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Botrytis on my baby oak?
Stephanie newish gardener
Posts: 516
Hi, can anyone identify this grey stuff that has appeared on my young oak tree please? I first thought it could be powdery mildew but the site isn't dry.
Botrytis looks more likely because the oak is surrounded by big shrubs, some of which I have now been able to cut back, so there would have been a lack of air circulating.
Apart from it being a bit leggy (my fault) it is a lovely little tree, even more so given that I bought it as a real baby, only about 20cm tall, for 50p from a charity shop about 6 years ago. It lived in a succession of pots before finally being planted last year.
Advice welcomed, thanks
No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish. 
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It looks like powdery mildew to me. Oaks suck an enormous amount of water out of the soil.
Yep, powdery mildew. It does affect drought afflicted plants worse, looks like the oak put on some rapid lush growth this season and then the ground dried up. The oak should be able to withstand it, sweep away the old leaves when they fall. Maybe you could shorten the whippy branches to get rid of the worst affected parts and balance up the trees form? (Read up on formative pruning).
and the young growth is very susceptible to mildew.
In the sticks near Peterborough
That's really helpful, thanks. I hadn't thought that part of the garden is especially dry, though to be fair there is a small Holly tree, a weigela, an escallonia, a laurel and a rhododendron within a 20 foot radius so I guess they are all after the same water.
I'll trim off those long bits and note to give it a weekly soaking, whilst also reading up on formative care