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Home grown potted oaks

veehveeh Posts: 9
in Problem solving

Hi everyone

In autumn this year Iimage collected some acorns from a colder part of the country and attempted to grow them.  I am very pleased and excited to have 14 trees currently growing in my city flat!  I live in a subtropical area and am not sure how they will fare here.

They have been doing fantastically for nearly 6 months but now I have noticed some white patches on some of their leaves  (not all the plants) and today, some of those white patches have gone brown and a imagecouple of leaves fell off!  I had thought it might be due to lightly spraying some insect spray near their pots in order to get rid of the pesky fruit flies that live in their sand.  But now I'm not so sure.

Can anybody shed any light on what is happening and how I can stop it?  The fallen leaf in the one pic has brown spots which might not be clearly visible.

Thanks very much to anyone who can help!

Posts

  • veehveeh Posts: 9


  • veehveeh Posts: 9

    This might show a clearer picture of the problem..

    image

  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150

    Sorry to say, I think you're set for failure, trying to grow 14 oak's in a city flat, in a subtropical climate.

    Those tiny acorns grow into huge trees and should be outdoors planted in the ground.

    The white leaves are probably due to a fungal infection, caused by conditions which are too warm and humid. 

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,838

    I agree.  These are naturally hardy, deciduous trees that need a period of winter dormancy after leaf fall.

    Absolutely no place in a city flat.  They get huge.  Even if you bonsai them they'd need to be outside and have a winter.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    Oaks are very prone to mildew.  They get it out in the countryside too.  But it is probably time to liberate your oaks.  Have you got a park nearby where you can do some guerrilla gardening? 

  • veehveeh Posts: 9

    Hi and thanks for your responses!

    Yes I figured it was due to the heat and humidity and am sad that they won't do well in this climate although I did guess that would be the case when I made an optimistic attempt to grow them  :(      The flat is not a permanent situation and I am aware of how big oaks get but I thought they might be slow growing and take some time before needing to be put in the ground.   

    So I guess from the replies, they should already be in the ground and not in a subtropical area?

    Haha Welshonian :)  I have thought of that too but (a) I am loathe to part with them and (b) as above, I don't know if they will do well (live in Brisbane, Australia).  Also, in this place there are cameras everywhere... lol.    How do they get mildew out in the countryside and can it be prevented / treated?

    Thanks so much!

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,838

    Mildew happens when growing conditions are poorly ventilated and, usually, too moist.  If they get it in the wild they either grow strong enough to recover or die.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • veehveeh Posts: 9

    Thanks Obelixx   

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    If you plant them out in a park near you there is nothing to stop you visiting them to see how they grow!

  • veehveeh Posts: 9

    I love the sound of that! image  Only problem is, it's still a sub-tropical area image  I personally prefer a cooler climate and would love to just up and move South with the lot of them... haha.  Unfortunately not possible!  

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