Lets talk about Sawtooth Oaks

I didn't really intend to plant sawtooths, but when I did a chestnut order once the nursery got mixed up and sent sawtooths. I immediately saw what they were, but since it was just a few trees I decided to just keep them and put them in the ground. The guy I got them from was a friend and only charged me 70 Cents apiece for them, so I would have felt like a jerk trying to return them. That was about 9 years ago.

This year is the first significant crop I have got from them. I would post some pictures, but the hotel I'm at seems to have some Internet problems. Last week they were still holding tight. I'm going to try to watch them this year and determine the drop times. My guess is that they will begin dropping mid October. My tallest sawtooths are probably 18 feet now and shaped real nice. If I don't report back later on drop time, remind me.
 
I picked up @ 90 Sawtooth acorns last week. That was from 2 trees. They really have just started dropping, both trees still have 80% of their acorns. They do drop at about the same time as the Blackjacks do around here. Central Oklahoma zone 7A. They are incredibly easy to germinate. I put them in my garden and cover up with expanded metal next spring when they get about 4" i put them in grow bags. They are 18"-24" right now. I'm going back tomorrow because we had a big rain with wind friday and i'm sure a bunch came down.
 
I've planted several over the years, and most are 15 to 20 years old now. Althought they do grow well, I have yet to see an acorn on any one of them. I'm located in Western NY, which might be a bit far north of their ideal zone. I think I have better options where I am.
 
We planted one in a local park in memory of my grandfather in 2006. It was a good sized tree wrapped in burlap (10gal?) when we planted it. It is about 25-30' tall now and isn't producing acorns yet. Although it may never if we didn't plant a second one near it?
 
Are they sturdy enough to hang a tree stand in?
 
My oldest saw tooth is 6th leaf tree.Still no acorns
 
I didn't really intend to plant sawtooths, but when I did a chestnut order once the nursery got mixed up and sent sawtooths. I immediately saw what they were, but since it was just a few trees I decided to just keep them and put them in the ground. The guy I got them from was a friend and only charged me 70 Cents apiece for them, so I would have felt like a jerk trying to return them. That was about 9 years ago.

This year is the first significant crop I have got from them. I would post some pictures, but the hotel I'm at seems to have some Internet problems. Last week they were still holding tight. I'm going to try to watch them this year and determine the drop times. My guess is that they will begin dropping mid October. My tallest sawtooths are probably 18 feet now and shaped real nice. If I don't report back later on drop time, remind me.

Funny how easy it is to mix them up. When the AU Buck IVs came out, and the wildlife group first started selling them. They didn't sell them as individual trees but in packages with other trees. I guess the hype around them with the limited supply helped them sell other trees. They were nice enough to configure a specific package for me but limited the number of AU Buck trees in the package. The put in a "sawtooth" oak to round out the package.

Well, this year, my sawtooth oak has several chestnuts on it! The seem closely related. An old wildlife grafter I know (Dr. D. for those who know him) who was kind enough to send me some of his best persimmon scions told me about a new grafting experiment he was trying. He was grafting chestnuts to sawtooth oaks. His belief was that they were closely related enough for it to work. He had several grafts take and later he told me they died after several seasons. The leaves look enough alike that I'm sure it is easy for them to get mixed up. I never noticed mine was a chestnut until it produced nuts.

Here is my experience with sawtooth oaks. I planted some many years ago on other hunting leases but don't plant them on my place now:

Drop time - the trees I planted dropped all their acorns and they were gone long before our archery season rolls around in early October. I now understand there are more than one strain of sawtooth oak. Someone (I can't recall who, either here or on the old QDM forum) was trading acorns from his trees that drop much later; Oct and Nov.

Production - They produce a lot of acorns for their size and produce at a much younger age than most of our native oaks. They are also more consistent producers. One role they can play is to buffer mast crop failures of native oaks.

Attraction - I believe tannin content is similar to most of our white oaks. It is hard for me to judge relative attraction since the strain I planted had all the nuts consumed by the time our native white oaks started dropping.

If you are going to plant them, be sure you know when they will drop. I would probably lean toward growing your own from acorns that come from trees that have the drop times you want. Strains and drop times are not well documentd.

Thanks,

Jack
 
Ideally Id like them dropping early september starting. Kids can hunt sept 8th. I can start with a bow sept 17
 
Ideally Id like them dropping early september starting. Kids can hunt sept 8th. I can start with a bow sept 17

Yes, it depends when you bow season starts. Here, kids can hunting this upcoming weekend and our archery season starts the following weekend.
 
Funny how easy it is to mix them up. When the AU Buck IVs came out, and the wildlife group first started selling them. They didn't sell them as individual trees but in packages with other trees. I guess the hype around them with the limited supply helped them sell other trees. They were nice enough to configure a specific package for me but limited the number of AU Buck trees in the package. The put in a "sawtooth" oak to round out the package.

Well, this year, my sawtooth oak has several chestnuts on it! The seem closely related. An old wildlife grafter I know (Dr. D. for those who know him) who was kind enough to send me some of his best persimmon scions told me about a new grafting experiment he was trying. He was grafting chestnuts to sawtooth oaks. His belief was that they were closely related enough for it to work. He had several grafts take and later he told me they died after several seasons. The leaves look enough alike that I'm sure it is easy for them to get mixed up. I never noticed mine was a chestnut until it produced nuts.

Here is my experience with sawtooth oaks. I planted some many years ago on other hunting leases but don't plant them on my place now:

Drop time - the trees I planted dropped all their acorns and they were gone long before our archery season rolls around in early October. I now understand there are more than one strain of sawtooth oak. Someone (I can't recall who, either here or on the old QDM forum) was trading acorns from his trees that drop much later; Oct and Nov.

Production - They produce a lot of acorns for their size and produce at a much younger age than most of our native oaks. They are also more consistent producers. One role they can play is to buffer mast crop failures of native oaks.

Attraction - I believe tannin content is similar to most of our white oaks. It is hard for me to judge relative attraction since the strain I planted had all the nuts consumed by the time our native white oaks started dropping.

If you are going to plant them, be sure you know when they will drop. I would probably lean toward growing your own from acorns that come from trees that have the drop times you want. Strains and drop times are not well documentd.

Thanks,

Jack

The leaves on the little sawtooth seedlings I got were still hanging on, and that's how I was able to know that they weren't chestnuts. If not for that, I would have never known. They did resemble chestnuts but were too narrow. Now that they have big crops this year I'm glad I went ahead and planted them. If they hold until our mid October ML season, I will be even more happy.

PS: My chestnuts seem later this year. Last year they dropped from about mid September through the first few days in October. This last weekend some of my tree were just beginning to open up and drop.
 
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For you guys in states such as Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, try Swamp Bur Oak Hybrids. They grow fast, great survival, and produce acorns in 6-10 years (in MN) so they would grow faster in your zone. Bullet proof tree in my opinion if you use a tube or cage.
 
For you guys in states such as Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, try Swamp Bur Oak Hybrids. They grow fast, great survival, and produce acorns in 6-10 years (in MN) so they would grow faster in your zone. Bullet proof tree in my opinion if you use a tube or cage.

bwoods11; are you the hardwood11 poster on iowawhitetails ? saw a posting of yours while searching about the hybrid oaks ... what zone did you plant them in in MN and how did the growth compare to your land in iowa if its you.
 
bwoods11; are you the hardwood11 poster on iowawhitetails ? saw a posting of yours while searching about the hybrid oaks ... what zone did you plant them in in MN and how did the growth compare to your land in iowa if its you.

Yes same guy...I planted a bunch in MN (zone 4) with good survival. I have not planted any in Iowa yet. Always on the list to do....for sure this spring. I think they would do very well in Iowa.
 
Yes same guy...I planted a bunch in MN (zone 4) with good survival. I have not planted any in Iowa yet. Always on the list to do....for sure this spring. I think they would do very well in Iowa.
Im in zone 4b NW Wis so thats good news. Thanks
 
I'm in western NY, northern part of it , have sawtooths 20 yrs old ,some are 30 feet tall . most produce every year some years heavier than others . there is one tree that doesn't produce real well . They start dropping the beginning of October . Deer around here love them they will keep coming back all winter looking for them . They do suffer some winter damage ,seem kind of weak . Had a couple with forks split down the middle . not really a lawn tree but awesome for wildlife . I like to plant them with other oaks so if they do die out the longer living oaks will take over . There are plenty coming up from squirrels , looks like they could spread if not kept in check .
 
As of today my Sawtooth acorns are still holding on. I don't think hardly any have fallen.

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