oak seedlings are often affected by powdery mildew, a fungal disease. Powdery mildew is not able to kill oak seedlings, but can significantly reduce their growth. With a strong development of powdery mildew (if white bloom covers more than half of the area of ​​​​all leaves), seedlings can be treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or a 1% suspension of sulfur. Oak seedlings can be grown for two years in one place without a transplant, or they can be transplanted in the second year into a "school". The second method is preferable, because it allows you to form a more compact and branched root system, which suffers less when transplanted to a permanent place (for two-year-old seedlings grown without transplantation, the length of the main root can be more than a meter, and it is almost impossible to transplant them without damaging the root).

Oak seedlings should be transplanted into the “shkolka” in the spring, preferably as early as possible, so that the root system damaged during transplantation has time to partially recover even before the leaves bloom (it is also important that the soil is still wet during transplantation). When transplanting, cut off the main root of each oak seedling at a distance of 15-20 cm from where the acorn was located (in most seedlings, the remains of an acorn in the second year are still visible). This will form a more compact root system. It is possible not to cut the main root, but in this case it will be very difficult to dig up two-year-old seedlings without serious damage to their root system.


Oak seedlings. © Elektryczne jabłko

In the "school" place rows of seedlings at a distance of 25–30 cm from each other, and seedlings in a row - after 12–15 cm. such that when the seedling is planted, the place of attachment of the acorn is 2-3 cm below the soil surface). Insert the seedlings into the holes (the main root of oak seedlings, unlike the root of conifers, is hard and straight and inserted into the holes without problems). Then fill the holes with earth and compact it with your hands so that the earth fits snugly against the roots of the seedlings.

Transplanted oak seedlings in the first weeks after transplantation suffer greatly from root damage - leafing is rather slow, and shoot growth is relatively small. Nevertheless, by mid-summer, the normal development of seedlings is restored, and by autumn, as a rule, large seedlings (30–50 cm high) are quite suitable for planting in a permanent place. If the size of the seedlings by autumn leaves much to be desired, then only the largest ones can be selected for transplantation, and the rest left in the "school" for another year.

If you are transplanting annual oak seedlings to a permanent place (this is quite possible if planting is done in areas with low grass cover or plowed soil), then do not cut the main roots of the seedlings - try to keep as much of their length as possible. root system An annual oak seedling is represented mainly by a long and straight tap root with weak and short lateral roots, therefore, for transplanting, it is enough to make a narrow hole of the appropriate depth using a stake or a shovel handle.

oak types

Pedunculate oak (summer, English, or common) - Quercus robur

It occurs naturally in the European part of Russia, Central and Western Europe. A very powerful tree up to 50 m tall, in close stands with a slender trunk, highly debranched, in single plantings in open places - with a short trunk and a wide, spreading, low-set crown. Lives 500-900 years.


Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). © 2micha

The bark on trunks up to 40 years old is smooth, olive-brown, later grayish-brown, almost black. The leaves are alternate, at the top of the shoots close together in bunches, leathery, oblong, obovate, up to 15 cm long, with an elongated top and 3-7 pairs of obtuse, lateral lobes of unequal length. Lobes entire or with 1-3 teeth, often with auricles at the base of the leaf blade. The leaves are shiny, bare, dark green above, lighter below, sometimes with sparse hairs. In spring, the oak blossoms late, one of the last among our trees. Oak blossoms in April-May, when it still has very small leaves. The flowers are unisexual, monoecious, very small and inconspicuous. Male or staminate flowers are collected in peculiar inflorescences - long and thin, yellowish-greenish drooping catkins, reminiscent of hazel catkins. Acorns up to 3.5 cm, 1/5 covered with a cupule, ripen in early autumn.

Grows slowly, the greatest energy of growth in 5-20 years. Moderately photophilous, wind-resistant due to powerful root system. Excessive waterlogging of the soil does not tolerate, but withstands temporary flooding for up to 20 days. It prefers deep, fertile, fresh soils, but is able to develop on any, including dry and saline ones, which makes it indispensable in green building in many regions of Russia. It has high drought and heat resistance. One of the most durable breeds, some sources indicate a life expectancy of up to 1500 years.

Has powerful energy. Oak in Rus' was considered a sacred tree. In the springs located in the oak forests, the water has an excellent taste and is particularly clean.

Propagated by sowing acorns, decorative forms - by grafting and green cuttings. It is well renewed by shoots from a stump. Acorns do not tolerate desiccation, as soon as they lose even a small part of the water, they die. In heat, they easily rot, they are very sensitive to cold and frost. This circumstance presents a certain difficulty for preserving acorns for seeds. In nature, there is no such problem: acorns that have fallen late autumn in the forest, they overwinter in a damp bed of leaves under a thick layer of snow, which protects them from both drying and frost. The germination of an acorn resembles the germination of a pea: its cotyledons do not rise above the soil surface, as in many plants, but remain in the ground. A thin green stem rises up. At first it is leafless, and only after some time small leaves appear on its top.

In nature, it occurs along the banks of rivers, where there is no stagnation of water in the soil, north of the 35th parallel of the North American continent, up to Canada. Tree up to 25 m in height.

A slender tree with a dense hipped crown.


Red oak (Quercus rubra). © Jean-Paul GRANDMONT

The trunk is covered with thin, smooth, gray bark, cracking in old trees. Young shoots are reddish-felt, annual shoots are red-brown, smooth. The leaves are deeply notched, thin, shiny, up to 15-25 cm, with 4-5 pointed lobes on each side of the leaf, reddish when blooming, dark green in summer, lighter below, in autumn, before falling off, scarlet-red in young trees , in old ones - brownish-brown. Blooms at the same time as the leaves open. Acorns are spherical in shape, up to 2 cm, red-brown, as if chopped off from below, unlike English oak, they ripen in the fall of the second year. It bears fruit steadily and abundantly from 15-20 years. When young, it grows faster than European oaks.

Frost-resistant. Medium light-loving, easily tolerates lateral shading, but prefers full coverage of the top of the crown. Not drought tolerant. Wind-resistant, not very picky about soil fertility, can withstand even an acidic reaction, however, does not tolerate calcareous and wet soils. Resistant to pests and diseases, including powdery mildew - the scourge of our oaks. It has high phytoncidal properties. Due to its high decorativeness, resistance to adverse environmental factors, magnificent autumn decoration, it deserves the widest use in green building, for creating single and group plantings, alleys, arrays, lining roads and streets.

In nature, it is found in the southern Crimea, the northern part of the Transcaucasus, southern Europe and Asia Minor. Tree up to 10 m tall. Durable.


Downy oak (Quercus pubescens). © Petr Filippov

Significantly inferior in size to the previous species, with a low, winding trunk and a wide crown, sometimes even a shrub. Young shoots are strongly pubescent. Leaves 5-10 cm long, very variable in shape and size, with 4-8 pairs of obtuse or pointed lobes, dark green, glabrous above, grey-green below, pubescent. The scales of the plush surrounding the acorn are also fluffy.

Grows slowly, light and thermophilic, lives on dry rocky slopes and soils containing lime. Handles haircut well. valuable view for green building in arid areas, grows on stony soils where other species do not develop. An excellent material for high hedges and figured, sheared forms.

Homeland - the east of North America. Grows in forests with other types of oak and hazel, on various soils, but better on deep, rich, well-drained, limestone; in the north of the range it is distributed no higher than 200 m above sea level. sea, in the south up to 1500 m a.s.l. seas.


White oak (Quercus alba). © Mact

Large beautiful tree up to 30 m, with powerful spreading branches forming a wide, tent-shaped crown. The shoots are bare, the bark of the trunk is gray, shallowly cracking. Remarkable for very large, oblong-oval leaves, up to 22 cm, with 5-9 obtuse lobes; when blooming - bright red, in summer - bright green, with a whitish-gray underside. In autumn, the leaves turn dark red or purple-purple. Acorns up to 2.5 cm, a quarter covered with a plush. Seeds are stored for spring sowing in semi-moist sand. In autumn, sown immediately after harvest and air drying. Seed germination persists until spring next year. Ground germination 80 - 85%. Embedding depth s. 5 - 6 cm.

Motherland North America.

A slender tree up to 25 m tall, in youth with a narrow pyramidal crown, later with a broadly pyramidal crown. Young shoots are thin, hanging, reddish-brown. The bark of the trunk is greenish-brown, and remains smooth for a long time. Leaves up to 12 cm long, with 5-7 deeply cut, almost to the middle of the leaf, toothed lobes, bright green above, lighter below, with tufts of hairs in the corners of the veins. In autumn - bright purple. Acorns sessile, almost spherical, up to 1.5 cm, 1/3 covered by a cupule. Seeds are stored for spring sowing in semi-moist sand. Autumn with. sown after harvest and air drying. Germination of seeds is maintained until the spring of next year. Ground germination with. 80 - 90%. Embedding depth s. 5 - 6 cm.


Swamp oak (Quercus palustris). © Willow

It grows quickly, less hardy than red oak and northern oak. It is more demanding on the soil and its moisture, as it grows in nature on deep, moist soils on the banks of rivers and swamps. It tolerates city conditions well. Looks great in single, group and avenue plantings, along the banks of reservoirs. In culture since the middle of the XVIII century. Grows in the parks of Ukraine (Chernivtsi), Belarus, Voronezh region. It freezes in St. Petersburg.

It grows wild in eastern North America.

A beautiful deciduous tree up to 20 m tall, with a slender trunk and a wide-rounded (pyramidal in youth) crown. Remarkable original shiny green leaves resembling willow leaves (up to 12 cm long by 2 cm wide). This similarity is even more enhanced in young leaves, strongly pubescent below. In autumn, the leaves turn dull yellow.


Willow oak (Quercus phellos). © Daderot

Differs in rapid growth, photophilous, unpretentious to the soil, tolerates temperature drops to -23 ºС. Used in single and group plantings. In culture since 1680.

Homeland Mediterranean, Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor.

An evergreen tree up to 25 m tall, with a smooth dark gray trunk and a dense, wide spreading crown. The shoots are grayish-felt, the leaves are small, up to 8 cm, highly variable in shape, leathery, shiny, dark green, yellowish or whitish-pubescent below. Acorns ripen in the second year.

It is recommended to store freshly harvested acorns in trenches. Permissible period of dry storage - until the next spring. Acorns are stratified in moderately moist sand for 2-3 months at 2-5°C, then sown in greenhouses or ridges, where they germinate at 0-15°C for 20-30 days. Embedding depth s. 4 - 7 cm.


Holm oak (Quercus ilex). © propio

It grows quickly, quite shade-tolerant, frost-resistant, tolerates temperatures down to -20 ° C without damage. Drought tolerant. Grows on dry rocky slopes and any type of soil. It tolerates a haircut, durable. Valuable, beautiful breed for park construction in the south of Russia. It is good in group, alley and street plantings, in regular gardens - for creating dense high hedges and high walls, for which its small-leaved forms are suitable. In culture since 1819.

It grows wild in Armenia, the Caucasus and northern Iran. Listed in the Red Book of the USSR. Protected in the Hyrkansky Reserve. Forms pure or with an admixture of other deciduous forests on the crests of ridges. Light-loving mesoxerophyte.

Tall, up to 30 m, a beautiful tree with a slender trunk, the bark of which remains smooth for a long time, with a wide tent-shaped crown and large leaves, resembling the leaves of a sowing chestnut, up to 18 cm long, with large, sharp, triangular teeth. From above, the leaves are dull, dark green, almost bare; finely pubescent below, greyish-white. Acorns up to 3 cm, 1/3 covered with a plush.


Chestnut oak (Quercus castaneifolia). © Mmparedes

It grows relatively quickly, is moderately frost-resistant, not drought-resistant enough. Good in alley, group and single plantings of parks and forest parks. Suitable for cultivation in the southwestern and southern parts of Russia, on Black Sea coast. In culture since 1830.

North American species, growing as a tree up to 30 m high, with a thick trunk and a sprawling, tent-shaped crown. The bark on the trunk is light brown, cracking. Leaves obovate, oblong, up to 25 cm long, deeply lobed; shiny, dark green above, whitish-green below, pubescent, in autumn they acquire a spectacular yellow-brown color. Acorns are oval, large, up to 5 cm, 1/3 covered by a cupule.

Seeds are stored for spring sowing in semi-moist sand in the basement. In autumn, the seeds are sown after harvesting and air drying. Germination of seeds is maintained until the spring of next year. Ground germination 80 - 85%. Seeding depth 5-6 cm.


Large-fruited oak (Quercus macrocarpa). © Daderot

In terms of growth rate, it is almost as good as English oak; in terms of frost resistance, it is close to it and to red oak, but more moisture-loving than these species. Decorative, used in green building, like other species. In culture since 1826.

Diseases and pests of oak

Gallica

By autumn, yellowish or yellow-pink balls - galls - the size of a small cherry, often develop on oak leaves. They look like tiny apples of the correct spherical shape.

Galls are painful growths of leaf tissue. The gall midge insect, which looks like a very small fly, is to blame for their appearance. The gall midge pierces the skin of the leaf with a thin, sharp ovipositor and lays an egg there. Some time after that, a "ball" grows on the sheet. If such a ball is broken in late autumn, in the middle of it you can find a small white worm - a gall midge larva - or an already adult insect. In some years, oak leaves are literally dotted with galls - there are several of them on each leaf.

Gall on an oak leaf. © Fritz Geller Grimm Gall on oak. © Rasbak Gall on oak. © Saharadesertfox

Gauls are sometimes called ink nuts. This name is not accidental. Our ancestors at the time of Pushkin used them to make black ink. How to get ink in this way? It is necessary to prepare a decoction of nuts and add a solution of iron sulfate to it. Merging two weakly colored liquids, we get a completely black liquid. This chemical "focus" is easily explained. The gall contains many tannins, and they have the ability, when combined with iron salts, to give a thick black color. The same can be done with tea infusion (it also contains a lot of tannins). If a few drops of a yellowish solution of ferric chloride are added to a glass of weak tea, the liquid becomes completely black.

oak pests

Leaf-eating and stem pests, and fungal diseases are the most important factors that increase the drying of oak stands. Violation of the ecological balance of oak forest phytocenoses, especially in oak forest monocultures, leads to violations of the water regime of the territories, changes in light and temperature conditions in the plantation, and all together - to the formation of conditions more favorable for the development of pests and diseases.

Oak is damaged by a huge number of pests and diseases. Different authors give different figures on the number of pests and diseases that damage the oak. In the Tellerman forest, 184 species of foliage pests were identified (Molchanov, 1975). Among the most common pests that damage the foliage, we should name: 5 types of silkworms, 5 types of cutworms, 6 types of moths, 8 types of moths, 8 types of sawflies, 2 types of leafworms, 11 types of gall wasps, 2 types of psyllids, 5 types of weevils, 2 types of Hermes, 2 species of aphids and 3 species of plant mites. Buds and flowers damage 12 species of gall wasps. Acorns are damaged by 2 species of codling moths, 3 species of weevils and 1 species of nutcracker. The trunk and branches damage 8 species of bark beetles, 7 species of longhorn beetles, 3 species of horntails, 2 species of woodworms, 1 species of flat-footed beetle, 3 species of borers, 1 species from the family of grinders, 1 species of wood borers (Napalkov, 1953).


Sawfly caterpillars on oak leaves. © Beentree

In Europe, 542 species of harmful insects damaging oak have been identified (Hrast Luznjak…, 1996). In total, 206 species of fungi were found, including zygomycetes - 3 species, mastigomycetes - 2 species, ascomycetes - 50 species, basidiomycetes - 43 species, deuteromycetes - 108 species. 1 virus was found - tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), 14 species of bacteria (Erwinia quercicola Geprges et Bad., Erwinia valachika Geprges et Bad., Pseudomonas quercus Schem, etc.). However, the influence of viruses and bacteria as causes of oak desiccation has not been clearly established (Ragazzi et al., 1995).

Healing power of oak

For treatment, young bark of branches and trunks, leaves and acorns of oak are used. The bark contains acids, resins, pectin, sugar. In acorns - protein and tannins, starch, fatty oil, sugar. The leaves contain tannins and dyes, pentosans.

Oak bark used as an astringent, anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent. Mixed with other plants, it is used to treat gastritis, colitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, diseases of the liver and spleen. Inside give a cold infusion (1 teaspoon of crushed bark is infused in 2 glasses of cold water for 6-8 hours), 2-3 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.

A decoction of oak bark (1:10) is used for pharyngitis, tonsillitis, skin diseases, stomatitis. For the treatment of burns, a stronger decoction of the bark (1: 5) is used. For skin diseases, an ointment is also used - one part of the condensed decoction of the bark to four parts of lanolin.

A warm infusion of crushed oak acorns in red wine (25% tincture) in the form of compresses is used to treat hernia, and water decoctions folk healers recommended for burns, skin rashes, excessive sweating of the feet. In addition, a nutritious coffee drink is prepared from acorns, which is consumed with milk and sugar.

With gastric bleeding, inflammation of the intestine, poisoning with heavy metals, alkaloids, mushrooms, henbane, dope, food poisoning use a decoction of oak bark. For this purpose, 20 g of dry crushed raw materials are poured into 1 cup of hot water, boiled for half an hour, then filtered and the liquid volume is brought to the original volume. boiled water. Take 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.

With diarrhea and enterocolitis, an infusion of oak acorns helps. It is prepared as follows: 1 teaspoon of dry crushed raw materials is poured into 1 cup of boiling water and filtered after cooling. Take 1/2 cup 2-3 times a day.

For gargling with chronic tonsillitis, pharyngitis, inflammation of the gums and stomatitis, a decoction of oak bark is used. For urethritis and cystitis, a decoction of oak bark is taken 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day. For the same purpose, an infusion of acorns is used in a similar dosage.

For douching with cervical erosion, uterine prolapse, prolapse of the vaginal walls, vulvovaginitis and trichomonas colpitis, a decoction of oak bark is used: 20 g of dry crushed raw material is poured into 1 cup of hot water, boiled for half an hour, then filtered and the volume of liquid is brought to 1 liter with boiled water .

For baths and washing with allergic diathesis, a decoction of oak bark is used. For this purpose, 100 g of dry crushed raw materials are boiled in 1 liter of water for half an hour and filtered. With sweating feet on a decoction of oak bark, foot baths are prepared: 20 g of dry crushed raw materials are poured into 1 glass of hot water, boiled for half an hour, then filtered and the volume of liquid is brought to 1 liter with boiled water.

A cold decoction of the bark is used for burns and frostbite, as well as for long-term non-healing wounds.

Oak wood has always been associated with the concept of strength, power, health. The oak tree itself is a majestic picture. Its wood is dense, hard, heavy and has high strength. It is also characterized by resistance to moisture, decay and various fungi.

The wood is porous with a beautiful texture. The color is brown or yellowish brown. The sapwood part of oak wood has a light yellow color. From time to time, the color of its wood darkens, which, however, gives it a more noble appearance.

Oak is a perennial tree, more than a century old is not the limit for it. The height of the oak reaches 30 meters, and the diameter is from 1.2 to 1.8 m. Oaks growing in forests are characterized by the presence of a straight trunk without knots up to 15 meters high.

Wood density: about 700 kg/m3. Hardness: 3.7 - 3.9 Brinell.

Influence of growing conditions on wood properties

If we compare the properties of wood from trees grown in different natural conditions, we can notice significant differences. The worse the soil on which the oak grows, the better its wood. That is why oak wood from the northern regions is more valued.

So, oak, which grows in oak forests on sandy soils, has a thick dark-colored bark, and its wood is painted in a light straw color. The hardness of the wood of such oaks is high, but it lacks elasticity.

If an oak grows near water, for example, on the banks of a river or stream, or among alder bogs, then it is called lead, water, iron or ols oak. It differs from its counterparts in a straight trunk and a dense crown. The bark is leathery, spotty. Its color is light gray with a bluish tint. The wood has a pink tint, the layers are large. Elasticity is very good, but when dried, it has a tendency to crack. Unusually heavy.

Intermediate varieties of trees that grow in places located between oak forests and alder bogs have average values ​​of elasticity in their qualities, and are lower in hardness than those of upland and ols. The bark of such oaks is thick, its color is brownish-gray. Often in the butt part of these trees there are hollows, and the top part of the trunks is dry.

Where is oak wood used?

Summer oak wood is widely used in construction, and its moisture resistance properties make it possible to use it in underwater structures or in the hulls of wooden floating craft. It is also good for making souvenir crafts.

Winter wood is used in carpentry, furniture and parquet production. Oak wood is not the best option, as the coal cools quickly. And to maintain combustion, you need good traction. Yes, and it is a pity to use such valuable wood as fuel, unless waste from other industries can be used for firewood.

Features of working with oak wood

Drying of oak wood should be carried out in vivo. It is not recommended to try to speed up this process as this may lead to cracking.

Stained oak wood takes on a dark purple hue

In order for the wood to acquire a decorative look, staining is used - for oak, this is done by keeping it in water for several years. After such an exposure, the color of the wood becomes dark purple and silky. Hardness from long soaking only increases, although it becomes more brittle.

When working with oak wood, it should be remembered that it does not like alcohol varnishes, and polishing is useless due to its high porosity.

Oak wood does not like oils - they form ugly spots on its surface. This wood does not need staining, because it has a beautiful natural texture and color. To finish, it is enough to cover the surface of the product with a transparent varnish, preferably one that dries quickly.

For construction purposes, it is better to use wood with a large width of annual rings. This wood is highly resistant to wear. For the manufacture of furniture, souvenir crafts, wooden sculptures and chiseled products, lighter and softer wood with narrow annual rings is better suited.

The story about the oak grade 2, summarized in this article, will help you prepare for the biology and botany class. The report about the oak can be supplemented with interesting facts.

Oak Message

Common oak description

Oak belongs to the genus of shrubs and the beech family. This is a powerful, strong tree, whose height is up to 50 meters. It grows very slowly. Every year it adds centimeters in height and only then begins to thicken. Oak is considered long-lived and is associated with longevity and wisdom. Its life expectancy is up to V centuries, although there are representatives of oaks on the planet whose age is more than 1000 years.

Oak is a deciduous tree. Its trunk averages 1.5 m in diameter. The bark is dark, fissured, wrinkled and tortuous. The shape of the leaves depends on the type of oak. They can be serrated, pinnate, lobed and others. The branches are curved and indirect. This is due to the fact that the tree is very sensitive to the sun's rays: its shoots grow towards the light and change their direction depending on the weather, season and time of day.

The root system is well developed. The roots are very large and go deep underground. The crown of the tree and the shape depends on the conditions of oak germination. In the forests, the trunks are even and straight, separately growing trees are strongly compacted in breadth. If the oak grew in conditions of insufficient humidity and under the influence of wind, then the crowns will be deformed and irregular in shape.

Oak blossoms in late spring. The flowers are green and small, inconspicuous among the foliage. The female flowers are made up of pistils, while the male flowers are made up of stamens. Male flowers make up inflorescences resembling earrings, but female ones look like green grains with a red top. Only female flowers can grow acorns.

How many types of oaks are there?

There are only 600 species of oaks. The most popular types of these trees are:

  • Swamp oak
  • weeping oak
  • Pedunculate oak
  • Long-legged oak
  • Georgian oak
  • Mongolian oak
  • Rock Oak
  • Chestnut oak

When does an oak give acorns?

Oak begins to bear fruit after 30-40 years in free places of germination and after 50-60 years when planted by man. Inconspicuous, small flowers are pollinated by the wind. Fruits (acorns) ripen in early autumn. But most of the trees remain fruitless, since the oak bears fruit very rarely, once every 6-8 years.

Where does oak grow?

Mostly a tree can be found in regions where a temperate climate prevails - in the Northern Hemisphere. Some types of oaks grow in the tropics with low air temperatures. Basically, these are high-mountainous regions. Trees prefer rich soils, medium moisture levels. Rare species oaks are found in swamps and places of insufficient moisture.

How to grow and plant an oak?

Oak begins to bear fruit only from the age of 30 from the moment of planting. Its fruits are acorns. Ornamental oak species are propagated by grafting. The optimal time for planting a tree is autumn, before the first frost and snow. But at this time, planted acorns can be eaten by hungry rodents. Therefore, often the fruits are stored until spring, planted on warm days. Oak seeds must be alive, consisting of yellow cotyledons and a reddish or yellow germ inside. If you plant a tree with germinated sprouts, then they are planted in the ground in the spring after the snow melts. Be careful not to break the fragile sprouts. Be sure to pluck the weeds so that they do not forget the growing tree.

  • In France, there is an oak tree that is older than 2000 years. An entire room was set up in its hollow.
  • The most expensive oak wood from bog oak, that is, a tree that has lain no less 100 years underwater.
  • Oak is a sacred tree for many nations. From Latin "oak" means "beautiful". He is considered the king among the trees. Therefore, it can often be seen on family coats of arms or images. Also strong and durable oak is a symbol of the inviolability of treaties and traditions. Therefore, it was under the oaks that our ancestors concluded truces, performed rituals and held courts.
  • In ancient Greece, the oak was dedicated to Hercules and Zeus. And oak groves were considered the habitat of Demeter, the goddess of fertility.
  • You can't hide under an oak tree during a thunderstorm. If lightning strikes it, it will burn to the ground.

We hope that the message about the oak helped you prepare for the lesson, and you learned a lot useful information about this tree. And you can leave your story about oak through the comment form below