Live Oak Tree Growth Rate
- A fast-growing tree, the live oak (Quercus virginiana) typically grows between 24 and 30 inches annually. The growth rate slows with age as the live oak is especially long-lived, often reaching an age of 300 years or more. A broadleaf evergreen tree, it normally grows to between 40 and 80 feet tall with a canopy spread of 60 to 100 feet. Its branches extend into the sweeping form that has helped to make the tree famous.
- The live oak tree growth rate can be slowed if proper environmental conditions are not met. It grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 7 through 10 -- an area that includes most of the temperate and coastal U.S. It does not thrive in areas accustomed to extreme winter weather and enjoys a mixture of full sunshine and partial shade in the warm, humid environment provided by its natural range.
- The trunk of the live oak -- which can grow as wide as 6 feet in diameter -- gives way to the rounded canopy with foliage that remains intact through the winter before yellowing and dropping away in the spring to make room for the next generation of live oak leaves. However, trees that grow far inland where the climate is often colder become semi-evergreen and lose some of their leaves in the fall and winter.
- The live oak appreciates plentiful hydration in well-drained, sandy soil, although it can stand drier sites. The tree becomes more drought-resistant as it ages. It should be pruned only in mid- to late summer, or it becomes more susceptible to oak wilt disease -- a condition that can kill the tree in one or two years. Leaf blister can also become a problem with the tree, but its damage is primarily aesthetic.
