Fast growing oaks

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

Wanting to plant a hillside back from field. Mainly for my son one day to not have to be on a bush hog where it's so steep.

Looking at southern red oak, white oak, sawtooth and some persimmon.

Any other recommendations?

 

[Chapman]

Shumard Oaks are pretty fast growing.

 

[BSK]

In decent growing conditions, white oaks are usually producing acorns in 20-25 years.

 

[Bucket]

Which direction does the hillside face?

 

[Ski]

I've got a similar situation except it's a large opening due to wind blown deadfalls. I've about got the logs all cleared out and ready to put something else in there. Since my place is almost exclusively oaks & hickories, I'm going to fill that space up with an orchard of crabapples, apples, pears, and thicket forming plums.

 

[yellalinehunter]

Sawtooth would be my go to

 

[BSK]

Sawtooth would be my go to

Except native species will outgrow them quickly.

 

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

Which direction does the hillside face?

It kind of rolls around like a U. But gets a lot of sun during the day.

 

[TX300mag]

Shumard Oaks are pretty fast growing.

These grow fasted I've seen

 

[gladesman60]

Shumards and throw in some chestnuts as well. You will be feeding the deer in 6 to 8 years

 

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

Shumards and throw in some chestnuts as well. You will be feeding the deer in 6 to 8 years

Already got about 20 chestnuts ranging 3-5
Years old. 3 trees have burrs this year.

 

[BSK]

Already got about 20 chestnuts ranging 3-5
Years old. 3 trees have burrs this year.

That's really interesting information. What type of Chestnuts are they?

 

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

That's really interesting information. What type of Chestnuts are they?

Dunstan. Also have some Chinese I grew myself. Will be picking up what dunstan chestnuts I can to grow this year. I'll get picks tomorrow when I get to my farm.

Edit to add. I have 22 different apple trees also. 14 had apples this year in the same age group 3-5 years

 

[BSK]

Thanks Tn_Va_Hunter!

 

[Bgoodman30]

Except native species will outgrow them quickly.

Which ones? I have planted several species and nothing has kept up with my sawtooths? Not saying they're the best but they grow fast and produce acorns soon.

 

[Bgoodman30]

These trees I planted in my backyard as whips

can't be more than 4-5 years old.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Which ones? I have planted several species and nothing has kept up with my sawtooths? Not saying they're the best but they grow fast and produce acorns soon.

Friend of mine gave me a sack full of sawtooth acorn from his trees that he started from acorns he picked up while on a trip in Kentucky....he planted them in pots to start them then transplanted a few in his front yard....full sun and watered them during dry periods....in 7 to 8 years they are now 8" diameter and 18 to 20' tall and all three trees in his yard drop loads of acorns......I've direct planted 45 saw tooth acorns he gave me this spring and 15 bare root seedlings i got through a program at work.....and I have several growing in buckets to transplant in the future....I also got some red oak bare root seedlings a few years back and they are growing...but not near as fast as the sawtooth.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Friend of mine gave me a sack full of sawtooth acorn from his trees that he started from acorns he picked up while on a trip in Kentucky....he planted them in pots to start them then transplanted a few in his front yard....full sun and watered them during dry periods....in 7 to 8 years they are now 8" diameter and 18 to 20' tall and all three trees in his yard drop loads of acorns......I've direct planted 45 saw tooth acorns he gave me this spring and 15 bare root seedlings i got through a program at work.....and I have several growing in buckets to transplant in the future....I also got some red oak bare root seedlings a few years back and they are growing...but not near as fast as the sawtooth.

You should see the ones at my farm. 10-15 years old. Some are 10-12" diameter. Drop loads of acorns.

 

[BSK]

And Sawtooth drop earlier than native oaks, so for a couple of weeks in bow season, they are super-attractive.

 

[Swampster]

Except native species will outgrow them quickly.

Not my experience, but everything varies by local conditions. In my 3,000 tree planting (riparian buffer) my memory is that sawtooths grew a little faster at first, and are about the same size or slightly smaller at 20 years. My impressions at this point are that the sawtooths are not a long lived tree and are likely mature while the native trees (white, cherrybark, swamp chestnut) are just getting started. If I actually had a choice rather than the forestry department deciding for me, I would reduce the 500 sawtooths in that planting to maybe 100 if I had it to do over.