Acorns, What Type?

[Ansel]

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Acorns1.JPG

Help me out guys. If you recall from an earlier post, I will be healing in oak/acorns this fall. Last night while walking with my kids on the campus of NMU, my son found an acorn - after careful review I could not name the type. I did pick a up a plastic grocery bag full and will add them to my planting. The leaves are small but the acorns are long, almost the size of your thumb. I'm guessing some type of white oak but need your help identifying it. Thanks!

[farmlegend]

Looks kind of like English Oak, Quercus Robur. It's a heavy bearer, and a white oak.

[bishs]

Ansel, make sure you plant red oaks also. Its a good idea to have a variety but red oaks grow very fast and white oaks take forever to grow. My 10 year old red oaks are 20 foot tall, the whites are 6-7 feet tall planted the same day. Red oaks have pointed leaves

[Lyle7289]

Ansel,

My property is LOADED with red oaks, along with 3 other varities. Do you want some red oak acorns? I can mail you a TON mixed with an assortment of others.
They grow pretty fast as far as oak trees go.

Regards,
Lyle

[Ansel]

Thanks Guys for the help. My kids and I have picked a 5 gallon bucket of red oaks. I put a point on the end of an old shovel handle. I can take the handle, poke it into the groud, drop my acorn and do the next. Then last night we found these types of acorns. I did look up English Oak's and that is indeed what that acorn is from. I went to the Morse Nusery web site and they said the English Oak is very sweat and better than the white oak. This weekend before I go home I plan to plant the the acorns - the Red and the English.

Also - thanks Lyle for the offer.

[Backwoods-Savage]

Ansel, if you plant these acorns in the gound, just put them barely into the ground or you are wasting a bunch of time. Best luck we've had is to just nudge them in slightly....so that part of the acorn is still exposed to the air. Next spring, hopefully when the warm spring sun hits, it will sprout and put it's roots down. Those we tried putting in further never made it. Even so, a very low percentage will make it, but good luck to you.

[chasmo54]

Ansel,
For sure English Oak. I would plant them at least one inch under ground sideways. If any of the acorn is exposed I'm afraid rodents will eat them. I haven't used the product but it makes sense from blue tubex called direct seedings tubes, very cheap and are used to keep rodents away from the seedling and nut. I would pick out spots where you think these English oaks will get plenty of air movement as they can be susceptible to powdery mildew. Great acorns for whitetails and reliable. Good luck.

[fairfax1]

I agree with FrmLgnd & Chasmo.....it sure looks like an English Oak to me.

I am a big fan of this species.....it is an extremely heavy bearer of acorns. I've seen trees on the Michigan State campus that produced crops that were simply amazing.....much much heavier than any white oak or red oak that I've ever seen in the wild.

[Sam22]

Correct me if I am wrong, but white oaks don't grow well in the soils in the UP, they seem to to ok in yards are around MQT, but I have not found one in the woods yet around here. Ansel have you seen any in the wild locally?

[Ansel]

Sam,
I also have not found any white oaks growing in the U.P. or more specific around the Marquette area. Lot's or Red but no White's. The area I will be planting them is around the Gaylord area. I have an old cattle farm down there, there is lots of Maple but NO oak. We've thought about giving this planting acorns a try and see what happens. I'm 36 and I realize acorns take a lot of time to grow and start to produce. Do I think I will be around when these acorns mature....not really. Do I think every acorns will produce a tree...again...no. I'd be happy with 10%. I've got three kids maybe they might reap the rewards. Besides it's just fun doing something knowing you are trying to help wildlife.

Tim
aka - Ansel

[trailsend]

Do deer prefer white oak acorns over red oak acorns?

[Teeton]

Yes deer do like white oaks to red oaks.
Anyway from the looks of the leaf and the acorns if you where in Pa I would say you have Chestnut oaks. Is chestnut oak the same as English oak??

[fairfax1]

Nope.

EO = Quercus robur

Chestnut Oak = Quercus prinus

Swamp Chestnut Oak = Quercus michauxii

Google it all up.