Concordia oaks????

[Jordan Selsor]

I have sawtooths and chestnuts Seedlings planted in a line the entire length of a field approx 200 yards long. I planted 2/1 chestnuts to sawtooth. Approx 33ft between trees. Long story short I had a few sawtooths die and thought about replacing them with these Concordia oaks. Figured they would be good cuz they don't seem to get that big and wont shade out my other trees many yrs down the rd??? Thoughts? I also have some Saul oaks too. I just want to add diversity but want an oak that will play nice with the chestnuts an saws. Is Concordia a good one to add into this mix? Anyone have any luck with them? I read somewhere it has DCO in its genes so I am assuming it won't get that large?????

 

[brushpile]

I'm in the Ozarks in my 5th year of drought, so my Concordia Oaks haven't grown much. I do know they'll be a good sized tree at maturity because they're a cross between Swamp White Oak, Chinkapin Oak and Dwarf Chinkapin Oak. In six years they've grown 30 feet, but that's with a good supply of water. Dwarf Chinkapin Oaks get close to 20 feet at maturity, but need full Sun. I've planted Dwarf Chinkapin Oak with apples and pears.

I'm going to speculate that Concordia Oaks will drop sweet edible acorns early, because Chinkapin Oak and Dwark Chinkapin Oak are the first oaks on my place to produce, and the sweet edible acorns are the first acorns on the ground.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

I may just go with DCO to replace these sawtooth. I don't want these trees to tower over my chestnuts..

 

[brushpile]

I'm planting bushes around my apples and pears. The bushes provide browse, screening and cover. Plus, bushes grow fast and produce quick results. Ninebark, Arrowwood, Highbush Cranberry and Golden Current are some of my favorites.

 

[bigeight]

What about trying Allegheny Chinquapin Chestnut trees? They are shorter in nature and produce very quickly. Would give you a different drop time than your other chestnut varieties as well.
Just brain storming with you :)

 

[brushpile]

Allegheny Chinkapin grows fast and produces early, but its native range doesn't extend into Michigan. It also gets blight, and many of mine have it, die back and then return from the root.

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CAPU9

I don't know what Lincoln Oakes still has in stock, but how about wild plum, crabapple, or apricot. Their crabapples were so inexpensive that I planted a crabapple thicket.

Chinese Chinkapin is hardy to zone 6, doesn't get blight and requires full Sun.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Tks guys. I live in Mo. I will do some research on Allegheny Chinkapin. Is their any advantage with them over chestnuts? I may just replace them with chestnuts. I like sawtooths because they drop early and figure on staggered drop times between them and my chestnuts. This spot gets full sun

 

[brushpile]

In the Ozarks, Allegheny Chinkapin drop during bow season. I think Chinese Chinkapin and Chinese Chestnut are a good combination for fast growth and early nut production, and that's what I've switched to from Allegheny.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Brushpile
Do crabapple have to be grafted like most fruit trees? Or can you simply grow them from seed? For example native nurseries has then for like 5.50 a seedling? Is their a chance these seedlings may never produce like people say about an apple seed that's planted?

 

[Lee hall]

I had the same problem with allegenny. They would come up, grow great, then just die. I'm trying the Chinese chinquapin instead now. I'm inter planting them with Chinese and dunstan chestnuts.

 

[brushpile]

Lee, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Jordon, Lincoln Oakes Crabapples are wildlife grade and grown from seed. They grow rapidly and if I'm not satisfied with their apples, I cut the tree off just below the crown, and graft a disease resistant apple like Enterprise, Freedom, Liberty... Native Nursery's apples are probably grown from seed and they'll produce apples of some kind, somewhere down the line... could be in a couple years or it could take 10 years.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Tks brushpile that sounds like a solid plan with grafting onto the rootstock if the tree is not productive! Oh The things I have learned on this sight! My dad is pretty impressed with the projects I have going and what I have already accomplished at my new farm in less than a yr. It is catching his attention that I have so many great bucks on camera;) He also couldn't understand how my no till foodplot looked better than his that he spent so much time disking lol... Amazing what a little lime and fertilizer can do. I think this fall Im gonna get my hands on some chinese chinks and some dwark chink oaks and some crabs...