Swamp Hybrid Bur Oaks

[bwoods11]

More of these hybrids going in next spring. The survival has been outstanding, and surviving MN winters!!

 

[Catscratch]

Are these a hybrid that occurs naturally? I have a bunch of Bur oak, getting ready to plant some SWO... will they cross pollinate if both are in the same area or does something else need done?

 

[wiscwhip]

Are these a hybrid that occurs naturally? I have a bunch of Bur oak, getting ready to plant some SWO... will they cross pollinate if both are in the same area or does something else need done?

Yes, SWO/bur is a naturally occurring hybrid, generally referred to as Schuette's oak and is somewhat common in some areas. Whether or not they cross pollinate to produce Schuette's oaks would be anyone's guess? Only way to know is to get some of the parents to produce acorns, then grow out those acorns into mature trees and check to see if they have more traits from the individual parents or the mixed traits of the hybrid. Your kids or grandkids might have the opportunity to see the "fruits of your labor", but unless you are a very young man, you may never know.

 

[Catscratch]

Yes, SWO/bur is a naturally occurring hybrid, generally referred to as Schuette's oak and is somewhat common in some areas. Whether or not they cross pollinate to produce Schuette's oaks would be anyone's guess? Only way to know is to get some of the parents to produce acorns, then grow out those acorns into mature trees and check to see if they have more traits from the individual parents or the mixed traits of the hybrid. Your kids or grandkids might have the opportunity to see the "fruits of your labor", but unless you are a very young man, you may never know.

Lol, not young enough!
Thanks for the answer.

 

[bwoods11]

I've decided to treat these hybrids as I would an apple tree... Cage/mat each one, possibly some tall wide tree tubes.

This hybrid oak is tough, but it would be nice to maximize its acorn producing ability.

 

[bwoods11]

I have 100 ordered again. Anyone else looking to add this hybrid...swamp bur oak, schuettes?

 

[scott44]

I have 100 ordered again. Anyone else looking to add this hybrid...swamp bur oak, schuettes?

I have 25 ordered from Kelly for this spring planting, also ordered 25 Hazelnuts from them.

 

[bwoods11]

I have 25 ordered from Kelly for this spring planting, also ordered 25 Hazelnuts from them.

I did not see they had hazelnuts, might have to add to that

 

[scott44]

I did not see they had hazelnuts, might have to add to that

Look under shrubs on their website.

 

[Teeder]

I'm going to do a little experiment on my Iowa farm. Plant 25-50 Swamp White Oak and Swamp Bur Oak Hybrids in the same area....

Cage/protect with mat. Then watch the progress to see if the hybrids grow any faster or produce quicker. Either way, it will draw deer to the area when they start producing acorns.

*I should get almost twice the growth on my good soils in Iowa as I do on the good soils on my farm in MN.

Resurrecting an old thread.

How did this experiment work out?

 

[BuckSutherland]

I have some SWO from Itasca greenhouse in 2019, that I put in cages. Those trees have mostly been growing like complete shit on my land. A few of them are ok, but most suck. This spring I put 25 more SWO in tubes from our local NRCS. Those look like they are having a pretty good first year. I am right on the border of zone 3 and 4. Some say SWO is a zone 4 tree and others say 3. Either way my first ones are not growing great. I thought the plugs looked like shit when I first got them, and they also need some pruning. I am gonna prune a few of them and slip a tube over them next spring.


My burr oak in tubes however has been very solid. The ones in the pictures below are Itasca plugs as well and they have been solid since day 1. I am hoping my SWO in tubes from the NRCS will fair much better than my SWO in cages from Itasca. Premium care will be given.


I planted these burr oaks in 2020. They look great.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Planted a handful of SWO/bur hybrid seedlings from Kelly’s this spring at home (zone 4b) and at the land on 4b/3a boundary. So far they are doing well and haven’t even been giving them supplemental water.

Edit to add: mixed in a few straight SWO from same source so if they survive I should get a picture of any difference in growth rates. I’ve seen a few natural SWO on my land but they look stunted and unhealthy.

 

[bwoods11]

Resurrecting an old thread.

How did this experiment work out?

Long story short, the described experiment didn’t get planted exactly how I wanted to . However, it’s still in the works. I can let you know in the future.

I do have some oaks planted in Iowa, with pretty good survival and growth !

 

[bwoods11]

I’ve got a couple SBO in Minnesota. I planted last year and they are doing well !

 

[Angus 1895]

Here are a few oaks I got going.

the first is a bur/English hybrid sprouted in March. The ones in cages are SWO bought from home depot 3 years ago

the tubes are last years SWO

oopps photos didn’t load

 

[Teeder]

For those of you who have swamp bur / schuette's producing acorns, do they produce every year or do they skip years?

 

[bwoods11]

Seem to be every year !

 

[OakSeeds]

Lol, not young enough!
Thanks for the answer.

au contrairie ... my good buddy; further, I'll help get you started. I have 2 source trees (both bur oak crosses) including a bebbs oak (bo X wo) and a schuettes oak ... I think ( bo X swo). Each of these trees produced copious numbers of acorns when less than 10-12 years old. I'm pretty certain you will survive another 15-45 years (hope you go another 80 yrs); so, here's the deal ... contact me next spring and I'll send you viable acorns from each tree (you simply cover the postage). Hope to hear from you.-

Since there are several MN folks on this site with apparent interest in bur oak and/or swamp white oaks, this site presents info/photos on both of these species.
https://www.friendsofeloisebutler.org/pages/plants/oakleafkey.html

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Fellas.. thoughts on this tree? Pure SWO? Hybrid? It’s a big one at a park near me. Surrounded by burs and northern reds.

 

[RGrizzzz]

au contrairie ... my good buddy; further, I'll help get you started. I have 2 source trees (both bur oak crosses) including a bebbs oak (bo X wo) and a schuettes oak ... I think ( bo X swo). Each of these trees produced copious numbers of acorns when less than 10-12 years old. I'm pretty certain you will survive another 15-45 years (hope you go another 80 yrs); so, here's the deal ... contact me next spring and I'll send you viable acorns from each tree (you simply cover the postage). Hope to hear from you.-

How do I join the acorn club? :)