Which oaks are best for what? Your opinion

Chipdasqrrl said:

Any signs of life?

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My dad reports top-growth from 16 out of 20, with the other 4 apparently trying to regrow from the roots/trunk. I think the key in zone 5 is snow cover before the most severe cold temps hit. If they make it through a 2nd winter, I'll be more of a believer. I should also mention that these are on top of a ridge with a southern exposure.

Brushpile said:

The oak that produces the fastest in your area is the Chinkapin Oak, Dwarf Chinkapin is that fastest producer, but big Chinkapin will become a stately tree and produce a large volume of sweet edible acorns during bow season. Bur Oak is in the White Oak family and produces acorns that drop in late season. Your trees should be purchased from northern nurseries, with state nurseries being the most economical.

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I agree with you on where to source trees, but the nuts from which I grew these sawtooth oaks came from central Alabama. I guess time will tell whether or not progeny from the South can acclimate to the Upper Midwest. My guess is "no", but the nuts were free and I like growing trees.

Last year I had a Burgambel oak that I planted in 2013 produce acorns, this one tree is the exception at 9' tall but all the others I planted with it are at least 7'. I've had good luck with the Burgambel plugs from U of Idaho.

https://marketplace.uidaho.edu/C202...cat.jsp?STOREID=57&CATID=227&SINGLESTORE=true

I had a couple sawtooths that are 3 yrs old survive the winter and it hit -25 here several times this winter so hopefully thats a good sign of their cold hardiness

I've had better luck with native oaks in the White Oak Family, then with hybrids. My hybrids have yet to produce an acorn after 8 years! White Oaks produce faster than Red Oaks, and Swamp White, Bur Oak and Chinkapin have all produced early, though not in large quantity yet. A small precocious tree will not be a draw until the tree is large enough to bear a large crop of acorns.

10 year old Sawtooth Oaks have yet to produce a single acorn.