Bur Oaks - Question for the Northeast guys

[Bowsnbucks]

I directed these questions to guys from the Northeast just because of zone / climate similarities to where I'm thinking of planting.

Do any of you guys from Pa., N.Y., northern Ohio, on into New England have bur oaks growing on your property (s)? If so, what kind of location are they growing in - sun, shade, open ground or forested, etc.? Do they grow well for you? Critters like the acorns?

 

[chummer]

I planted 9 of these I got at a nursery sale two years ago. They all made it through last winter which was as bad as it can get. I was worried because it was their first winter. I have them spread out along a field edge, they get full sun from 10 am on. The nursery estimated them at 10-12 years old so I am hopeful to get acorns in the next 5 years.

 

[foggy]

I've got 10 Burr Oaks between my home and the lake here in MN. All are mature trees and likely 12" diameter or more. They have withstood a big tornado before I built my home. Lotsa squirrels here.....and they do put out some nuts. Im in USDA zone 3.....and it gets cold here and the weather in front of my home is B R U T A L. The trees thrive under pretty harsh conditions. I hope they last a long, long time. I have a few huge white pines too.....but these Burr Oaks provide lots of shade and a neat view.

Also have a fair number of smaller Burrs at my hunting land (100+). All are native. Most are under 8" diameter.....a few bigger. Not much for nuts on a regular basis. My soil is not too rich. Mostly sandy-loam. I am thinking I should fertilze and lime those trees (?) to see if I could get them to grow and / or produce better.

 

[sandbur]

Tom-those burs are really slow to grow and produce on our soils. Much like the apples at your place and the north sandbox.

Sometiimes I think it is the soil. You and I have discussed the fruit tree spikes. I suspect the almost annual summer droughts really slow growth.

Bur oaks are tough, though. I have some waist high ones on blow sand that I bet are many years old.

 

[West Branch]

Our place is straight east of foggy and we probably have a bit heavier soils and the same harsh winters. We have a ton of bur oaks that have grown naturally and produce well. The majority I notice are on more open ground or field edges. When my dad cleared land in the past or logged he left the oaks so they were able to get big. It seems like the young ones that volunteer from seed are mainly on edges of openings or fields. But it might be that those are just the ones I notice.

 

[TMIL]

WB - good observation. My tattered copy of the Audubon tree guide calls Bur a "pioneer tree, bordering and invading prairie grassland."

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks for the input, guys. I've never seen a bur oak around my hunting area. I didn't know if they would be feasible for another food source in my area or not. We have red, white, and chestnut oaks mainly, with a few black oaks here and there. We have open fields and fallow, reverting fields to plant a few and see how they grow. It'll be years until acorns are produced, but we have plenty of other stuff to keep the critters fed until then. I might try a few chinquapin oak too.

 

[foggy]

Tom-those burs are really slow to grow and produce on our soils. Much like the apples at your place and the north sandbox.

Sometiimes I think it is the soil. You and I have discussed the fruit tree spikes. I suspect the almost annual summer droughts really slow growth.

Bur oaks are tough, though. I have some waist high ones on blow sand that I bet are many years old.

Some of those Burr's in front of my home have got to be pretty old. The bark is really shaggy and they are 5- -60 feet high.....or higher. Lots of character in those trees.

I did add some fruit tree spikes to my apple trees this past summer Art. Never considered doing that to the Burr Oaks too. Gonna think on that one. I did take my cordless drill and a soil auger to drill some holes near my apple trees. Then slipped the fertilizer and some lime down those (three or four) holes around the perimeter. Hope that works.

Next time I buy ag-lime I suppose I could spread a few shovels around the better tree species on my land. Couldn't hurt.