Pin oak vs Red oak

Most garden soils in Central Europe are calcareous and alkaline, and pin oak cannot cope with that: it cannot take up iron, the leaves turn yellow between the veins and later brown (iron chlorosis), within a few years branches die back and the tree may even be lost. Iron chelate treatments help only temporarily, and calcareous soil under a tree this size cannot be acidified for good. Test the soil pH before planting and choose another tree if it is above 7. On acidic to neutral, moist soil it has few problems and is rarely hit by the usual oak diseases. The lower branches sweep downwards and need removing beside a path or driveway.

On calcareous, alkaline soil it develops iron chlorosis (leaves yellow while the veins stay green) and declines, so it does not suit lime-rich gardens in Central Europe. It is a North American species that spreads by seed in Central European forests and smothers the ground flora with its slowly decaying leaf litter: Germany officially classifies it as invasive and it is on the Czech black list, so do not plant it next to woodland or semi-natural areas. The thick, slow-rotting leaf litter and the many acorns mean work in the garden too, and it does not like being under solid paving. Caterpillars (gypsy moth, for example) sometimes strip the leaves.