The catkins will begin to fall in the early spring when the weather starts to warm up. They'll typically take about two or three weeks, depending on the local conditions.
In areas where there is no grass, leave them. If the layer of catkins is less than an inch thick, try mowing. If it mostly disappears with mowing, there is no need to remove it.
Alder: February to March. Silver birch: March to May. Oak: April to May.
The leaf drop usually occurs over 2-3 weeks. During this time, some live oaks may begin growing new leaves as the old ones fall off while others will begin growing their new leaves after the old ones have fallen. Leaf drop is an indicator that the tree is dormant.
Pollen Season
Oak tree pollen adversely affects a large number of allergy sufferers. This is because the tiny grains are carried on the wind and irritate sensitive mucous membranes. Oak pollen season can start as early as February and can run through the end of June.
The catkins will begin to fall in the early spring when the weather starts to warm up. They'll typically take about two or three weeks, depending on the local conditions.
When are oak allergies the worst? Oak allergy season aligns with other tree-related seasonal allergies, generally beginning in spring and summer. While trees produce the most pollen from March to May, tree pollen allergy season in southern regions can start as early as January, with multiple peaks throughout the year.
How long do oak trees live? Oak trees can live for over 1,000 years; however, a more normal age would be around 600 years. It is said that an oak spends 300 years growing, 300 years living and 300 years in slow decline.
Considering the commonality of Oak trees, one of the most common reasons why trees lose their leaves in summer is due to Oak wilt. Oak wilt is a destructive disease that affects oak trees and can cause them to lose all their leaves within a few weeks.
Oak trees are evergreen acorn-bearing or deciduous trees known for their usual impressive sizes. While some bark might split at the base of the trunk during the tree's exfoliation process, oak tree bark that is coming off the trunk is typically the result of pest infestation or disease.
Catkins are not only a sign of spring and warmer weather, but they are also fascinating structures that play an important role in the reproduction of live oak trees. You may have noticed these little clusters of flowers hanging from the branches of live oak trees.
The fat catkins can be used as you would any vegetable - in soups, in skillet dinners, in stir-fries. But I think that all of those applications mask the delicate flavor of cottonwood catkins. They are however, quite lovely quick-sauteed in butter.
The catkins (a collection of inconspicuous flowers) produced by oaks are fine to use in your garden as a mulch.
Bugs of the family Miridae are inflorescence specialists on European trees, feeding on the staminate catkins of a variety of deciduous trees (Wheeler, 2001). On oak the catkin specialist is Harpocera thoracica.
Inside the galls are the eggs and larvae of the insects. Galls are made of plant material and vary in colors of yellow and green and turn tan-brown as the development continues. Galls will eventually brown and die once the adult insect emerges.
Because of this added risk, Davey experts avoid pruning oaks from April through August when the beetles and pathogens are active. Some companies still do trim oak trees during this timeframe, which unnecessarily puts your trees and wallet in danger.
Live Oaks Have a Leaf Exchange in Spring
For many trees, dropping leaves is a way of preparing to go dormant during the cold winter months. Live oaks, however, can lose leaves throughout the year and generally stay green during the winter.
WATERING NATIVE OAKs PROPERLY
Under natural California conditions, the Armillaria is dormant during the hot, dry summer, and comes to life only with the rains. Should I water my native oak in the summer? Yes, but not more than once a month and not around the trunk.
Grows 12'-15' over a 10 to 12 year period, reaching 80 feet or so. Fall color is brown to rich red.
Oak trees improve air quality by storing carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. The leaves of an oak tree absorb airborne pollutants. It has been observed that one tree can absorb up to 10 lbs. of air pollution in a single year1 and oaks can live for up to 400 years.
As such, you should cut down oak wilt trees in either fall or winter, when your trees are dormant or entering dormancy, to minimize the risk of spreading the infection. If you cut down an infected tree that is partially alive in spring or summer, the disease can easily spread to other trees in your yard.
People who are allergic to oak pollen may experience symptoms that include sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, itchy nose and throat, dark circles under the eyes, coughing, postnasal drip, and swollen, watery and itchy eyes. Oak tree pollen is prevalent from February through May.
On an average day, pollen counts rise during the morning, peak about midday, and then gradually fall. So the lowest pollen counts are usually before dawn and in the late afternoon to early evening.
Your pollen allergies are so bad right now because there's likely more pollen in the air due to seasonal changes, like warmer weather or early blooming plants.