The Sandbox

[sandbur]

Why do you suppose your oaks don't make it?

The soils just isn't right or the August drought gets them.

I have tried fencing native burs in the location where they started to grow and still lost them. Carry water, baby them, and it just does not matter.

 

[sandbur]

Most of my better soils are in crop production, but I have tried oaks on better soils where I can grow apple trees.

Wet years and I get some bur oak sprouting. Occasionally one must make it.

 

[sandbur]

I've wondered the same thing SD...the only answer I can come up with is the fact Art has light/sandy soil for the first few feet (4'? or so Art?) I have fantastic bur oak re-gen here...but I have much "better" soil for the most part than what sandbur has.

stu-I had two of those bur hybrids from acorns you gave me. Acorns from only about 30 miles away. I had them in rootrappers for over one year. Then planted, caged, mulched, and watered. Even added some soils sorb to the soil, compost. One died this winter and the other one died back. Hybrid oaks form Morse have been in the ground over 10 years and the few survivors are knee high.

We will see if the swamp burs are any better. I've got seven of them in the ground and they survived the winter, below snow line. I planted a couple of the swo last fall to see if it would make a difference.

 

[sandbur]

I visited a friend's place and snapped a few cell phone pictures.

Here is a dolgo seedling that I gave him a few years ago. Note the bird's next from last year in the pic.

 

[sandbur]

His foodplots look great. Much better soil than mine and they were not flooded out.

I'm jealous, but happy for him.

 

[sandbur]

I'd be trying a small scale black oak planting at your place Art. I know it isn't native in your location, but I also know how well it grows in the desert sands of central WI.

Does anyone have some acorns?

 

[Freeborn]

Art, I have a very good population of PIN oak which I believe is a variety of Black Oak. You are welcome to as many Acorns as you like once they start to drop. I also have sandy soil.

 

[foggy]

Are not Pin Oak and Burr Oak closely related? I got Burr Oaks on my land and they seem to thrive.....but some folks call them Pin Oak.

 

[SD51555]

I think pin oaks are a faster growing red oak. I've got oodles of them, and they are great for noise when hunting because they won't drop their leaves until later in the winter. Many a times I thought a pin oak leaf was a deer tail flickering through the brush.

 

[SD51555]

Does anyone have some acorns?

If you buy 25, you can get them potted for $2.10/ea from Musser Forests.

http://www.musserforests.com/prod.asp?p=BLO

 

[Freeborn]

Go to the link and click on the leaf picture in the upper right, my leaves look like this. I have allot of these also but mine are on field edges and are in sandier soils but not as sandy as yours Foggy. They produce allot of acorns but I don't know if the deer use them. I also have bur and red oaks on my place and the leaves of the PIN oak look more like a red oak.

Based on the Wiki comments it may be related to the Hills and Black oak. I have tasted the acorn and it is bitter but the leaves do stay on into winter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Pin_Oak

 

[OakSeeds]

Does anyone have some acorns?

What kind of acorns are you looking for; I had a fridge go bad 2 weeks ago, but I think some of the 5 types of white oak acporns are still viable. If I can help, they are yours for the shipping costs.

 

[wiscwhip]

I'd be trying a small scale black oak planting at your place Art. I know it isn't native in your location, but I also know how well it grows in the desert sands of central WI.

I was going to suggest this very thing and then read stu's post. I would concur with the black oak suggestion. If you can't get blacks to grow in a sandy area, you most likely can't grow oaks at all. I would plant black, pin, and some northern red from a source with very sandy soils(in hopes that they are adapted to well drained, dry soils).

 

[foggy]

Go to the link and click on the leaf picture in the upper right, my leaves look like this. I have allot of these also but mine are on field edges and are in sandier soils but not as sandy as yours Foggy. They produce allot of acorns but I don't know if the deer use them. I also have bur and red oaks on my place and the leaves of the PIN oak look more like a red oak.

Based on the Wiki comments it may be related to the Hills and Black oak. I have tasted the acorn and it is bitter but the leaves do stay on into winter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Pin_Oak

Thanks for this info Freeborn. My BIL was providing some mis-information about these (again). He has a few facts right at times.....but I gotta disregard many of his myths. ;)

My BURR OAK have put on quite a bit of growth in the past few years. In some cases Ive selected a few of the better Burr Oaks, and mowed around them to reduce competition and release those trees for growth. Seems to work quite well.

Art.....you sure could transplant a few of the Burr Oaks growing naturally in my sands to see if they survive at your place. Bring a pail. :)

 

[Freeborn]

As I was planting some English and "Monster" burr oaks that I grew from acorns received from guys on the "dark side" this spring I thought..."what the heck am I doing?" I've got loads of burr oaks here already and a decent number of northern reds. I've had acorns on the ground each spring since 2012. I may get lucky and see the English oaks drop some acorns before I "drop"....but I'm not holding my breath.

I think I'm done with oak plantings, I'll be focusing on planting trees that should produce fruit/mast in 3-7 years from now on.

Agree, diversity will help you stand out compared to your neighbors, what do you have on your list? My American Plum and Crabapples are being heavily browsed and are putting on allot of fruit. I'd like to add diversity in the areas where I have had mortality so I'm looking for ideas. I know you were looking at Saskatoons, did you find a source?

 

[LessRice]

How do you like the black ice plum? My local nursery has been bragging them up telling me I need to get some.

 

[sandbur]

How do you like the black ice plum? My local nursery has been bragging them up telling me I need to get some.

I think our winter killed it. It got a few tiny leaves and is now all brown. Alderman plum is nice and green.

 

[sandbur]

Tom and Jerry, I've got plenty of young bur oaks and some pin oak types that grow in certain locations. Occasionally one amounts to something. Imight trya few black oak acorns if someone has them, but like Stu says, I'm not putting too much effort into it anymore.

I do tend to see a variety of acorns and some have more pin like characters than others, while some trees must have red oak blood in them.

 

[sandbur]

Last week, I made a run to the north sandbox. I cleaned up a spot for a planting of rye in a month or so.

I extended the sprayed area to the log in the background on the trail.

 

[sandbur]

I sprayed some areas for planting of some crab apples and conifer plugs in spring 2015.



This stand overlooks the future rye and crab apple planting locations.