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Re: Cork oak in the lawn

Nan,

You asked about the growing of cork oaks:

"CAn anyone tell me the pros/cons of planting a young cork oak (quercus
suber) in the middle of a lawn? "

In the right climate area, which in Southern California you certainly have,
this is a great tree. In a few years the bark will start to become corky.
In the middle of a lawn it will grow relatively fast which may be a pro or
a con depending on what you want. However, it will never grow fast like a
eucalypt, for instance. In time it will become very large - well over fifty
feet high and more across. By then you may not be worrying too much about
its future.

One advantage of being in the middle of a lawn is that it will not be
crowded, unless you have a very small lawn. Central position will allow it
to develop better and form a canopy that is not very dense. One
disadvantage is that when it gets bigger you will want to keep the lawn
away from its immediate root region - its roots will guarantee that.

Another disadvantage is that in a lawn it will accept the water but if you
are constantly watering or drainage is not perfect the tree may develop
root rots. They probably will not show up for years. If you can tolerate a
less verdant lawn the tree will do fine as they come from areas with long,
hot and dry summers. Maybe what you need is a lawn of something like Korean
grass (Zoysia) which has a lower water requirement and has the added
advantage of not needing to be mowed - just de-thatched once a year.

If you can't do this then maybe the holm oak Quercus ilex is a safer bet.

Andrew
San Diego, California
awilson@fda.net
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