btpatriot02

I was wondering if I should wrap a fence around the oak trees that I' m planning on planting this summer? And also when should I expect some acorns to produce and can I speed up the process by using a fertilizer?

timbercruiser

To prevent browsing a simple fence should work.
Depends on what kind of oak you are planting. Anything other than a Sawtooth you are looking at 20 + years, depending on soil conditions. I would plant the oaks as soon as possible, before summer. Fertilizer will help a mature oak in acorn production, but it won' t make an immature tree produce.

Dan O.

If the trees are away from buildings, etc. and are in an area inhabited by deer, they may be pruned by the deer. The 6 ft trees that I put out 2 years ago had the lower branches trimmed. The branches that were out of reach grew well. If they are seedlings it could be difficult since deer like the growing tips. You might try spraying soap, deer repellent or painting the trees with a Thiram-Latex plant mixture to keep the deer away.

What type of oaks are they? If they' re Sawtooth Oaks they may start bearing in 5-7 years. I' ve had Red, White and English Oaks start to crop in approx. 10 years. That was with good fertilization and even more importantly: grass control around the trees.

Dan O.

btpatriot02

I' m planning on planting a variety of oaks red and white and swamp white oaks. My Extension service told me on their website that most oaks will produce every 2 to 5 years. and should be facing on a N.E slope. But I notcied that the swamp white likes a acid soil. The place I want to plant on is loaded with Ash.so I' m going to thin out and plant the oaks.

Dan O.

If you leave some ash trees they will help to naturally " prune" the oaks by not allowing lower branch formation. This is the same as planting pines on a 6x6 or 8x8' grid to keep manual pruning to a minimum. The ash trees, if they aren' t too tall won' t give too much shade but will help to keep the grass down.

Dan O.