# How long before a Red Oak will drop acorns?



## ranchdog

I am planning to plant some Red Oak trees for an acorn crop one day and since that seems to be the best Oak to plant in the Dickinson County UP area. The conservation district is selling the trees that they list as 2 years old and 14-24" in height.

So if I do every thing right like use tree shelters, put them on good soil, in the hardwoods area, kill the grass and weed around them, and in good sunlight. How long till they would start dropping acorns. Somone told me like 20 years. Is there a better oak tree? My understanding is the White oak won't do well in the UP.

Thanks Ranchdog


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## wecker20

You heard right. 15 to 20 years to produce. If you have children and plan on keeping the property for them when you croke, then plant them. :lol: I plan on planting some cause I have 0 trees on my 80. I live on an old centenial farm and plan on giving it to my son when I pass on. He'll have some of the best habitat on an 80 that you can get. Just going to take some years.


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## brokenarrow

Not to mention its nothing short of a usable investment. Where can you invest your money, start reaping the benifits after 15-20 years and your kids will someday be able to cash in on or continue to use the way it is. 20 years goes by faster than we all would want. If I knew then what I do now, I would of spent a week planting more oaks when I bought my land 20 yrs ago.
One of the best food plots you can have with next to no maintenance afte a few years, consider it the ultimate perenial.


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## DaveK

Don't mean to hijack the post but had a different thought on growing oaks in selected areas. 

Is it possible to transplant them? 

I have many oaks of different sizes on my 40 and often thought of transplanting them to certain areas to build a future oak stand.


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## ranchdog

You know that's interesting as far as transplanting oaks because I wondered if you could not just get a bunch of acorns and bury them into the ground out in the woods. Around our house the neighbors have tons of acorns. I mean in my mulch beds in the flower beds they keep coming up. I Spray them with Roundup sometimes while killing weeds and they seem pretty hardy.

I agree, I might as well plant them I might be able to see acorns one day if I am blessed enough to live that long. At least maybe my daughters kids if she has any will thank me for it. I mean sometimes we have to give back to the land even if we personally don't reap the benefits. 

Regards, Ranchdog


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## brokenarrow

If I remember right, oaks have a deep tap root. You would need to dig out a very large percentage of it. Get them when they are young!
Ranchdog
I believe a float test may be one way to test for viable acorns. The ones that float have bugs or are not viable ( Do a search to confirm the sinking vs floating) I may be backwards on that. I think white oaks have a very short time they can be on the ground before you should plant, red may be longer but I think there is a window on this.
Just went back and retrieved this. It is from Cal. but you will get the jist.
http://phytosphere.com/oakplanting/acorns.htm


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## ranchdog

Thanks brokenarrow,

That is a great link. It might work planting acorns, who knows it might be worth a try for the fun of it.

Ranchdog


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## TSPham

I've read that Sawtooth oaks produce much quicker, however, are not as hardy in northern Michigan.

See this cut/paste:
*Quercus acutissima* or sawtooth oak is a wide spreading, clean foliated shade or lawn tree. A great source for wildlife food because it begins to produce acorns in its fifth year. A highly prized oak for wildlife enthusiasts because of the short time it takes for the tree to produce acorns. 
*Will begin to provide acorns in 4 to 6 years.* Has a moderate water requirements and has a moderate tolerance to salt and alkali soils. 

See this link on the QDMA forum with posts from some of our own MS people:
https://www.qdma.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1442&PN=1

TSPham


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## ranchdog

Thanks TSPham and everyone else,

Looks like to me it's Northern Red Oak and a little time (15 years).

Thanks again, Ranchdog


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## bishs

They drop acorns in 15 to 20 years, like posted above. This picture is a red oak 10 years old, planted from a seedling. The flag is four feet tall. This tree is close to 20 feet. Red oaks grow fast, white oaks grow very slow.


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