Quercus (rubra)
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Gregory Hoss Nursery Manager George O. White State Forest Nursery PO Box 119 Licking, Missouri 65542-0119 573-674-3229 GIF-native-plants@prodigy.net |
| Family Scientific Name: | Fagaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Oak Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Quercus rubra L. | ||
| Common Synonym: | Quercus borealis Michx. | ||
| Common Name: | Northern red oak | ||
| Species Code: | QUERUB | ||
| Ecotype: | South Central Missouri | ||
| General Distribution: | Northern red oak is found Nova Scotia south to Ontario and throughout the eastern and central United States to Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Minnesota south to Nebraska and Oklahoma. It inhabits mesic soils and well drained upland sites, and occasionally on dry slopes or poorly drained upland sites at elevations from sea level to 1,800 m (0 to 5,905 ft). Our seed sources are from south central Missouri. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Bareroot (field grown) | ||
| Stock Type: | 1+0 | ||
| Time To Grow: | 1 Years | ||
| Target Specifications: | Height: 24 to 30 in<br> Caliper:0.25 in<br> Root System: Root system must balance top growth. | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Seeds are purchased from local people who collect within a 50 mile radius of the nursery.Seeds are wild collected during fall months and are kept separated according to site, elevation and source. | ||
| Propagule Processing: |
We use a Jesse aspirator which uses suction, gravity and vibration to separate viable from non-viable seeds. There are approximately 235 seeds per kilogram (105 seeds per pound) (Bonner 2004). |
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| Pre-Planting Treatments: | Acorns are sown in January with a mechanical seeder. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
Soils: Our field soils are silty clay loams. The spring before planting, we amend the soils with 700 lbs/acre of 1N:3 P205:5K20, grow a soybean cover crop, and fumigate in the fall. We use Roundup Ready soybeans so we can control weeds by using glycosate herbicide without harming the cover crop. During early August, we disk under the cover crop and disk the soils several times during the next 6 weeks to obtain a smooth soil surface. Soils are fumigated in late September. Field Bed Preparation: We mark out and form beds as needed. Beds are prepared with a rototiller/seedbed former and are typically 4 to 6 inches high and 4 ft wide. Fields are cultivated for weeds as needed throughout the growing season. Irrigation: We use overhead irrigation with two inch pvc pipe that can be moved from field to field each year. Our principle water source is from 3 on-site wells and is very good quality water. |
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| Establishment Phase: | We sow acorns at least 3 to 4 inches deep to protect them from deer, rodents and birds. Seeds are covered and irrigated when soils appear to be drying out on warm days. We apply old sawdust and hydromulch after sowing. | ||
| Length of Establishment Phase: | 1 month after emergence in the spring | ||
| Active Growth Phase: |
Year 1: Fertilization: We apply ammonium sulfate 21-0-0-24 with a mechanical spreader. We put on the first application the last week of May and to only those 1+0 seedlings that have been germinated for at least 5 or 6 weeks. We put down our last application during the last week of July. We apply fertilizer at the rate of 125 lbs/acre. Red oak is fertilized 3 or 4 times during the growing season. We irrigate for at least 45 minutes following all fertilizer applications. This insures that foliage will not burn and incorporates fertilizer into the root zone. ROOT PRUNING PROCEDURES: Seedlings are root pruned during the month of June.Pruning depth is at least 10 inches for 1+ 0 stock. Irrigate heavily for 2 to 3 days prior to pruning to saturate the root zone. Set pruning blade to slightly wrench seedlings as they are pruned. Check pruning depth frequently and adjust as needed. Irrigate for a minimum of 2 hours following root pruning to settle soil back around roots. This step is critical to eliminate post root pruning mortality. Irrigate field heavily for 2 to 3 days to further settle the soil. TOP PRUNING PROCEDURES: We top prune only to keep seedlings from being damaged by the mechanical lifter. Our clients prefer seedlings that have not been severely shoot pruned. |
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| Length of Active Growth Phase: | 4 months | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Hardening begins during August. No fertilizer is applied after August. Irrigation frequency and duration is shortened and applied only when needed. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | 3 months | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | Lifting window is from late November to April, depending on species. Oak reatins leaves into the winter months. We lift when the majority of leaves have drop from the seedlings. We try to obtain a large a root mass as possible. Seedlings are hand lifted after the seedling beds have been undercut at an average depth of 10 or 12 inches using a lifter. Lifted nursery stock is immediately stored in cooler until graded and bundled. The majority of species are graded, bundled and shipped during February. | ||
| Length of Storage: | 3 months | ||
| References: | Bonner FT. 2004. The genus Quercus. In: Woody Plant Seed Manual (on-line version) URL: http://wpsm.net/Quercus.pdf | ||
Citation:
Hoss, Gregory. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Bareroot (field grown) Quercus rubra L. plants 1+0; George O. White State Forest Nursery Licking, Missouri. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/24). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
