Planting in an area close to the home where it can be babied.

Suggestion is to plant smaller (15g) bc it will root faster and out pace the bigger trees in time?

If done right, the 15g will catch up to the others quicker than you think.

Agreed

15 gal.

The only time I ever plant B&B is if a large tree is needed for immediate effect AND budget is a concern.
I always let the customer know the B&B will pretty much just stay the same for several years while roots catch up to canopy size.

Amateur question. What is a B&B?

Edit googled it. Thanks

What is the approximate age and diameter of a 15 gallon oak tree?

angryocotillo said:

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What is the approximate age and diameter of a 15 gallon oak tree?

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depends how rootbound the nursery lets them get. a live oak can get 2+ inch caliper after 10 years or so.

If planting going into this growing season I'd go with 15g. Would have considered 30g with Fall planting. Regardless, make sure it's planted at an appropriate depth. Many trees are planted too deep which leads to root girdling that may eventually kill the tree. Root flare matters.

Texker said:

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If planting going into this growing season I'd go with 15g. Would have considered 30g with Fall planting. Regardless, make sure it's planted at an appropriate depth. Many trees are planted too deep which leads to root girdling that may eventually kill the tree. Root flare matters.

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What is the best depth on a 15 to 30 gallon tree?

15 gallon live oaks will not be 2 inch caliper size. more likely 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch in caliper and plant them so the top of the root ball is about 1-2 inches above the existing grade

Yep, and I would tend more toward 2 inches.

Related to this I planted 8 - 15 gallon live oaks in October.

Half dropped their leaves but seem to have life growing new leaves. Still, there's lots of branches with nothing on them.

I've read to not touch them for the first year and just water when appropriate. Don't worry about pruning and just let the tree do its thing for a year.

Is that correct?

Yes. The correct amount of water is critical. Too much water will cause nearly same symptoms as not enough. You want soil in the original container and the surrounding native soil to be moist but not wet or dry. That's a fine line to meet those precise criteria-but critical. Lawn irrigation rotors or spray heads won't get that done. Add irrigation bubbler at each tree or hand water them.

I have some of those green bags that go around the trunk with a slow drip but they haven't been on since December as we've been getting so much rain.

The property is in south College Station.

I suppose I'll just let nature run its course for a spell and see what happens. I was out there yesterday evening and it's still very damp from all the rain.

Definitely not complaining about the rain as I'd rather have it than not have it.