Quercus (macrocarpa)

Mark E. Majerus USDA NRCS - Bridger Plant Materials Center 99 South River Road, Rte. 2, Box 1189 Bridger, Montana 59014-9718 (406) 662-3579 (406) 662-3428 (fax) mmajerus@mt.nrcs.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mtpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Fagaceae
Family Common Name:	Oak Family
Scientific Name:	Quercus macrocarpa Michx.
Common Name:	Bur oak
Species Code:	QUEMAC
Ecotype:	Numerous northern Plains seeds sources from Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
General Distribution:	Broadly distributed across northern and central US and parts of southern Canada.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Bareroot (field grown)
Stock Type:	Usually 2+0 bareroot stock for windbreaks and shelterbelts
Time To Grow:	2 Years
Propagule Collection:	Collect acorns in the late summer or early fall as soon as they mature. Acorns fall to the ground quickly after ripening and are favored by several animals necessitating frequent inspection to prevent loss. Curculio species losses are high in Great Plains sources so it is often necessary to over-collect to meet target production. Curculio damaged and poorly filled seed can be removed by flotation in water.
Propagule Processing:	Caps, if present, are removed prior to sowing. Use flotation in water to remove damaged or poorly filled seed.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	A 60-day cold, moist chilling appears optimum for most seed sources, although some lots germinate with little or no chilling. Imbibed acorns may be chilled in ziplock bags and then sowed or, sowed into media and then cold, moist chilled. We allow acorns to uptake water for 24 hours prior to chilling at 34 to 37øF.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Follow standard seedbed preparation guidelines (rototilling, light firming, etc.). We normally sow 10 to 15 seeds per linear foot, somewhat less if the viability of the lot is high. For container production, sow 1 to 2 acorns in 40-cubic-inch containers into a well-drained commercial peat-lite mix with baseline nutrition.
Active Growth Phase:	Varies by growing season conditions and, possibly, seed source. Some outplanted trees are capable of a second flush of growth in mid- to late summer but there is no evidence that these trees remain active longer. We have observed that outplanted bur oak tends to break bud late relative to other deciduous species used in the Bridger, Montana area, although fall dormancy/senescence seems comparable with other species.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Lifting of bareroot plants occurs in the spring as soon as the ground thaws. The plants are lifted with a "U" blade mounted to a 3-point system on the back of a tractor is used. Beds are undercut in two directions (lengthwise) prior to using the blade to lift the plants. Bareroot plants are bundled in lots of 10 to 25 trees, their roots covered with moistened sphagnum or peat moss (treated with wetting agent) and wrapped in plastic. As a rule of thumb, proper packing material moisture is when one drop of water can be squeezed from a handful of media. The plants are stored in a walk-in cooler maintained at 34 to 37øF and 80+% relative humidity until needed and then shipped in heavy wax coated boxes as priority ground mail early in the week. Containerized bur oak overwinters well in 40-cubic-inch or larger pots in a hoopframe that is ventilated above 35øF and heated with a portable propane burner to maintain a minimum temperature of 5 to 10øF. Use mouse traps or bait to prevent rodent damage during overwintering.
Length of Storage:	We store fully dormant bareroot plants for several weeks in a cooler at 34 to 37øF and 80+% relative humidity.
Other Comments:	Container and field production of seedlings, some recent evidence of potential for vegetative propagation from stem cuttings.

Citation:

Scianna, Joe. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Bareroot (field grown) Quercus macrocarpa Michx. plants Usually 2+0 bareroot stock for windbreaks and shelterbelts; USDA NRCS - Bridger Plant Materials Center Bridger, Montana. 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.