Live Oak Trees

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Savannah, Georgia comes to mind when one thinks about live oak trees.
These classically beautiful trees with spanish moss along streets with historic antebellum homes are unforgettable.
Live oak grows across the Southeastern United States.
It is found on the east coast from southeastern Virginia to Florida and west to southern and central Texas.
It grows predominantly in sandy soils of low coastal areas but it also grows in dry sandy or moist rich woods.
It has a resistance to salty soil and salt spray from the ocean and does well on barrier islands.
Live oak is monoecious.
This means that they have separate male and female reproductive units on the same plant.
They produce flowers every spring from March through May and the acorns mature in September and fall off by December.
Live oak acorns are long, dark brown to black and tapered.
They are sweet and very popular with birds and other animals.
If the acorns fall on moist, warm ground they will germinate soon after falling.
Germination is the beginning of the growth of the acorn seed.
The leaves that develop during germination absorb the moisture which makes food available.
Roots are produced which then find their own water to produce shoots.
Seed leaves in live oaks stay below the surface of the soil and shoots sprout up abundantly from the roots.
Live oaks don't get very tall, rarely above 50 feet but the crown or expanse of the tree can have a span of 150 feet.
It is a very popular shade tree because of this.
The wood of the live oak is very hard and strong and was used years ago for shipbuilding.
The wood is not used today as it is predominantly a shade and ornamental tree.
Live oaks have a tendency to grow in large, dense groups with interconnected roots which make it highly susceptible to oak wilt disease which is a fungus.
This fungus is transmitted from one live oak to another through the connected roots and is one of the most serious tree diseases.
It kills hundreds of trees in Austin, Texas every year in patches because of their tendency to grow in groves.
Certified arborists providing Austin tree services are very experienced at diagnosing and treating oak wilt.
Symptoms of oak wilt are usually found on the leaves which develop yellow veins that eventually turn brown and fall off the tree.
The crown of the tree thins outs until it dies.
Oak wilt can be costly to treat and control and an accurate diagnosis is critical.
A certified arborist providing tree services should be contacted to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
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