Skinny Genes® Columnar Oak Tree

Planting Instructions for Skinny Genes Oak

1. Choosing the Right Location: Plant your Skinny Genes Columnar Oak in full sun, with at least six hours of direct sunlight a day, to develop its best shape and fall color. It grows in USDA zones 4 through 8. Its narrow form reaches about 45 feet tall but only about 10 feet wide, so it fits small yards, driveways and tight urban spaces.
2. Soil Preparation: This oak adapts to a wide variety of soil types as long as they drain well. Avoid spots where water pools after rain. Loosen the soil in a wide area around the planting hole so the roots can spread easily.
3. Planting: Dig a hole about twice as wide as the root ball and no deeper. Plant it at the same depth it grew in the pot, backfill with native soil and firm gently. For a privacy screen, space trees about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, so the canopies meet into a continuous tall screen.
4. Mulching and First Watering: Water deeply right after planting to settle the soil. Add 2 to 3 inches of mulch around the base to hold moisture and control weeds, keeping it a few inches away from the trunk.

Care Instructions

1. Watering: During its first year or two, water deeply once a week, more in hot, dry spells, so the roots grow strong and deep. Once established, this oak is drought tolerant and needs only occasional deep watering during extended dry periods.
2. Fertilizing: Fertilizer is usually unnecessary in reasonable soil. If growth seems weak, apply a balanced slow-release tree fertilizer in early spring, following the label, and avoid feeding in late summer when new growth could be damaged by frost.
3. Pest and Disease Monitoring: The fine-textured foliage is mildew resistant and stays clean through the season. Still check occasionally for common oak visitors such as caterpillars, scale and galls. Most are cosmetic on a healthy tree, so treat only if damage is significant.

Maintenance and Long-Term Care

1. Pruning: Skinny Genes Oak needs minimal pruning, since its naturally narrow, fastigiate shape stays compact without trimming. Simply remove any dead, damaged or crossing branches in late winter while the tree is dormant, using clean, sharp pruners for every cut.
2. Winter Care: This oak thrives in cold climates down to zone 4. For the first few winters, keep the mulch layer in place and water deeply in fall before the ground freezes. In areas with rabbits or deer, a trunk guard helps protect young bark.
3. Growing in Containers: It can grow in a large container as a dramatic, controlled landscape feature for several years. Use a heavy, wide pot with drainage holes and water more often than in-ground trees, then transplant it to the ground as it outgrows the container.

Additional Tips for Growing Skinny Genes Oak

1. Fall Color: Its deep green, glossy leaves stay fresh all summer and turn yellow to tawny yellow in fall, adding a warm autumn accent to driveways and property lines.
2. Growth Rate: It grows at a moderate rate for an oak, adding height steadily once its roots are established. Full sun, well-drained soil and deep watering during the first couple of years help it settle in and put on height sooner. Larger sizes give you height sooner.
3. Shipping Note: Skinny Genes Oak cannot be shipped to Arizona or Oregon because of shipping restrictions. It can be shipped to other states in 3 to 4 foot, 4 to 5 foot and 6 to 7 foot sizes.