The answer is "A"

in my ground freeze z5.. i would vote for C .... as the mulch pile would freeze just like the soil .... though around late march .. i would move them outside.. as the temps moderate .. because i would not want them coming out of dormancy too early in the structure ....

so if you are z5... dont try it.. IMHO ...

now.. does A work in z6-7??? is that minor 1 to 2 zones make all that difference????

ken

I'm f) none of the above.

Why waste energy and resources on something that isn't adapted to your zone?

Dan

You might be surprised at how well they'll do for you there.
I have 10+ yr old Q.virginiana seedlings growing here, just north of the TN/KY state line, from acorns collected on the Auburn University campus, on the zone 7/8 interface.
There is a 40+ yr old live oak, producing acorns, on the campus of the community college across the street from my office here - though I think it's probably Q.fusiformis.

An agronomy professor at Murray St. Univ., 60 miles to my west, has 30+ yr old live oaks that he grew from acorns he collected on travels - some from TX; and our friend rhizo1's husband had one growing and producing acorns in the yard of one of his previous homes in Huntsville, AL.

When I had small trees that were outside of my zone 6, I would bring it inside after they spent some time out in the cold, and visibly went dormant.. So basically, I left the trees outside / in my garage, all tucked together in a box until, late december... then would bring them inside my house for the worst of the weather. While inside your house, if possible have it be in the coldest room, with minimal sunlight, while making sure to keep the tree watered throughout the winter. I had a Coast Redwood survive 5 year of this practice.
Best of luck.

J

If james is in coastal Virginia then he has a pretty good chance of them making it.

Live Oak is native all the way up through coastal Carolinas to the SE tip of Virginia. I would try to find trees or acorns from the northern reaches of it's native range.

I wouldn't expect one from south Florida (for example) to survive in Virginia, but then again, who knows?

Live Oak is native all the way up through coastal Carolinas to the SE tip of Virginia.

Which is Z8.

{{gwi:469704}}

The OP states 7a at best.

{{gwi:46017}}

And doesn't state from where the tree was collected, but who will wager it is in the same provenance as SEVA?

Dan

I have mine in a large container awaiting transplant into the ground in the Spring. I will be moving mine into my chilly/cold, sunny, but frost free garage once it does get cold to overwinter till Spring. Zone 7 is probably mild enough for the tree and zone 6b is marginal. I'm guessing mine will be okay because of the long term survival of other southern species grown locally (Magnolia grandifloras, and long leaf pine for example). If you see these trees being grown around you, it should be hardy in your area but I'd wait til Spring to plant so it has a season of growth to get established.--I really hesitate to overwinter anything in a pot outside though, especially more marginal plants. Good luck!

I would go with choice A and B. If the tree comes back I would plant it in a sheltered location. An area that recieves full sun, no or very little wind, and no low spots; which collect frost. To ensure that this tree survives you would have to basically have to create a microclimate.

To ensure that this tree survives you would have to basically have to create a microclimate.

Exactly so. A 5-story building in a U-shape open to the south and the courtyard covered in glass might do it.

Dan

I tried one from Florida and needless to say it didn't make it,but the roots that grew were remarkably tenacious for only 9 mos in the ground. I bet a northern limit tree would have done okay. This could be a bunch of BS but I've heard that kelp helps plants as far as hardiness and other things but of course it was from the company who makes the stuff.So who knows?

Thanks, guys, for the input.

And for the curious, this is just for fun. I get my kicks from growing "exotic" stuff for my area. Usually it's cold-climate stuff that's toasty in my zone, but this time I did the reverse.

These are in 3-inch pots which are easily moved, so it's easy for me to move them around.

Yes, Live Oaks do barely enter VA, in the very warmest part of the state, but climate-wise, Virginia Beach is much, much warmer than where I'm at. These were from an about-to-be-paved lot; I'm not sure whether their parents were true locals or transplants from elsewhere, but at least they were hardy enough to reproduce.

Lucky, your point is very interesting... maybe they're all a bit tougher than appears?

I'll find out either way!

Thanks again,

James

Hope you are successful, can't wait to see the results, I tried and failed but you may be on the right side of the line.

I don't particularly like any of your options for overwintering! I'd locate them outdoors (not the sun baked site) in all but very cold temperatures, then bring them to some protection, perhaps in the storage room, temporarily.

Hopefully, they are planted in a bark based potting medium and not a handful of garden soil. Don't let the roots freeze solid.

When you do plant them, know that there are a few Live Oaks here in Northern Alabama. All that I have seen ( and spent some quality time with as Lucky says) are not fertilized with lawn products (or anything else), not subjected to shallow irrigation cycles, and are pretty much ignored. Such trees are more likely to be able to handle very cold temperatures, as opposed to others that are 'pushed' to grow at an accelerated rate.

Last winter we had temperatures in the single digits, warming only into the low teens for days. That oak behind our other home did just fine, even retained most of its foliage all winter long.

Seem to remember someone posting on this forum a while back (a few years ago!) that the main limiting factor for Q. virginiana is snow load damage, not extremes of cold.

If right, the tree will presumably grow for you until it gets broken by a major snow storm.

Resin

I sure would love to see photos of what a live oak looks like in zone 7 or colder.

I sure would love to see photos of what a live oak looks like in zone 7 or colder.

You can bet the foto will be from a camera looking down, not up.

Dan

I have read where people are growing them but never get to see what they look like.

I am in the keys and on the way here on the blue ridge parkway and the other highway you don't see Q Virginiana on the side of the road and at rest stops until South Carolina; they may be in peoples yards off the highway; but they are numerous from South Carolina down. I have yet to see one in the keys.They may be here but there are lots of trees I don;t recognize, and of course tons of palms.They (q Virginiana) seem to like it toasty and warm for the winter. maybe there is a hardy population somewhere though.poaky1

That's precisely the reason I would love to see photos.
It's not that I don't believe anyone, it's just hard to imagine them not draped in spanish moss.

If I can remember, g'ma, I'll get a picture of the one on the lot where we used to live. I haven't been by to see it lately, but I'm guessing that it's thirty feet or so.

Maybe I can photoshop some Spanish moss for you, lol.

I've read mixed info on cold hardiness (down to zones 7 and 8). Are they more tender than that other great southern tree (Magnolia grandiflora)? Because I see long-established M.grandifloras, I thought the Quercus virginiana would be okay as well. I'm outside the native range of southern, long needle pines as well, but there's a big, healthy one growing down the street that looks like it's been there for decades yet they are not that common around here--for whatever reason. I'm waiting until spring to plant mine though. Happy Thanksgiving!

"Because I see long-established M.grandifloras, I thought the Quercus virginiana would be okay as well"

Not sure whether it'll be relevant in your situation, but in Britain, Magnolia grandiflora grows well in the warmer parts of southern England, whereas Quercus virginiana has never been grown successfully anywhere in Britain.

Resin

May be due, in part, to lack of summer heat in UK. We'll see, all life's an experiment now, isn't it.--Interesting contrast in UK though.

There are several live oaks (Quercus virginiana) in my area of southeastern Virginia. I have many young live oaks that I planted in my yard, and they do just fine throughout the year; they don't lose their leaves during the winter either. The coldest temperature I know of that they have endured so far is 13 degrees one night. There are a few large specimens around that have been through some of the below normal cold winter temperatures too. According to the weather history it was -5 degrees one night in the 1990s here, and the large specimens were here at that time too. A great example of a large live oak in zone 7 would be the Emancipation Oak in Hampton, Virginia.

I'd just plant them in a spot in your yard that's sheltered on the north and west from winter winds, mulch the hell out of them, and put some styrofoam rose protection cones or large, old styrofoam coolers over them. When it snows, pile the snow around and over the cones for added insulation. If you can get them through the first few years like this, they stand a chance at surviving to adulthood (especially as the climate is now warming more rapidly than expected due to global warming). I'm doing something similar with pawpaw trees up here in Minnesota with good results so far.

james va,

I'm not sure which method of overwintering you decided to do, but if you're considered a colder area I would keep your live oak outside in a pot (planted in the ground with pot) with about 2 inches of mulch. Just to be safe, I would temporarily pull the pots out of the ground when night time temperatures dip below 15 degrees, and then place them back outside when warmer. You could also bring it in during those colder nights and bring it back out during the day so it can receive sunlight. Once spring arrives, I would then plant it directly in the ground in a permanent location so it can establish throughout the growing season. Also, about the possibility of hardier varieties in the colder areas of the live oak range; most of my live oaks came from a local nursery (in southeastern Virginia) and one of them came from southern Georgia. All of them have done just fine here.

Guys, thanks for the add'l replies. Last winter, I mostly kept them in storage room adjacent to the house, bringing them out for occasional watering on warmer days.

That is, except for 1 tree that I brought inside maybe a bit more than a month after the first frost (i.e., allowing some dormancy, but before the coldest part of the winter) for a test case.

The one kept inside did fine, and began to grow. The rest took a beating, and their main stems all died. They did resprout from the very base, but it wasn't pretty. I can technically boast of 100% survival, but last winter was a fairly mild one, temperature-wise.

For various reasons (mostly, lack of space!) I need to keep these potted; I will try putting them in a bed of mulch and top soil, to see if that helps. They're so small that I'm not worried about snow load breakage yet, but I will watch for that.

Sam, just saw your post as I was typing this... that's interesting that they will live up to the DC area!

Thanks again.

I have 2 from SE Virginia. One in a pot in a protected spot outside and one in the ground with burlap wrap around 3 poles around the tree but not touching the foilage, I also put bags of fall leaves around it outside the burlaped poles. Both look good yet, but other than some +16 F and higher teens for about 4 days in a row, we have been above average. You may want to try Quercus Fusiformis if Virginiana doesn't work.They are hardier. I have one plant and acorns in the ground. I would offer some acorns but they may be already taprooted in the ground already, I have some from Texas that look like hybrids, too further confuse things. In early spring when things start popping up, if your interested I can wrap up a baby, I have the possible hybrids marked with a stick and the others a popsickle stick, hopefully the cat has left that area alone!

Thanks, poaky! Actually, I'm trying to pare down, if anything, but I appreciate the offer, and the post! Good ideas re: the leaves and burlap.

Did you ever get them into larger pots than the 3 inch ones?
Mike

Nope, Mike, still in the tiny little pots... very portable, but certainly doesn't help with hardiness! :)