White Oak Fertilizer
03-30-2010, 09:53 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 2
White Oak Fertilizer
Hi there, I'm new to the HuntingNet and am taking a new look at wildlife management. Does anybody have any tips on fertilizing white oaks that are on my property. I was going to use a slow release product and apply it any day now then again in late fall. Any info would be great thanks.
03-30-2010, 11:34 AM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains of VA
Posts: 698
Welcome to the forum dmese! and good to hear your into wildlife management.
I fertilize Oaks with 10-10-10 and roughly calculate how much to apply by measuring the diameter of the tree at breast height and then use 2 #'s of fertilizer for every inch of diameter, and spread the fertilizer from the base of the tree to out just past the drip line. The fertilizer can be added to holes made by a crow bar etc. to help keep weeds from using it up, but a lot of my ground is very rocky and I just scatter it instead.
That I know of, there's no scientific proof that fertilizing Oaks increases acorn production and I can't say I've seen any certain benefit, but I figure as long as fertilizer isn't over applied, it can't hurt.
The fact that Oaks are naturally inconsistent at producing acorns and lots of things influence acorn crops, spring frost, insects, rainfall etc makes saying for certain fertilizing increases acorn production tricky at best.
Cutting down competing trees seems to be the most beneficial thing one can do to help Oaks and many other mast producing trees achieve their full potential.
Maybe a couple members here will have some better ideas as well.
I fertilize Oaks with 10-10-10 and roughly calculate how much to apply by measuring the diameter of the tree at breast height and then use 2 #'s of fertilizer for every inch of diameter, and spread the fertilizer from the base of the tree to out just past the drip line. The fertilizer can be added to holes made by a crow bar etc. to help keep weeds from using it up, but a lot of my ground is very rocky and I just scatter it instead.
That I know of, there's no scientific proof that fertilizing Oaks increases acorn production and I can't say I've seen any certain benefit, but I figure as long as fertilizer isn't over applied, it can't hurt.
The fact that Oaks are naturally inconsistent at producing acorns and lots of things influence acorn crops, spring frost, insects, rainfall etc makes saying for certain fertilizing increases acorn production tricky at best.
Cutting down competing trees seems to be the most beneficial thing one can do to help Oaks and many other mast producing trees achieve their full potential.
Maybe a couple members here will have some better ideas as well.
04-07-2010, 12:37 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Miami, Oklahoma
Posts: 422
Most N-P-K fertilizer goes toward tree growth, not acorn production. Foliar applications of zinc can help with production, but thinning does better for the overall productivity of individual trees and the per-acre production. Where are you located, dmese, and are they true Quercus alba white oaks or just in the white oak group?
04-08-2010, 06:17 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 277
Welcome to the forum dmese! and good to hear your into wildlife management.
I fertilize Oaks with 10-10-10 and roughly calculate how much to apply by measuring the diameter of the tree at breast height and then use 2 #'s of fertilizer for every inch of diameter, and spread the fertilizer from the base of the tree to out just past the drip line. The fertilizer can be added to holes made by a crow bar etc. to help keep weeds from using it up, but a lot of my ground is very rocky and I just scatter it instead.
That I know of, there's no scientific proof that fertilizing Oaks increases acorn production and I can't say I've seen any certain benefit, but I figure as long as fertilizer isn't over applied, it can't hurt.
The fact that Oaks are naturally inconsistent at producing acorns and lots of things influence acorn crops, spring frost, insects, rainfall etc makes saying for certain fertilizing increases acorn production tricky at best.
Cutting down competing trees seems to be the most beneficial thing one can do to help Oaks and many other mast producing trees achieve their full potential.
Maybe a couple members here will have some better ideas as well.
I fertilize Oaks with 10-10-10 and roughly calculate how much to apply by measuring the diameter of the tree at breast height and then use 2 #'s of fertilizer for every inch of diameter, and spread the fertilizer from the base of the tree to out just past the drip line. The fertilizer can be added to holes made by a crow bar etc. to help keep weeds from using it up, but a lot of my ground is very rocky and I just scatter it instead.
That I know of, there's no scientific proof that fertilizing Oaks increases acorn production and I can't say I've seen any certain benefit, but I figure as long as fertilizer isn't over applied, it can't hurt.
The fact that Oaks are naturally inconsistent at producing acorns and lots of things influence acorn crops, spring frost, insects, rainfall etc makes saying for certain fertilizing increases acorn production tricky at best.
Cutting down competing trees seems to be the most beneficial thing one can do to help Oaks and many other mast producing trees achieve their full potential.
Maybe a couple members here will have some better ideas as well.
04-09-2010, 11:48 AM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Person Co. NC
Posts: 884
Most N-P-K fertilizer goes toward tree growth, not acorn production. Foliar applications of zinc can help with production, but thinning does better for the overall productivity of individual trees and the per-acre production. Where are you located, dmese, and are they true Quercus alba white oaks or just in the white oak group?
04-12-2010, 05:24 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains of VA
Posts: 698
04-19-2010, 04:45 PM
#8
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 2
thanks for the responses. I fertilized two groups of four trees in two different oak groves. I will slowly take out competition, but seems like a healthy oak is pretty good at doing it on their own. I used slow release organic fertilizer and will do again in the late fall. Going to give this experiment a few years. We'll see!
