It may be a lost cause in the long run.

If you're looking for a large tree, please look into B&B trees (the trees that are dug up from the field) rather than the large container due to root system mess. Not worth the money on large container trees. Best time for it is in the late/early winter. It can be tricky trying to keep it alive through the summer and not to mention wild spring storms. If you're still gonna do it asap anyway, just make sure the tree is secured so it doesn't get blown down. Make sure about 10 feet diameter circle of soil is loosened up to the depth of a foot so the new roots can spread out faster. Also put one inch of compost on the entire 10 feet circle followe d by 3-4 inches of aged hardwood mulch to keep grass out and keep the soil cool and moist.

Of course, it's for B&B tree if I had do it.

I hate to agree with lou, but you may have a lost cause. We did a similar thing, only tree came in a bushel basket. Grower said to just leave it on the small blue spruce when we put it into the ground. We used the tree as a live Christmas tree, then stuck it into the ground. I wanted basket off, but husband and I had problems with huge root ball, weight of dirt, in trying to wrestle the thing from house to hole in ground. So basket got left on.

A number of years later, tree had grown some, but was slow, not as full, and finally died this winter after trying to tip over. No wide roots to hold the tree up against the wind blowing hard.

Looking at the trunk and roots now, that wood basket never deteriorated as promised. Wood restricted root growth quite a lot, with resulting problems in height. Another tree planted several years later quickly outgrew the first. BUT I had insisted on the burlap bagging, basket of wire being TOTALLY removed before putting 2nd tree into the hole.

I am really sorry, but you might better prepare to remove the sickly one, get a new tree going. You will be battling problems you can't repair, while tree drags out the death scene. Bugs get into trees that have less resistance. You have to water more. Choices depend on how much time and money you want to invest into sickly tree care. It is just really aggravating all around.

If you can't lose the first one, perhaps you could plant another tree nearby. Then let 2nd tree grow while the first tree limps along. The sickly tree could last, in small size with galls, for a long time if you don't mind having it around. With time you will have a nice sized replacement going, when that oak does finally die or you get tired of looking at it. You won't have such a hole or lack of shade when the tree is removed.

You can look at a replacement new tree, or some large shrubs as an opportunity to try something different! Try something very different than common Home Depot selections. Go for flowers, color, attractive shapes, that will be nice to look at. Catalpa, Sycamore, Plane trees have size and color in bark, flowers. Even a different KIND of Oak could be fun. I found a Burr Oak in our woodlot, after living there for 10 years. Now I have moved several of the seedlings so we have more of them along with the Red, White and Pin Oaks. My mom loves her Tulip trees for the flowers, fall color, also a quick grower. I am thinking of trying a Beech, we have none around here. I have a Redwood going, very interesting to look at. The 50yr old ones I have seen are spectacular, doing fine here in the cold country. Has tripled in size from the 3ft switch in 4 years.

You could call some professionals out, see if THEY could get the rest of wire out, see if tree recovers any. May or may not help at this late date.

Askaff-

Tree options to look at...

1) Montezuma cypress - evergreen sister of bald cypress - faster growing.

2) Mexican white oak aka Monterrey oak - evergreen oak. It grows faster than Live oak and more upright as well

3) Shumard red oak - fast growing and up right. Not evergreen but might be useful if you need sun on the house during the winter.

4) Hill Country bald cypress - NOT THE SAME as you'd see at big box stores (and probably most nurseries)! Madrone Nursery in San Marcos has it and Montezuma cypress (the only place that I know of)

5)Canby red oak - it's evergreen red oak tree. The leaves are small compared to shumard red oak.

6) Bur oak - deciduous tree

7) Chinkapin oak - deciduous tree

8) Big tooth maple - western sugar maple (check out lost maple forest in Vanderpool, Tx on the west side of San Antonio)

9) Shantung maple - pretty fast growing maple - fall color is typically bright yellow. 'Fire Dragon' is red fall color but you'd have to drive to Ft Worth to get it.

10. Texas Red oak - smaller version of Shumard red oak

If you've just fixed one problem, uncovering the base, you might wait a year and see if just doing that causes any noticeable improvement in the tree. No experience with the wire/fabric problem. If however it actually blocks the roots from expanding, that can't be good.

Thanks for the feedback!!! I'd like to see what happens over the course of a year. I've got quite a few trees on the property (~ .2 acre) already: 1 peach, 1 pomegranate, 2 Bradford pears, 7 crepe myrtles, 2 white oak - I think -, one other oak about 15 feet from the one in question (not sure what type), and yet another type of oak with large curvy leaves and acorns the size of golf balls.

This live oak is the only one that doesn't loose all it foliage in the fall, I'd kinda like to keep it around if possible. The roots have grown over the top of the basket and there are at least 5 > 2" in diameter. They wrap around near the tree a bit, but then shoot away. We've had some serious wind around here in the past few years, and this one has withstood it fine to this point. I'm hoping I can save it...

For new trees I'm leaning towards a queen palm or two to help provide some shade and year-round green. I'd like add palms or other evergreens to this area.

Maples in my area don't seem to fare too well, all the ones in my neighborhood look sickly.

Sigh....

Did you not see the list I gave you? Do some research on those trees. Your neighbors probably planted wrong maples. The only maples that will do well is shantung maple and bigtooth maple. i wouldn't be surprised if they are red maple or silver maple. Do you know what evergreen means? Live oak is evergreen and I have provided you several options like Mexican white oak, Canby red oak and Montezuma cypress that will stay evergreen in your area. Mexican white oak and montezuma cypress are very fast growing trees and will easily beat your live oak out in matter of years if you plant it beside live oak... Of course if that is they are planted right and maintained right.

By the way, it's a bur oak that you're talking about.