RNGR.net is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Southern Regional Extension Forestry and is a colloborative effort between these two agencies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service Southern Regional Extension Forestry Southern Regional Extension Forestry

Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

The Forest Service National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources (RNGR) is a leading source of technical information for nurseries and land managers regarding production and planting of trees and other native plants for reforestation, restoration, and conservation.

 
NPN Protocol Details Image

Quercus (rubra)

John M. Englert
USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center
Bldg. 509, BARC - East, E. Beaver Dam Road
Beltsville, Maryland 20705
(301) 504-8175
(301) 504-8741 (fax)
john.englert@wdc.usda.gov
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mdpmc/
Family Scientific Name: Fagaceae
Family Common Name: beech family
Scientific Name: Quercus rubra L.
Common Name: northern red oak
Species Code: QUERUB
Ecotype: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
General Distribution: General Distribution: Nova Scotia, west to southern Ontario, south to eastern Oklahoma, east to the Carolinas. (Olson, 1974)
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Container (plug)
Stock Type: bareroot seedlings and specimen plants in 1, 2 or 3-gallon container depending on Park needs.
Time To Grow: 0
Target Specifications: Time to Grow: Bareroot seedlings are harvested after one year in outdoor nursery beds. Most go out to the park in early spring following harvest. Containerized seedlings may take an additional 2-4 years to reach size specified by the Park.<br><br> Root systems: Bareroot seedlings should have well-developed root systems. Long (tap) roots are pruned as needed at harvest.<br>Container plants should have firm root balls that fill the pot. The insides of containers are treated with Spin Out, a copper hydroxide product that encourages development of a fibrous root system.<br> Height: 2-0 bareroot seedlings are 6-18 inches. 2-1 are 18-36", 2-2 plants in 3-gallon containers are up to 72".
Propagule Collection: Ripe acorns were collected from the Parks in September and October. Collection should be soon after acorns fall to prevent loss to insects, wildlife and fungus. (Olson, 1974)
Propagule Processing: Cleaning: Seeds require little processing other than sorting and removal of visibly damaged acorns (those with holes,soft spots or insect infestation). After sorting, seeds are float-tested in a bucket. Floating acorns are discarded (several are dissected to verify defects). Those that sink are air-dried and sown as soon as possible.
Storage: Best not to store, as moist storage may satisfy dormancy requirements and result in germination; storing without adequate moisture will result in loss of viability. (Olson, 1974)
Purity: Purity using a float test has been 100%.
Germination: not determined. Harvest has been between 5% and 31% of all seeds sown, varying by park and seed lot.
Seeds per Kg: between 184 and 197 (190 average).
Pre-Planting Treatments: Acorns in the black oak group exhibit embryo dormancy and germinate the following spring after fall sowing (Olson, 1974). Acorns are sown outdoors in NPMC woody nursery beds in fall, soon after collection and cleaning to allow natural stratification to occur.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:		 Propagation environment: bareroot seedlings are grown in outdoor woody nursery beds; container specimens are grown to finished size in a container nursery.
Sowing date: October or November as soon as possible after acorn collection.
Sowing/planting technique: Seeds are dusted with fungicide and hand-sown into rows. (Rows are 5-6 inches apart; seeds are sown about «" apart within each row). Ectomycorrhizae are sprinkled over the seed and the row is covered with 1 to 2 inches of soil. The beds are then mulched with aged sawdust, which is scraped back in the spring before seedling emergence. Screening against rodents may be necessary.
Establishment Phase: Seedlings emerge during the following spring after fall sowing. Newly emerged seedlings are monitored closely for irrigation needs. Young seedlings are shaded as soon as they emerge with poly screening at 30%. Shade cloth remains over seedlings until mid-August.
Active Growth Phase: Outdoor woody beds: Because NPMC soil is a nutrient poor, sandy loam, seedlings in the outdoor nursery beds are fertilized once weekly from mid-April through early June with a granular 10-10-10. From mid-June through late July, the 10-10-10 is alternated with a granular urea. Fertilization from late July through late August is bi-weekly with 10-10-10. Overhead irrigation is used after each fertilization. The rate of water applied is determined by soil moisture prior to irrigation.


Container nursery: Plants are either bumped up to the next container size in spring, or if not ready, are top-dressed with 180-day slow release Nutricote after soil in the bottom of the container is replenished with fresh mix. NPMC uses a customized woody mix (3.8 cu. ft. bale Sunshine #1, 4 cu. ft. pine bark mulch and 4 cups 180 day controlled release Nutricote 18-6-8 with micros.) A packet of ectomycorrhizae is put in each pot. Plant roots usually need a season or more after each bump-up for roots to fill the containers.
Daily overhead irrigation is adjusted depending on natural precipitation and pot size. 2 and 3-gallon containers are moved to drip irrigation in full sun. Plants may be pruned to shape early in the season.
Hardening Phase: Outdoor woody nursery beds: During mid- to late summer, fertilization is cut back to twice monthly. Beginning in September, irrigation is only used in a severe droughty situation. <br>Container nursery: frequency and duration of irrigation is reduced as plants go dormant, depending on natural rainfall.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Bareroot: Dormant bareroot plants are harvested in early to mid-December. A bareroot seedling harvester is used to lift plants in the woody bed. Seedlings are then hand-sorted by size and tied in manageable bundles. Roots are pruned as needed and kept moist until packing. Bundles are packed in plastic bins with drainage holes and roots are covered with moist sawdust. Bins are held in cold storage at 40F and watered as needed.

Containers: dormant containerized stock is overwintered outdoors under a microfoam-insulating blanket. After leaves have fallen, the clean, well-watered containers are overlapped on their sides on weed barrier fabric and covered with microfoam. Rodenticide baits are placed at intervals under the blanket to discourage gnawing rodents. The microfoam is then secured.
References: Olson, David F. 1974. Quercus rubra In: Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States. Forest Service, USDA. Agricultural Handbook 450. Washington, DC. 692-703.

Brown, Russell G. and Melvin L. Brown. 1992. Woody Plants of Maryland. Port City Press, Baltimore, MD.
Dirr, Michael A. and Charles W. Heuser, Jr. 1987. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Varsity Press, Inc., Athens GA.

Gleason, Henry A. and Arthur Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. 2nd. Edition. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY.
USDA-NRCS National Plant Materials Center. Woody bed and container nursery plant records. Unpublished.

Citation:

Davis, Kathy; King, Brandy; Kujawski, Jennifer. 2002. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Quercus rubra L. plants bareroot seedlings and specimen plants in 1, 2 or 3-gallon container depending on Park needs.; USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Beltsville, Maryland. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/01). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.