Quercus Suber: The Cork Oak

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cork oak quercus suber

The cork oak is a beautiful tree, appreciated for its bark and its beautiful evergreen.

In summary, what you need to know:

Name: Quercus suber
Family: Fagaceae
Type: Persistent tree

Height: 10 to 15 m
Exposure: Sunny
Ground: Well drained, rather limestone

Foliage: Persistent
Flowering: April to May
Harvest: September October

Cork oak plantation and growth:

The ccork oak or quercus suber is planted indifferently in autumn or springbut especially without any risk of frost.

Bought in jar or container, you can also plant the cork oak in a mixture of garden soil and compost

  • Provide regular and consistent watering the first year after planting.

The cork oak can take up a lot of space when it reaches its adult size, do not plant it too close to your home.

  • The cork oak needs sun to develop well.
  • The cork oak can be planted along the coast because it does not fear the spray.
  • Respect the instructions of planting and favor a well-drained soil.

The growth of Cork Oak (Quercus Suber) is relatively slow at first but tends to accelerate when properly installed.

  • To accelerate Quercus suber growth, generous watering every 15 days or so in the first year after planting will improve rooting and thus recovery.
  • Do not hesitate to remove the flowers in the spring and acorn then if there is because they draw heavily in the reserves of cork oak.
  • The addition of shrub fertilizer should also accelerate the growth of cork oak.

Size and maintenance of cork oak:

The cork oak is easy to maintain and requires very little care, especially when properly installed.

Care of the cork oak, quercus suber:

It must be assured of the best planting conditions and regular watering the first year after planting.

Size of cork oak, quercus suber:

The size of the cork oak is not obligatory. Indeed, the cork oak does not need to be cut but we can remove the dead branches as and if there are any.

On the other hand, the cork oak does not fear the size either and can be cut in height as in width without difficulties.

The silhouette of Cork Oak being particularly pretty, try to keep it during the size.

  • The size period cork oak in place in late winter, spring or to autumn.
  • Never prune in freezing weather, even if frost is expected only a few days later.
  • Do not prune the cork oak in summer when it is too hot in the summer.

Diseases and parasites affecting the cork oak:

Cork oak is quite resistant to diseases, insects and pests. It has a long life, up to 1500 or even 2000 years.

  • The oak processionary caterpillars: The treatment is difficult for large oaks. We also find in treatment for the caterpillar processionary oak
  • The foliage is covered with white: This is surely thepowdery mildew

To know about the cork oak, the quercus suber:

As the Holm oak with which it is sometimes possible to confuse it, the cork oak offers a beautiful persistent foliage, leathery leaves, gleaming over and whitish underneath.

A little less rustic, however, than the quercus ilex, cork oak is also found in the Mediterranean basin, and its resistance to cold (of the order of -15° C) is sometimes found along the Atlantic coast.

Note however that its leaves tend to turn brown as soon as the temperature drops below -5°.

Element dominating the scrubland with the pin alep and the juniper, Cork Oak is also used for dune reinforcement along the Atlantic coast. Indeed, its powerful root system allows it to fetch water in depth and thus stabilize fragile soils such as sand dunes.

Note that a forest of cork oaks is called a suberaie.

The lifespan of a cork oak is several hundred years.

Smart advice about the cork oak:

The cork oak tree is the ideal tree to hide from a neighbor without climbing too high but be careful it will plant your tree more than 2 meters from the property line.

Quercus Suber: The Cork Oak

FAQ - 💬

❓ What is unusual about the cork oak tree?

👉 Cork oak is unique in its ability to regenerate its outer bark. After a tree reaches 25 years of age, it can be stripped of its cork once every 9 to 12 years without causing damage to the tree. A single cork oak, which lives up to 200 years, can be harvested over 16 times.

❓ What is the function of the cork oak tree?

👉 Economically, the cork oak serves as the source for corks for bottles of wine, port and many other beverages. Portugal accounts for about 50% of the worldwide cork harvest (about 300,000 tons). Wine corks represent about 15% of cork usage by weight but about 65% of the revenues.

❓ Can cork oak grow in the US?

👉 Cork Oaks are recommended to Hardiness Zones 8 -11 (USDA). These zones represent areas with minimum temperatures above 10°F. Some sources suggest that Cork Trees can also be planted in Zone 7 locations. Cork trees are relatively common in the western United States, where they are available from numerous nurseries.

❓ How old is the oldest cork tree?

👉 The oldest and most productive cork oak in the world is the Whistler Tree, in Águas de Moura, in the Alentejo region (South of Portugal). The cork oak was planted in 1783, stands over 14 metres tall and the diameter of its trunk is 4.15 metres.

❓ Where is the largest cork tree in the world?

👉 Alentejo regionThe largest cork tree is the Whistler Tree in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The 2009 harvest yielded 825 kg (1,818 lb) of raw cork - enough for 100,000 wine bottles.

❓ How long does it take for a cork tree to mature?

👉 It takes 25 years for a cork oak trunk to start to produce cork and be profitable. Each trunk has to reach a circumference of about 70 cm when measured 1.3 metres above ground level. From then on, the cork can be harvested from the tree for on average 150 years.

❓ Is cork oak fast growing?

👉 Habit: The cork oak is slow-growing and long-lived, usually surviving around 250 years. It is an evergreen tree with low, twisted branches and downy twigs. The cork oak usually reaches a height of 30 feet.

❓ How long do cork trees last?

👉 200 yearsCork trees live on average 200 years, but there are cork trees that are 500 years old. They grow up to 75 feet tall.

❓ Are cork trees endangered?

👉 Not extinctQuercus suber / Extinction status

❓ How often can a cork tree be harvested?

👉 nine yearsA single cork oak tree can be safely harvested up to seventeen times, at intervals of at least nine years and only once the tree has reached twenty-five years of age. This means that the harvesting of each cork tree can continue for at least 150 years.

❓ Why are cork trees numbered?

👉 The cork tree's bark is a thick spongy hide that is stripped stripped away by workers using knives and axes once every nine years—the normal time it takes for the tree to recover. A number is often spray painted on the tree to indicate the year in which it was last harvested.

❓ What is a Quercus suber tree?

👉 Quercus suber. Quercus suber, commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the cores of cricket balls. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.

❓ What is a cork oak tree?

👉 Quercus suber, commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect.

❓ What are the characteristics of acorns of Quercus suber?

👉 They are one-third or half enclosed by the cupule. Q. suber can flower practically the entire year, which means that the acorns are visible most of the year. Quercus suber is an evergreen oak that has been cultivated from antiquity as a supplier of cork. The corky bark may be harvested only when the trunk has a diameter of approx. 60 cm.

❓ Do cork oaks have good drainage?

👉 The foliage is remarkably free of pests and diseases, but the soils all cork oaks grow on must have good drainage. A second pattern that is very striking, and disturbing, is that old cork oaks typically show excellent root crown and trunk development, and are substantially sized trees with consistent good health.

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Video: Birth of the Cork.

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