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Hi. Here I am again. Dabbling.
I had a volunteer red oak that I was letting grow in a flower bed that I'd intended to transplant to the front yard, but I think I missed the timing due to health issues. I have a feeling that it's too big now to move and expect it to do well. (It's growing above/near the household sewer drain pipe that goes out to the street so I don't want/can't dig too deep and also it can't stay there).

So, I'm thinking of chopping it up and stuffing it in a pot and see if it makes it.... (Sorry I'm not a very dedicated Bonsai enthusiast, but I like experimenting this way with various seedlings and volunteers and have a few "subjects" sitting around already.... Someday, maybe. )

The sapling is now about 8~9 feet tall -- yeah, I intended to root prune and transplant when it was about 4~5 feet tall back last fall or last spring.
Just thought I'd ask if you all thought this was do-able. I could go out and root prune it (well, whack a few large roots shorter) for now, and then maybe top it in late/winter early spring.

(Otherwise, I'll just have to cut it down, and maybe use it for a tomato stake....)

It will make a better stake than bonsai.

Thanks for the input
Could you elaborate? I need the whys and the wherefores.

applestar wrote:Thanks for the input
Could you elaborate? I need the whys and the wherefores.

Mm, the question as I understand it; can a red oak be coppiced?

Well, yes, you probably can. I find red oaks leaves don't reduce as well as white oaks do. So, even with a bigger specimen, and repeated leaf-cutting it will be a harder--slower job.

Maybe a job of greater than one adult human lifetime.

If you started with say an ilcifolia (bear oak) you will have a start with a very slow growing red, which might be a pleasant past time...

FWIW I ran out of time in the bed with my bear oaks in training. At eight years.