Planted my third large Chinkapin and my first Sawtooth Oak.

Sampson

Active Member
I am supposed to be working but I am having a hard time focusing this morning as I keep thinking of ways to improve the habitat on my farm. So, here's a recap of the work we did at my farm last weekend. This habitat work maybe turning into a sickness. :)

I have been struggling over the years to find a way to plant some trees on my western Oklahoma farm and have them survive the first year.

When I first bought the farm in 2007, I ordered three hundred seedlings and stupidly put them in the ground with no additional effort to protect them or even really gave them a fighting chance.
Needless to say, no seedlings survived that first year and we began one of the worst droughts in Oklahoma history.

So, I began to research and read the old (nameless) forum dedicated to habitat work. I learned a great deal and continue to do so. Because of all of your input and free knowledge, I have been able to plant a few seedlings and keep them alive for the last couple of years. The information on tree tubes and correct planting have increased the survival rate to around 80-90 percent with a bit of supplemental watering on my end.

I suffer from the typical instant need for gratification and the thought of waiting ten or more years for acorn production was more then I could take. So I talked to my friend who owns a landscaping business and he got me a couple of large trees last year and two more this year. They range in size from 12-15 feet each and he brought his equipment to help me get them planted. Last year we plant two Chinkapin Oaks, which by the way both produce acorns for me, and this year another Chinkapin and a new to me Oak, the Sawtooth. I have read a great deal on Sawtooth Oaks but had never seen one or planted one, I'm anxious to see how it does over the next couple of years. I did plant some Sawtooth seedlings, at the same time. But I am unsure if I will get any acorns with out another mature Sawtooth to pollinate it. Any thoughts on this? I think the Sawtooth is mature enough to produce acorns as it's a three or so inch cal tree and about 12 foot tall.

All of the larger trees were grown locally and dug up one day and planted the next.

I needed shade around camp so I planted all of the larger trees close to camp.

I also planted another 22 seedlings this past weekend, which were planted with a two by two foot weed barrier cloth and half a bag of cedar mulch and finally tubed. Now if I can just sprout the chestnuts, I ordered from Wayne and direct seed some of the DCO I got, I'll consider it a success.
Here's a couple of pics after we got them planted.

cf49e5529973b07fdc326f325191693e.jpg
ad6ee58f073475de52dde8ccd1929370.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I did the same thing when I was able to buy balled trees for 65.00.I have several and surprising even though they are as big as some I planted as seedlings they haven't produced yet and actually I have burs that produced a decent crop before my sawtooths planted the same day 8 years ago did.My biggest had grown fast and was going to get a ladder stand put in it that year just so I could shoot a deer out of a tree I planted and it top died from canker.I cut it down and now sprout is about 5ft tallsawtooth.jpg
 
Nice, wish I was getting them for 65.00 now. Will I have trouble getting the Sawtooth to produce with only small seeding to pollinate it? I am thinking I maybe need to get another mature Sawtooth to plant this year to improve my odds. Did you plant your Sawtooths as a balled tree?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nice, wish I was getting them for 65.00 now. Will I have trouble getting the Sawtooth to produce with only small seeding to pollinate it? I am thinking I maybe need to get another mature Sawtooth to plant this year to improve my odds. Did you plant your Sawtooths as a balled tree?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You will need a tree that has matured enough to produce pollen to get pollination...
 
If your chinkapins are like mine you will find they will drop earlier in the season and their small size makes them a favorite of turkey and other birds as well so they tend to be consumed quickly. They are the primary white oak on my property and like a drier but rockier soil on my place. Sounds like you got off to a good start and good luck with them. I got 100 sawtooth acorns to plant this spring as well to try to increase my mast production. Hopefully I will see them produce an acorn while I'm still able to hunt.
 
how close do sawtooths need to be for pollination? i read recently about how they need other sawtooths close together, Mine are 40yards apart or better.
 
Lak you are correct and to be honest if it wasn't for my friends business there's no way it would have happened. They weren't cheap but I can swing the whole sale prices.

Thanks for the input Kubota, I was afraid of that after I read some of the other post on here about Sawtooths. Looks like I'm back in the market for another large Sawtooth.

J bird, I never knew so many different types of oaks really existed until I got into land management and wildlife habitat work. I'm glad I planted them up by Camp as it's a drier gypsum and clay mix. The acorns were early this year, I believe they started dropping about the beginning of October. So far, I am really happy with them and I can't wait to see what they'll look like in another 10 years.

I also planted about four hybrid Water Oak and Nuttal mix seedlings from Native nursery. I choose these for a poorly drained clay area that seems to hold water long after the rains have passed. It's one of the few areas on my farm with moisture in the soil during the dry hot summers. It's an experiment that may or may not succeed but my farms soil is either sandy, gypsum and clay mix or wet soggy clay. Back in the 1970's it was a cotton and dry land wheat farm. The soil make up seems to be the extreme on both ends with not much in the way of good dark soil. Most of the farm is in CRP now with about 50 acres of eroded areas I need to plant in trees, well something other then soapberrys and cedars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sampson - your learning that this stuff can become very addictive. My chinkapins always drop early I think that is just the way they are. They can be a great early season draw if you are prepared - I typically never am. They tend to be fairly good producers year in and year out as well and tend to produce decent crops - at least they do for me. I hope you continue to have success with them.
 
Any limestone rock where these chinquapin oaks are? In our area the only native chinquapins are in areas of limestone rock...I have none on my places because we have no limestone on either but our deer lease is heavy in limestone and the chinquapin is the most prolific oak there...
 
Thanks J, it has certainly become an addiction.

Kubota, As far as I know, we don't have any limestone in our area. Of course, I could be wrong too but I don't think there is. There are a few gypsum mines around and some good Oklahoma red clay. I am not familiar enough with the soil make up in western Oklahoma. That does purpose an interesting thought, I know we have Chinkapin Oak on the farm in central Oklahoma and they are native as we have only planted fruit trees on that farm. I have never seen any limestone on that farm either. It's really different habitat and environment between the two farms. On the central farm, I spend money to rent a dozer to remove trees (cedars) and on the western farm I spend it to plant trees.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Now that I know for sure I need another mature Sawtooth to plant, I'm with Nebraskaz71, how close do I need to plant the two trees for good pollination? I found this place with nice sized Sawtooth trees, Whitetail trees nursery in central Oklahoma.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have read a great deal on Sawtooth Oaks but had never seen one or planted one, I'm anxious to see how it does over the next couple of years. I did plant some Sawtooth seedlings, at the same time. But I am unsure if I will get any acorns with out another mature Sawtooth to pollinate it.

You don't need sawtooths to pollinate another sawtooth. They're self-fertile.
 
You could try contacting lacebark Inc. He started the rootmaker concept for tree root systems. I think he is in your state too. You might be able to purchase some oaks of various sized or get pointed in the right direction for some quality container grown seedlings
 
I can grow a sawtooth sapling into a producing tree in around 8 years and about the same with my burs.I can't get them that cheap anymore so usually plant saplings or 5 gal fruit trees.You might check with nurseries toward end of planting season as some have trees that are not formed good enough to sell but work fine for deer
 
I may need to look at some burs I don't have any of them on either farm but I know they grow in the area. I need to look around at some of the local nurseries and see if they are available. Thanks for the info.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ive read both ways on sawtooths and at this point my opinion is they are self fertile like every other oak. I have just one growing on my farm, the rest didnt like the dirt or something. We shall see one day.
 
Back
Top