English Oaks

[paleopoint]

Indeed, Oakseeds, it is a ...l--o--n--g ....game.
And I'm gettin' up there in years.

Which is why I have given up on the local native oaks....whites, reds, swamp, blacks....etc.
I simply don't have the time left to appreciate their eventual yields. I have planted whites and swamp whites that have now been in the ground 18yrs....and no nuts yet.
I now consider them as 'for-my-heirs'. As long as I'm around I'll monitor their progress.

On the other hand, I regularly see acorns on EO's at about the 7yr mark....given good dirt and full sun.
And, after that first crop the succeeding crops keeping getting stronger each year.

Now, I have read (on the old QDMA Habitat forums) where EO's here in North America will not have the longevity they do in Europe where they can reach several hundred years old. I'm OK with that.

 

[Teeder]

Indeed, Oakseeds, it is a ...l--o--n--g ....game.
And I'm gettin' up there in years.

Which is why I have given up on the local native oaks....whites, reds, swamp, blacks....etc.
I simply don't have the time left to appreciate their eventual yields. I have planted whites and swamp whites that have now been in the ground 18yrs....and no nuts yet.
I now consider them as 'for-my-heirs'. As long as I'm around I'll monitor their progress.

On the other hand, I regularly see acorns on EO's at about the 7yr mark....given good dirt and full sun.
And, after that first crop the succeeding crops keeping getting stronger each year.

Now, I have read (on the old QDMA Habitat forums) where EO's here in North America will not have the longevity they do in Europe where they can reach several hundred years old. I'm OK with that.

I agree with all of that.

 

[Teeder]

Check these acorns out. This tree is one that i started from an acorn from my English trees "1" or "2". The leaves are very English like, but turn red in the fall. It may be my imagination, but it seems like they have more finger-like lobes than the other English. I have close to 50-60 English oaks, but only 2, that I started at the same time, have red leaves in the fall. My guess is they have some white oak in them, but I don't know of a white oak anywhere near here.
The acorns have a pinkish hue to them. Different than typical English. The individual leaves are from the 2 trees in question. The 3 sets of leaves on the tailgate show the slight difference in the leaves and acorns with the normal English on the right.

 

[Teeder]

Something else that just occurred to me, the stalks on the acorns seem shorter than the typical English, too.

 

[Mozark]

Great looking tree Teeder, food and color! When you get the patent and start selling the seedlings, put me down for five.

 

[Teeder]

Thanks. That tree picture was last year. They put on a lot of growth this year.

 

[paleopoint]

My 2023 contribution to this EO thread:

I've got a good crop going this season across more and more EO's....as earlier ones continue to mature. Am seeing crops....good crops.....on first-timers.
To be sure, it ain't as abundant as 2022 when some trees had branches seriously bore down by their acorn load. Still, I am satisfied with what I am seeing

I expect I will see fox squirrel depredation any day now.

I also have a big native black oak (A 'GP'....God Planted) that is having an unbelievable crop this season. It usually has some acorns, sometimes an OK crop, sometimes a bust. But this year is really really impressive. I think when they start to drop they will carpet the ground underneath.

As the season progresses I will update on when my EO's are all dropped.

 

[Teeder]

Gotta love them EO's!

 

[paleopoint]

My EO's are dropping now. Fox squirrels are consistently in the trees, turkeys , racoons, and deer* under 'em (my trail cams show me all that).

Overall I am quite satisfied with this year's crop.
Those EO's have added a significant amount of acorn forage (hard mast?) to my farm since I began propagating them for there 20yrs ago..

And am looking forward---and expecting--- it should only get better absence any significant disease outbreaks (like what happened to all my ash trees).
No native oak that is on my ground....either 'God Planted'...or propagated by me has the consistent yield of EO's. Oh sure, some years are bonanzas....but many years are a bust. EO's can have those bonanza years too (like 2022)....but the next year they come back with a still significant yield.

BTW, right now is a very good time to collect 'em for seed propagation. There is a Michigan State University monograph on EO's that recommends late September to mid-October as the best time to collect as in their testing that is when the nuts are most viable. ---But, I've done it later, and still get good germination.


*I have noticed in the last several years that the first, the most, and the most visited buck scrapes are under my EO's. I have one tree ...a 2012 seed....that now has a very good crop of acorns, and a very good crop of scrapes under it....5!

Many if not all of my nut bearing EO's have scrapes.

 

[Dantana]

What is the zone hardiness for English oaks?

 

[Teeder]

What is the zone hardiness for English oaks?

Looks like they are listed down to zone 5.
I'm on the edge of 5b-5a. My trees have seen -35deg with no I'll effects. I'd try them In zone 4.

 

[Dantana]

Looks like they are listed down to zone 5.
I'm on the edge of 5b-5a. My trees have seen -35deg with no I'll effects. I'd try them In zone 4.

I’m zone 4B. I’ve thought of trying English oak and chestnut but have stuck to apples and pears for the time being until I see more evidence of chestnuts and oaks (other than red oak) growing successfully in my zone and colder.

 

[b116757]

White oaks should grow in 4b no problem.

 

[Teeder]

And swamp white and burs should be good there. Probably the schuette's hybrid should make it, too.

 

[Angus 1895]

Bur oak hybrids should be cold tolerant?

??.?

 

[Teeder]

Bur oak hybrids should be cold tolerant?

??.?

I would think so. Especially the schuette's. Both parents are cold tolerant.

edit: Nativ nursery lists the Schuette's for zone 3!

 

[Teeder]

Over a month of dropping now. My "tree 2" is still going strong. "Tree 1" still has some green acorns. I generally get a good 1-1/2 months of dropping between these 2 trees.

 

[BuckSutherland]

I would think so. Especially the schuette's. Both parents are cold tolerant.

edit: Nativ nursery lists the Schuette's for zone 3!

I bought 3 schuttes from Nativ about 4-5 years ago. Im on the border of 3 and 4 on most maps I think. Those schuttes got smoked pretty hard the first winter. The trees died back about 60% and have been slow to recover. Getting ready to abandon them. Thinking I might throw a tube over them this coming spring.

 

[Teeder]

I bought 3 schuttes from Nativ about 4-5 years ago. Im on the border of 3 and 4 on most maps I think. Those schuttes got smoked pretty hard the first winter. The trees died back about 60% and have been slow to recover. Getting ready to abandon them. Thinking I might throw a tube over them this coming spring.

I wonder if a more northern source would be better?

 

[williams111]

Over a month of dropping now. My "tree 2" is still going strong. "Tree 1" still has some green acorns. I generally get a good 1-1/2 months of dropping between these 2 trees.

Are the deer keeping them cleaned up? I hope the acorns I got from you turn out half as good as that tree!