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Author Topic: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.  (Read 5615 times)

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Offline Marks

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What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« on: January 30, 2014, 01:38:24 pm »
I know I've mentioned it a few times but I just had a son about a month ago. I want to plant an oak from a seed in my front yard and watch it grow as I watch him grow. I'm not good at tree identification but I've always loved the oaks that have the huge low limbs that spread out wide. If I had my choice I'd plant a live oak but I don't believe they can survive in North Alabama. What is the best oak to plant in North Alabama to get a wide spread, low limbed tree? Would a live oak survive?  I'm thinking pin oak.
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Offline BOWMAN53

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2014, 01:54:28 pm »
black oak sounds like the oak your discribing. idk if it grows there though.
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Offline autologus

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2014, 02:14:57 pm »
If you are wanting to plant an Oak and watch it grow I would suggest a Sawtooth Oak, they are fairly fast growing as far as an Oak goes, any other variety and they will be slow growing. 

Grady
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2014, 02:16:25 pm »
Up here in Michigan the Whites grow fast'ish, reds not so fast. But reds are the big bushy beasts that cover your lawn with shade. It just takes 150 years to do it.
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Offline Buckeye Guy

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2014, 02:42:50 pm »
Pin oak is what came to my mind also !
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Offline bowtarist

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2014, 02:58:03 pm »
DLH is the guy to hear from.  He has access to a hybrid oak that starts to fruit after the fourth year.  Swamp oak is cool, black oak kinda stinks, old folks around here call it piss oak, white oak I think is the one you have in mind though.  I hope DLH sees this. Great Idea!! dp
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Offline Marks

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2014, 03:24:04 pm »
I'm looking for shape more so than speed of growing. I realize I'll probably be dead for 50-100 years before its looks like I want it to look but I still want to plant it for the future.

According to Wikipedia, pin oak and swamp oak are one in the same.

Does anyone know how far north oaks grow? I'm about 5-10 miles from the state line.
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Offline Pat B

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2014, 03:43:25 pm »
Both red and white oaks have beautiful shapes if planted where they can grow unobstructed. Both red and white oaks are slow growing. White oaks take 75 years from acorn to acorn.   Sawtooth oaks, a Chinese variety grows fast, produces acorns in 7 to 8 years and has a nice shape. The problem with Sawtooth oaks is they are considered invasive exotics because they produce more acorns then get eaten by wildlife.
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Offline lostarrow

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2014, 03:51:37 pm »
 Soutern  Ontario and   for a couple hundred   miles North along most of the Border. Give or take with regional variance of course.
  English Oak and white Oak are the ones that come to mind with the big lower branches that spread. Pruning will also have an effect of course, to determine the final shape. We have a pretty good growing season here in S.W. Ontario, and on a well fertilised and watered lawn the red oaks will get 1/2" growth rings or more .  An Arborist buddy of mine told me he cut down an Oak that A father had planted when his son was born and it was  almost 48" on the stump  at 50 years old. Back home in Northern Ontario ,( North Shore of Lake Huron) a tree like that would be 200-250 years old . Not many like that up there. ;) . The small 5" Elms that I've cut up there are about 30-40 years old.
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Offline 4dog

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2014, 04:07:51 pm »
where in your yard is it going...dry spot...shady spot...wet spot...full sun...shumard red oak is a pretty awesome looking oak..has the classic globe shape grows fairly fast..really just about any oak will grow n abalama...just depends more on the soil and MC of the soil..lol
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Offline Thesquirrelslinger

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2014, 05:36:31 pm »
dude... there is a live oak on my friend's farm.
lol.
Not pin oak. It grows very straight and tall.
go for white oak. it spreads very well.
Maybe plant a tree now, cut when he turns 16 and make a bow for him.
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Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2014, 07:52:44 pm »
I live in N Alabama and have a variety of oaks on my place. I have red, white, pin, willow, post and water oaks.

For sheer beauty the water oaks stands out to me, slicker light gray bark, deep green shiny leaves, I just like the way they look.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra
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Offline stickbender

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2014, 08:12:23 pm »

     I have a huge laurel oak in my yard here in Florida, that my Dad brought back from Georgia, as just a sapling.  That was around 1978.  It is probably 25-30 ft. tall, and wide.  I think the low spreading limbs you are talking about are on the live oaks.  I don't know how long they take to grow, but i don't think that they grow very fast.  You see a lot of them in the deep south, around plantations, and parks, with the limbs drooping down, and up, starting fairly low on the trunk, compared to other varieties of oak.  You usually see them with moss on the lower limbs.  They should be fine in your temperature zone.  Not a plant guy, so you might want to call, or email, your local county agricultural agent, or office.
Or you could Google oaks of the deep south, and see what pops up. ;)

                                                                                Wayne
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Offline 4dog

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2014, 11:14:01 pm »
live oak should do ok...but when your son is 30 it just might be big enough for him to scratch his back on
..not the fastest growing oak .
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Offline Gus

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Re: What kind of oak should I plant? Not bow wood.
« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2014, 12:14:27 am »
If you're thinking of something like This:



This is a Live Oak.
I think you could grow one.
They are Slow Growers in their Ideal environment.
Even slower in climates less suited to their growth.

Awesome Trees none the less...

:)

-gus
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