Oak trees - especially young, fragile ones - are a source of food for many herbivorous animals. Acorns are a frequent snack for squirrels and mice, who can easily dig them up. Small seedlings are also vulnerable to rabbits, deer, and other animals that like to eat leaves. To ensure your young oak trees aren't devoured,  take steps to protect them. Cage your young trees with chicken wire or sturdy plastic fencing around their stem to prevent animals from reaching them.  If you live in an area where deer are common, you may even want to consider caging the top of the tree. You may also want to use pesticides to protect your tree from a variety of pests, including aphids and June bugs. Use caution when selecting pesticides - only use ones that are not harmful to your oak tree or your family. An oak's long taproot allows it to draw moisture from deep soils even when surface soils have been completely dried out. During the winter and wet months, it's not usually necessary to water your oak trees. However, when oaks are young, hot and dry weather can be damaging. A drip irrigation system is a useful way to get water to young oak trees when they need it most. Irrigate your tree with about 10 gallons (38 liters) of water via drip irrigation system every week to two weeks. Irrigate during the hottest and driest months for about two years, lessening the irrigation frequency as the tree grows. Remember not to allow water to collect around the base of the tree. Arrange your irrigation system so that water drips around the tree, not directly onto its base, where it can cause rot. As your oak grows and its roots deepen, you will need to care for it less and less. Eventually, it will be big and tall enough that animals won't be able to kill it and its roots will be deep enough for it to survive the summer without any watering. Slowly, over several years, reduce the amount of care you give your tree (which, aside from watering during dry months and protecting it from animals, should not be all that much). Eventually, your tree should be able to thrive on its own without showing any signs of distress. Enjoy the lifelong gift you've given yourself and your family! Within 20 years, your oak may begin producing acorns of its own, though, depending on the species, optimal acorn growth may not occur for up to 50 years.
احمِ أشجار البلوط الصغيرة. اروِ الأشجار في الجو الجاف. قلل رعايتك للشجرة بالتدريج مع نموها.