Windsor

[lowerforest]

arbwork - thanks for your comments and support!

 

Because of the provenance of the seedlings, I have always intended to make the first offer of them to the Crown Estate, Windsor. I'm hopeful of them coming up with a suitable location and a planting scheme to go with it - this may well include their use for a new avenue of trees, or an extension to one of those you have seen on ggl earth. A similar project was undertaken on Queen Anne's Ride, Windsor in 1993, which involved the felling of many of the old, decayed and dangerous trees, and the replanting of the avenue with 1000 (non-Windsor) oaks donated by the Association of High Sheriffs.

 

I like your idea of possibly approaching the Arb Association, RFS, the National Memorial Arboretum et al, and I think this will be a great way forward if the Crown Estate decline my offer. Approaching Prince Charles is an excellent idea, and I may be able to suggest this to the Deputy Ranger at Windsor, who can have a chat (on my behalf) to HRH's dad next time they meet up! There are also many formal plantations across the Great Park, dating back centuries - maybe the new seedlings can be used to create another one? The Duke of Edinburgh (the Ranger) is very pro-active at Windsor, and may well get personally involved with any scheme that the Windsor Estate is backing or suggesting - I can but hope!

 

As I mentioned earlier, Ted Green is aware of my project running alongside his own, and I will hopefully be chatting to him again sometime soon for advice/info/suggestions, probably with some involvement from Ancient Tree Forum/Woodland Trust (with which he is involved).

 

It is a shame that the super-seed year of 2011 wasn't in 2008 - that would have made Jubilee Year 2012 a perfect time and opportunity to do something with the seedlings associated with the Diamond Jubilee. Still, better we have the trees now, than not at all.

 

All I have to do now is get them safely through the next 18 months, and ready for planting out!

 

Once again, arb - some great ideas , and I shall keep you (and any other readers) advised of what transpires.

 

cheers

[lowerforest]

moving towards Autumn now, and my little 'oak-lings' are progressing fairly well. Ended up planting 450 acorns in pots, and now have 343 mini-trees. The bulk of the rest of the collected seed went to Ted G's nursery site at Cranbourne, Windsor, but reports are that the local wildlife has made short work of just about everything that went in there.

 

have had a few problems with powdery mildew, but all seems ok now. Will be moving the pots under cover of a clear plastic high-roofed lean-to for the winter, where they should be protected from snow and the worst of any severe frosts. Not sure whether I should cover them with horticultural fleece if forecast is really bad - is this mollycoddling them too much?

[David Humphries]

moving towards Autumn now, and my little 'oak-lings' are progressing fairly well. Ended up planting 450 acorns in pots, and now have 343 mini-trees. The bulk of the rest of the collected seed went to Ted G's nursery site at Cranbourne, Windsor, but reports are that the local wildlife has made short work of just about everything that went in there.

 

have had a few problems with powdery mildew, but all seems ok now. Will be moving the pots under cover of a clear plastic high-roofed lean-to for the winter, where they should be protected from snow and the worst of any severe frosts. Not sure whether I should cover them with horticultural fleece if forecast is really bad - is this mollycoddling them too much?

 

Good update, thanks for taking the time

Not sure I would go to the extent of covering them.

 

Was there mildew on neighbouring mature oaks?

What size pots are they currently in & are they plastic or clay.

 

Cheers

 

David

 

 

 

.

[lowerforest]

hi David,

 

yes, you're probably right re the fleece - expect I'll leave it off after all. (My Dad's of the same opinion, btw)

 

The young oaks are all in 19cm plastic pots (clay ones are good, but dry out horrendously). As for powdery mildew on neighbouring mature oaks - the nearest oak to my house of any description is at least half a mile away! There is a veteran oak about 0.75 mile towards Thorpe, and this one looks fine. Up at Cranbourne and the wider Great Park, there are many incidences of powdery mildew on oaks, from small maidens up to the veterans themselves. Offa's Oak looks fairly good at the moment (they're just doing the ground preparation around it as per the nearby tree in Ted G's video). Just 50 yards away from Offa's Oak is another younger tree (still 500 years +) which is almost deluged in mildew - not quite sure why this should happen, with them standing so close to each other. The area here is a renowned frost pocket - I wonder if this has any effect (good or bad) on the oak population?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Hello Lowerforest.

 

Of the 25, 8 have survived the baking sun that mr postman left them in, sweating away in their little bag they was, steaming when I opened the bag.

 

I was in a bit of a tiz sorting them and had to calm myself down and leave them to cool down slowly as possible.

 

The 8 are doing very well, and have thickened in the stem nicely these past few weeks, interestingly they have their own characters even in the pot togther, one is a naturaly triple stemmed which I am going to be putting in a very special personal spot, another i plan for my own garden as a pollard, one is going to Hever castle another to a friends site in Godmersham (stately Home) I am Hoping that I can get the local TO to let me plant one in Cassibury park, shall be trying to get the press involved in that one.

 

 

This weekend (been waiting for the season to be right for the biology and the fruiting) I will be looking for some Boletes with which to innoculate, im really hoping for the orange Oak bolete, but we shall see, edulis may do for now. they will be watered with a weak sugar/spore solution. after separation into their own pots.

 

With your planting I might suggest several plantings of fifty trees in very different locations, as far from a Cerris as possible. (for biosecurity and insurance)

 

I can certainly help you with finding very very suitable sites, and shall See what hen says regarding some kind of submission on the SOW website.

 

If your going to do a thin to waste type infill for nurse stock may I suggest both birch and ash with a little Hazel and sorbus tormenalis.

Edited September 25, 2012 by Tony Croft aka hamadryad

[lowerforest]

hi Tony - congrats on getting a result with your little charges after their ordeal! The plants in your photos are great - they certainly look healthy enough - and no mildew problems, I presume? I've also got a few pots which have thrown up multi-stemmed examples - a couple of doubles and one with four. Thought I'd c*cked up on the acorn planting at first! I wonder if the natural occurrence of multi-stem seedlings has any connection with Ted G's theory of a 'bundle planting' in the case of a tree like Offa's Oak? (unless he's discounted this idea now - it was a while ago)

 

re the idea of roundels of 50 - that's exactly what I'd be hoping the Estate would be looking at doing. Not too large an acreage, and there's plenty of cleared space around at the moment. Literally just up the road from Offa's Oak (where Ted's nursery is located) is a cleared area of c.4ha, which could/would have been ideal - its just been planted up with Oak, plus a nurse-mix of what looks like thorn, birch and Sorbus sp. (will have to check to confirm exactly what they've used) Ash and hazel both do well here, too - examples of both in close proximity. There's an ongoing programme of Q.cerris removal as well, so that will hopefully help, too.

 

I think I will have to be guided (accept?) any plans that the Estate may come up with, if indeed they do offer to take it on. I just need to get them safely through to next Spring, and then I hope the real interest will start.

 

In the meantime, thanks for the sound advice, and good luck with you innoculation programme - will be interesting in time to see what transpires. And if you need any top-ups for whatever projects you have going, then please let me know.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

hi Tony - congrats on getting a result with your little charges after their ordeal! The plants in your photos are great - they certainly look healthy enough - and no mildew problems, I presume? I've also got a few pots which have thrown up multi-stemmed examples - a couple of doubles and one with four. Thought I'd c*cked up on the acorn planting at first! I wonder if the natural occurrence of multi-stem seedlings has any connection with Ted G's theory of a 'bundle planting' in the case of a tree like Offa's Oak? (unless he's discounted this idea now - it was a while ago)

 

re the idea of roundels of 50 - that's exactly what I'd be hoping the Estate would be looking at doing. Not too large an acreage, and there's plenty of cleared space around at the moment. Literally just up the road from Offa's Oak (where Ted's nursery is located) is a cleared area of c.4ha, which could/would have been ideal - its just been planted up with Oak, plus a nurse-mix of what looks like thorn, birch and Sorbus sp. (will have to check to confirm exactly what they've used) Ash and hazel both do well here, too - examples of both in close proximity. There's an ongoing programme of Q.cerris removal as well, so that will hopefully help, too.

 

I think I will have to be guided (accept?) any plans that the Estate may come up with, if indeed they do offer to take it on. I just need to get them safely through to next Spring, and then I hope the real interest will start.

 

In the meantime, thanks for the sound advice, and good luck with you innoculation programme - will be interesting in time to see what transpires. And if you need any top-ups for whatever projects you have going, then please let me know.

 

What I meant by spreading them out a bit was nationwide, we have not seen the worst of the tree deaths and diseases yet:thumbdown:

 

Interesting isnt it about the multi leader scenarios, did you note the colouration of the leaves, the first adult ones after starting to grow? their shape is on most of a VERY specific shape and colour, a shape and colour I have only seen in two places, WINDSOR and Im sure Beck Row suffolk and I wouldnt mind betting sherwood has the same variants. many of the others are your pretty basic robur leaves, but I am placing my betts on something here.

 

these genes, they are the old genes, the genes of Sherwood, of the deer parks of old, of tudors and lords. and I think they are the genes that display in their grand old ages those characters I associate with a particular body language and form. Im working on publishing all this at some stage.

 

and very glad to be taking part, and no, no mildew:thumbup:

[lowerforest]

just a quick update for anybody following this thread.

 

I've managed to help bring most of my 'oaklings' through the awful weather of late 2012-early 2013, and from 343 saplings, the tally is now 327 trees growing away successfully in the pots. There was a one-off loss of about 10 pots in a day due to the predation of two grey squirrels which happened to find them. Needless to say, the squirrel problem was quickly (and humanely) dealt with once I saw what was going on!

 

There's a surprising amount of 'difference' in the surviving examples, from height (varies between 3" and 14") basic leaf pattern and colour, and form; the majority are single stem, with a sprinkling of doubles, and a few multi-stems which have sprung from a single acorn. One particular example is a strong growing single-stem which has an evenly spread 3-way 'mini-crown' - and in my mind's eye, I can already see this tree as a wide spreading, mature Oak in 500 years time - perfect!

 

All the pots have been de-weeded, then topped-up with a mix of topsoil, humus and a very light feed of bonemeal. Assuming no further calamities, I shall leave them like this until late Autumn and then offer them to the Crown Estate. If they're not interested, then it will be 'open house' to anybody who can offer any/all of them a suitable permanent home. BTW, Tony - if you need any top-ups for your own project, please let me know and I'll keep a few aside for you.

 

On my last visit to Cranbourne, I noticed that Ted G's nursery project has been revamped, and with the addition of some new saplings lined out, is now looking much more encouraging. The more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

just a quick update for anybody following this thread.

 

I've managed to help bring most of my 'oaklings' through the awful weather of late 2012-early 2013, and from 343 saplings, the tally is now 327 trees growing away successfully in the pots. There was a one-off loss of about 10 pots in a day due to the predation of two grey squirrels which happened to find them. Needless to say, the squirrel problem was quickly (and humanely) dealt with once I saw what was going on!

 

There's a surprising amount of 'difference' in the surviving examples, from height (varies between 3" and 14") basic leaf pattern and colour, and form; the majority are single stem, with a sprinkling of doubles, and a few multi-stems which have sprung from a single acorn. One particular example is a strong growing single-stem which has an evenly spread 3-way 'mini-crown' - and in my mind's eye, I can already see this tree as a wide spreading, mature Oak in 500 years time - perfect!

 

All the pots have been de-weeded, then topped-up with a mix of topsoil, humus and a very light feed of bonemeal. Assuming no further calamities, I shall leave them like this until late Autumn and then offer them to the Crown Estate. If they're not interested, then it will be 'open house' to anybody who can offer any/all of them a suitable permanent home. BTW, Tony - if you need any top-ups for your own project, please let me know and I'll keep a few aside for you.

 

On my last visit to Cranbourne, I noticed that Ted G's nursery project has been revamped, and with the addition of some new saplings lined out, is now looking much more encouraging. The more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned!

 

youmust have read my mind! I had just potted them up last weekend along with a tap root severance to encourage more heart rooted form, one or two are struggling at the moment or where till i molly coddled them! they seem to be bouncing back now.

 

two are still refusing to break bud? don't know why but did discover a weevil in the pot they all lived in, squished of course, then fed to the feral pigeons!

 

I had just taken a shot out in the garden of one:thumbup1:

 

what I need now are 8 handled tree planting pots to grow them on in for a few years while I confirm mycorrhizal inoculation and nurse and formative prune those that are destined for prominent positions.

 

going to start compost tea applications this season too, see if we can curb mildew

 

[David Humphries]

while I confirm mycorrhizal inoculation

 

I trust we're not talking commercial here ?

 

 

Looking good though

 

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