English Oak

Do you want to plant a English Oak? Here you will find all the information you need on how to best plant the English Oak, and on pruning and caring for your English Oak.

General characteristics of a English Oak

Robur in Latin means strength, which is a good name for this species. Indeed, the pedunculate oak can become very old and grow into a magnificent powerhouse as much as 30 m. tall and wide. The native oak has a gracefully shaped leaf and produces acorns that are eaten by a variety of animals such as squirrels, mice and jays. The Pedunculate Oak provides great natural value for many species of insects, birds and mammals. The oak is very hardy, well hardy and tolerates both strong winds, sea winds and air pollution. The tree is deciduous and the bare pedunculate oak makes a beautiful sight in a winter landscape.


How to plant a English Oak

Roots at least 10 cm below the soil; with taproot, that can be 50 cm deep.

Make a planting hole that is 1.5 times as wide and deep as the tap roots; that can be a depth of up to 50 cm deep; make sure the roots do not extend above the ground

How to harvest a English Oak

Harvesting seedlings

Caring for and pruning your English Oak

The tree does not really need to be pruned. To keep the tree in shape, long shoots can be shortened in the spring and/or summer to maintain the shape of the tree.

Where does a English Oak grow

Pedunculate oaks are undemanding and grow on a variety of soil types, but good growth is only possible on nutrient-rich sandy, clay, loam soils. There the trees can reach heights of 30 to 40 m. Even on nutrient-poor and dry soils or, on the contrary, on rather wet peaty soils, oaks can grow, albeit slowly: they then sometimes only reach a height of 15 m.


General

Origin
Native
Tree Type Deciduous tree

Length and Age

Length in about 10 years 5 Up to 7 Meter
Reproductive Maturity in How Many Years 20 Up to 21 year
Maximum Age 300 Up to 400 year
Required Space Up to m2
Growth Rate trees.medium

Reproduction

Tree is Self-Pollinating Yes
Reproduction Method
Makes seedlings
Reproduction rate

Reproduction rate

1. Very low reproduction rate. The plant hardly spreads, has few seeds or vegetative spread (e.g., trees with heavy seeds).
2. Low reproduction rate. Spread via limited seed production or specific conditions required
3. Average reproduction rate. Regular spread, depending on wind, water, or animals, at a moderate speed (e.g., dandelion).
4. High reproduction rate. Many seeds and multiple spread strategies (wind, birds, vegetative). Quickly colonizes open spaces
5. Very high reproduction rate. Invasive species that spread explosively over large distances (e.g., Japanese knotweed).

Pruning Period

This Tree is Evergreen Yes
Summer No pruning in summer
Winter January tot March
Leaf Shapes Lobed
Easy to prune No

Bark Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Bud Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Colour
Bud Position
Spread out
Bud Shape
Round

Other

Root
Deeply rooted
Bloom
Has fruits
Wind sensitivity Moderately sensitive to (sea) wind

Diseases

Sensitive to the Following Diseases Information not available

Harvest/recognition in winter

Deep taproot also as a young seedling; scaly bark; brown buds.

Typical of any old oak tree are the lobed leaves, scaly bark with deep grooves and acorns hanging from the branches. The leaf of a pedunculate oak has an average of 4 to 5 lobes and is broad and irregular. The leaf of a sessile oak has a narrower and regular shape with 5 to 7 lobes. And there are a few more striking differences between pedunculate and sessile oaks:

Buds summer oak are round and those of sessile oak are pointed.
The sessile oak retains its browned leaves in winter vs. the pedunculate oak is bare during winter
The leaf stalks of sessile oak (10-29 mm) are longer than those of pedunculate oak (2-8 mm)
The cup of sessile oak acorns has no stalk or a very short one vs. the cup of pedunculate oak acorns is on a stalk

Light requirement of the English Oak

The English Oak thrives best under these light conditions.
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade

  • Suitable soil types for the English Oak

    In this overview, you can find which soil types are best for the English Oak to grow.
    Soil type Suitability
    light clay
    heavy clay
    sand
    peatland
    Loam
    Moerig op zand
    Lichte zavel
    Zware zavel

    Humidity

    A (ground)water level indicates how deep the groundwater usually is below the surface. The higher the Roman numeral, the deeper the groundwater.
    I
    II
    III
    IV
    V
    VI
    VII
    VIII

    Suitable acidity level for the English Oak

    Each soil type has a certain acidity level, measured in pH values. You can plant the English Oak in soil that falls within this range:
    0.0
    0.5
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0

    Nutritional needs of the English Oak

    Some soil types offer more nutritional richness than others.
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0
    1. Very nutrient-poor soil
    2. Very nutrient-poor to nutrient-poor soil
    3. Nutrient-poor soil
    4. Nutrient-poor to moderately nutrient-rich soil
    5. Moderately nutrient-rich soil
    6. Moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich soil
    7. Nutrient-rich soil
    8. Extremely nutrient-rich soil
    9. Very extremely nutrient-rich soil

    Humidity

    Does English Oak like to have its roots in extremely dry (1.0) or wet (9.0) soil?
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0
    1. Extremely dry soils
    2. Extremely dry to dry soils
    3. Dry soils
    4. Dry to dry/moist soils
    5. Dry/moist soils
    6. Dry/moist to moist soils
    7. Moist soils
    8. Moist to wet soils
    9. Wet soils

    To be applied in landscapes

    0 = not filled in, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
    Landscape Suitability
    Agroforestry
    Hedge
    Hedge
    Forest
    Feeding hedge
    Back yard
    Small back yard
    Solitary
    Wood wall

    Cultural-historical value

    0 = not filled in, 1 = low, 9 = high

    Insects

    How many insects typically live on this tree/plant? 450
    Which insect groups live on this tree/plant?
    Are there insects dependent on this species? No
    Which insect species are dependent on this tree/plant?

    Birds

    Average number of birds per tree/plant?
    Which bird groups live on this tree/plant?

    Mammals

    Average number of mammals per tree/plant?
    Which mammal groups live on this tree/plant?
    Are there mammals dependent on this species? No
    Which mammal species are dependent on this tree/plant?

    Bloom Period

    Summer April Up to May

    Tree Species

    Tree species that this tree prefers to grow with

    Suitable for mammals?

    toxic, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
    Mammal Suitability
    Badgers
    Squirrel
    Ferret
    Goat
    Herbivorous rodents
    Deer
    Dog
    Cat
    Chicken
    Cow
    Human
    Mouse
    Horse
    Roe deer
    Sheep
    Pig
    Foxes
    Wild boar
    Beavers

    Explanation

    Explanation

    Edibility

    • Toxic: This tree or shrub is toxic to mammals and absolutely unsuitable for consumption.
    1. Very unsuitable: This tree or shrub is unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can be harmful.
    2. Unsuitable: This tree or shrub is generally unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can have adverse effects.
    3. Moderately suitable: This tree or shrub is moderately suitable as food for mammals, possibly with certain risks or limitations.
    4. Suitable: This tree or shrub is generally suitable as food for mammals, with little to no risks.
    5. Very suitable: This tree or shrub is very suitable as food for mammals, safe, and of high nutritional value.


    Trunk Height

    Average Trunk Height (hg) of the basal area median tree

    from - to, in whole meters, average

    Information not available

    Trunk Diameter

    (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree.

    from - to, in whole centimeters, average

    Information not available

    Aboveground Biomass

    in whole kg

    Information not available

    Belowground Biomass

    in whole kg

    Information not available

    Substance Binder

    Which substances can be bound or absorbed?
    CO2
    Particulate matter

    Carbon Attraction (kf)

    (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree Deciduous Trees (Kf = 0,48)

    Warming Resistance

    This tree is well resistant to the warming (plus 3 degrees) of our climate and fits into the future of our climate (heat and drought resistant). No
    CO2
    Particulate matter

    CO2

    0. not filled in
    1. no storage
    2. low storage
    3. moderate storage
    4. high storage
    5. very high storage

    Fine Dust

    0. not filled in
    1. no capture capacity
    2. low capture capacity
    3. moderate capture capacity
    4. high capture capacity
    5. very high capture capacity

    This is what an adult tree English Oak looks like

    English oak, a mature tree
    English oak in winter

    This is what a English Oak in bloom looks like

    English oak in bloom, masculin
    English oak in bloom, feminin

    This is what the bud of a English Oak looks like

    Buds of the English oak