Do you like really big deciduous trees? Well you should know that he quercus rubra is one of the most. It is a slow-growing plant, which you can keep in a pot for many years, but over time you will realize that it needs to be in the ground.
And it will be then when problems can arise, because to grow and have a good development it is essential that the garden is wide. You do not believe me? Take a look at the photos below while I tell you a few things about him..
What is its origin and its characteristics?
Quercus rubra in autumn.
Image sourced from Wikimedia/sludgegulper
This It is a deciduous tree native to Central and Eastern North America., although they are also found in northeastern and central Mexico. It is known as American red oak, American red boreal oak or Northern red oak, and was described by Carlos Linnaeus and published in Species Plantarum 1753 the year.
Reaches a maximum height of 43 meters, being the usual 35m, with a trunk of up to 2m in diameter. Its crown is very wide, 6-8 meters, formed by branches from which leaves sprout whose size is 12 to 22cm in diameter. These are lobed, green for much of the year except in autumn when they will be red before falling.
Blooms in spring. Its female flowers measure 2mm, are ovoid and red, and the male ones are fasciculate catkins. The fruit is a red-brown acorn of about 2cm, and it finishes its maturation in about two years. Its taste is very bitter, so its consumption is not recommended.
What care do you need to live?
Image sourced from Wikimedia/matthieu sontag
Do you want to have this jewel in your garden? So keep in mind that you must place it outside, in the sun or in semi-shade. Due to the size that it reaches as an adult, put it at a minimum distance -if they are more, better- of 8 meters from walls, walls, pipes and others.
The soil must be fertile, deep, and neutral or slightly acidic. It doesn't like limestone too much, where it often has chlorosis due to lack of iron, nor does it like compact ones. Therefore, if your soil is not suitable for it, I advise you to make a planting hole of at least 1m x 1m, cover its sides with shading mesh, put a first layer of 6mm grain pumice, and finish filling it with substrate for acid plants.
If we talk about irrigation, it should be moderate. It does not resist drought or flooding. The ideal is to keep the soil always slightly moist, watering about 4 times a week in summer and 1-2 a week the rest of the year. Always use rain water, or without lime.
To finish, tell you that it multiplies by seeds in winter, since it needs to be cold before germinating, and resists up to -18ºC.