At a friends house I have been helping her landscape her backyard. Early on we created a raised bed on the northwest side of her house. We planted a very young scarlet oak in the middle of the raised bed, but it did not grow. I think that as the bed settled it must have caused the tree to sink and thus become planted too deeply. In February of this year, we dug up the baby oak and planted the bed with a 12 foot tall potted Scarlet oak.

We took extra care to plant it high, and I feel confident it should thrive well in that bed. We also planted a hedge of arborvitae 'Little Giants' almost 3 feet away from and all around the trunk.

When first I suggested she set up that location for an oak tree, she did not know that she would eventually want to install a pond in the area. At the time I, also, made certain it was far enough from her pool so that none of the debris oak trees drop would cause a problem for her DH to keep the pool clean.

Last month though, without asking my option, she had a beautiful pond installed in the 40 feet just south of and between that Oak's bed and her patio. I now am concerned that several years down the road the oak will begin to drop too much debris in her pond. The pond is not a natural clay lined 'dirty' pond. It has instead a waterproof pond liner, with pumps, filters and two small water falls to help aireate the water.

My concern is that the pond is directly under what will be the Southern canopy of this Scarlet oak tree as it continues to grow.

I do not know if the tree is male or female. I have not seen any acorns on it and did not see it in the early spring when it might have flowered. It is still such a young tree, I do not expect it to begin producing acorns for at least another 5 years. How can I tell if this is a male tree and as such probably will not ever produce acorns?

Then again even if it is a male tree, will its spring flowering still cause too much debris to fall into the pond?

I have suggested that she might consider agreeing for us to move the oak tree and replant the bed with a tree that will not be dropping as much debris in the pond. But, she is having trouble knowing what is best for her situation.

She does have another location in her back yard which would be perfect for her oak to grow without causing litter problems, but I really want her to be the one who forces the issue of moving the tree or not.

Am I wrong to think that it would help her come to a decision, if we knew how to tell if her new scarlet oak is a male tree; since then she could be assured it should at least not be dropping acorns in the future?

If the tree will be a problem for her pond, we would rather move it this fall after or when it is just in the final stage of its going dormant process; rather than, for us to wait and only choose to move it after it has become well established and large enough to begin producing acorns. It seems much better to have the right tree growing there by This fall, so it can use such time for it to become well esablished, and the Oak tree should also adjust better to a move this fall, rather than it growing for 5 years or more, before we realize we are forced to to move the tree.