Red Oaks -

[ferg]

Can they get too old ?

I have a ton of them around, they 'seem' healthy enough - but; yesterday for example, what seemed to be a very healthy limb just fell off - it was greened up nice w/acorns -

The acorns on my red oaks are small - or it seems the will be, the caps are small -

This is the limb - looks fine, wood was solid - just fell -

ferg....

(this is North West Dickson County)

 

[DaveB]

Ferg-- not to be mean but how can the tree limb be healthy if the acorns are midgets and the limb fell off? Healthy limbs don't fall off in that little breeze we had. Acorns are bigger right now than what your picture shows.

I think something was wrong with the limb which is why it fell and the acorns are from munchkin land. Can you see other acorns on the tree that are of a larger size?

I have an ice-storm damaged red oak in my back yard that has been struggling for years. The acorns off it are normal sized.

 

[ferg]

I guess by healthy, I meant, the leafs are all nice and greened up like the rest of the tree, the limb seemed to be solid and not rotted etc - strange -

 

[Boll Weevil]

Is it possible strong wind knocked them out? Are these big, huge, monster red oaks?

Although they are a relatively long-lived species, they will eventually return to the earth from whence they came.

 

[BSK]

Acorns produce most of their growth during August and September. I wouldn't be worried about acorn size now.

 

[ferg]

Yes BW - very large old red oaks - info noted as well Bryan - thanks

 

[bobbuck]

According to the TN state forestry that wrote up a timber plan for my property in Fentress county. They red oaks average life expectancy is around 85 years. Of course that is just an average and they can live longer depending on several factors over their life span.