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My oak tree is still just a big bush. Which branches should I prune?

dgamble731AgJ2SFx8dgamble731AgJ2SFx8 Posts: 9
in Problem solving
1.My 10 year oak tree is still just a 3m bush. It was in a large pot for 1st 4 years which may not have helped. The main trunk branches off about 20cm above the ground. I want my oak tree to grow tall and thrive. It's 20 metres away from my house.

Which branches should i prune? Any advice greatly received. Pictures enclosed. Also the acorns are a bit funny looking. No caps and sphere like. Maybe just a variation on te traditional oak. 
2. I also have 5 + hazel trees which have several trunks/branches coming from the ground basically. Should i choose the best trunk and get rid of the the rest. I want them to grow as small trees in the garden.

I want to help nature and none of the trees are in full shade or are suffering from disease. 
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  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    The third picture shows a strong trunk to the right, then bits off it. Prune off all the bits, close to the trunk with a sharp pruning knife. Prune off all side branches up to four feet or so. That should leave the leader to head upwards.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    The first picture shows two oak apples. They are caused by a parasitic gall wasp.  Don't worry about them. You are unlikely to get acorns for twenty or thirty years.
  • dgamble731AgJ2SFx8dgamble731AgJ2SFx8 Posts: 9
    fidgetbones said:
    The third picture shows a strong trunk to the right, then bits off it. Prune off all the bits, close to the trunk with a sharp pruning knife. Prune off all side branches up to four feet or so. That should leave the leader to head upwards.
    Same pic. Should i cut off the other main branch to the left as well. (directly opposite the stronger trunk) So as only 1 trunk going up.

    Im happy with your other advice. 
  • dgamble731AgJ2SFx8dgamble731AgJ2SFx8 Posts: 9
    fidgetbones said:
    The first picture shows two oak apples. They are caused by a parasitic gall wasp.  Don't worry about them. You are unlikely to get acorns for twenty or thirty years.
    Super knowledge. I'm going to remember that one. Thanks
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Yes, you need to have one main stem so that the effort goes into going up. You currently have a lot of shoots competing, and have a bush, not a tree.
  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    There are many different species of oak. Not all are tall growing, which is one of the reasons why I always advise people to get the botanical name whenever they buy anything. As a general rule, as Fidgetbones says, if you want a tall plant cut away the side branches. Beware, however, Quercus ruber, the commonest English oak, takes 50 years to reach adult size.....
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Oaks attract a lot of insects. We have two big oaks, and a small one the squirrels planted that didn't get yanked out.   Some of the weird galls we get beside oak apples, are knopper galls, and spangle galls. They are all caused by types of wasps. One advantage of lots of insects hosted by the tree is we also get bats feeding on the insects at night.
  • dgamble731AgJ2SFx8dgamble731AgJ2SFx8 Posts: 9
    Thank you very much. Appreciate the help and your time. I'm going to put up some bat boxes this year on the gable of my house. 

    The oak will hopefully be there long after im gone. 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    I have an oak that I found growing as a young sapling in our garden soon after we moved in. I moved it to a more suitable position and it has grown into beautiful tree. I did no pruning and some of the branches do start fairly low down, but it is still a tall tree, now nearly 40 years old.
    On a visit to a local garden I saw a stand of oaks, most likely planted in Victorian times. Most of them stood tall and straight, with the branches way out of reach, but there was one like mine, with low down, nearly horizontal branches, with the wonderful curves and twists you see in old trees.  Several of them had had to be supported to prevent them breaking with the weight.
    I love my quirky Quercus and the fact that I can get up close to those branches, with their moss and lichen, but it would be a problem somewhere with less space, as even 'small' oak branches are quite substantial. I saw my first acorns this autumn just gone. :)
  • dgamble731AgJ2SFx8dgamble731AgJ2SFx8 Posts: 9
    edited January 2021
    Buttercupdays
    Can you send a picture as im not fully convinced on cutting all but one branch. I was thinking of leaving two branches. A compromise as i want a tall tree but a fully grown oak is 25 m tall and that could fall and hit my house. Whilst a tall spreading tree would be ideal. 
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