Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Monday - September 02, 2013

From: Jourdanton, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Trees
Title: Recently planted Monterey Oaks doing poorly in Jourdanton, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

We planted 2 nice size Monterrey oak trees in April .they were doing good with new growth on them. But now I have been noticing the leaves are turning brown around the edges. We water about once a week now. Do I need to water more often? Or have I done something wrong? I don't want to loose them..

ANSWER:

Monterrey Oak Quercus polymorpha (Mexican white oak) is a medium-sized oak up to 40 feet tall and a trunk to 2 feet with a broad rounded crown. It is common in Mexico and is known as the Mexican White Oak. In 1992, the only naturally occurring population in the United States was discovered near the Devils RIver in Val Verde County. Now, it is widely planted in Texas as a landscape tree. Your location in Atascosa County is close enough to Val Verde County that your Monterrey Oaks should do well.

The following links; one at the Texas Forest Service , and the other at Bear Springs Blossom.org, contain interesting information about the Monterrey Oak.

When Mr. Smarty Plants hears about recently planted trees that aren't doing well, the first thing that comes to mind is transplant shock.

I’m including links to three sites that describe the problem with some possible remedies.
Morton Arboretum

Northscaping.com

Northscaping.com-2

Another source of help could be the folks at the Atascosa County office of Texas Agrilife Extension.