Question
Live Oak Tree
I lived in South Florida. I have a 16ft Live Oak tree that was recently hit and knocked over by a car. The tree was not completely knocked over however, some of the roots were exposed. A side of the tree suffered some scrapping but only to the surface of the tree, not penetrating below the surface. I was able to stand the tree back upright, replant the roots into the ground, re-soil the trunk and watered the tree repeatedly. Some of the branches have turned brown but the majority of the tree is still green. I have also recently applied 20-20-20 liquid food to the tree, as well as continual watering. The tree itself is still very much alive. The city that I live in, wants the tree to be replaced. They came by when it was knocked over but refuse to come back and take a look at the tree now that it has been put back up. I feel that the tree can be saved without it being replaced, is this possible? If so what else could I do to make sure that the tree recovers. Thank you in advance!
AnswerLooks good to me. The long wound looks like it is beginning to heal and the foliage looks good. I would go ahead and prune the dead branches off back to the trunk --back to about a 1/4 inch from the trunk. The bracing as far as I can see is ok. I would remove the dead branches and then take a picture of the tree and send it to the "city" and ask them what they see wrong with the tree. Does not look like a tree that needs to be replaced.
