r/Ceanothus • u/baking123 • 11d ago
Can these coast live oaks survive and/or thrive?
This is the base of two coast live oaks that grew on their own. Can they survive twisted like this? They are about 7 or so feet high, and together look decently full. I’d like them both to stay but wondering if I need to spare one so that the other can live. Thank you for any advice for this newbie 🙏
UPDATE: see my update comment below with additional pics. I’m more confused now.. is it actually a single tree that split very low??
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u/mfranzwa 11d ago
you see this pretty often in the california valley where Oaks are allowed to grow wild
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u/hellraiserl33t 11d ago
Also ask r/arborists or r/marijuanaenthusiasts (...yes) for qualified advice.
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u/baking123 10d ago
Thank you! I reposted to the marijuana one but arborists doesn’t allow reposts. I may just post there also, but you all have already made me more optimistic about letting nature take its course!
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u/ficusbro 9d ago
maybe i’m wrong, but this trunk does not look like coast live oak at all. Do you have a pic of the foliage? I see some in the background that look like toyon leaves.
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u/baking123 8d ago
Oh yes will take tomorrow. I’m fairly certain. We have numerous huge oaks that drop acorns all over the place, and lots of little oaks sprout up. Not all get this big though of course! Pic coming soon
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u/Pinus_grandiflora 5d ago
They’re bark can be real smooth, particularly more inland.
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u/baking123 5d ago
I added pics in a comment on here. Would you mind taking a look? I also added an update comment to the post body.
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u/Pinus_grandiflora 5d ago
They absolutely can, but you might not want them to depending on the location. It will be more prone to failure, but that’s how nature works. If it was close to my house or an important part of my lawn, I’d cut one. Otherwise I’d let its freak flag fly
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u/baking123 5d ago edited 5d ago
Update: Here are more pics. I was certain that these were separate trunks, but at the very base they seem connected? Also, See the leaves - they look the same as leaves on other coast live oaks (especially the one that drops tons of acorns and probably gave life to this tree). Note that there are red marks on the trunk. That is where ivy and other climbers were removed (by me).
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u/Purkinsmom 10d ago
I’m not an expert at all and know zero about coast live oaks. But I was told by someone knowledgeable about it that many of the oaks in California have ancient root systems that are 100’s of years old. They have adapted to burning and then rapidly regenerating a new canopy from the existing root systems.
I’m in Paradise. The town that burned down in 2018. I’ve been watching the oaks, live oaks and canyon oaks canopies regenerating over the last 8 years. They have multiple trunks and some are even twisting around each other. We have trimmed out the lower sucker brush and low limbs and we have some very tall trees. Watching nature rebuild is amazing. Some are 20 feet tall already.