Propagation.

Oak definitely has a cycle of seed production. Typically, every 4 - 5 years, the trees will produce massive quantities of acorns. I now simply gather these up, put them in a paper bag and allow them to ripen for a couple of weeks. Before planting I do a "float" test: I put all the acorns in a bucket of water and those that float are discarded. I once did an experiment where I planted all the acorns that had failed this test. Only 2 out of 50 actually germinated compared to 48 out of 50 that had passed it.

Acorns must be planted immediately as they will quickly lose moisture and fail to germinate. I plant them, in pairs, in the desired planting positions. I don't bother marking the sites or pre-weedkilling: they don't seem to need it. Obviously, we also get hundreds of "self-set" seedlings growing just about everywhere that they are not wanted.

Acorns geminate very quickly, but in 2 stages. The root, or radicle, will emerge straight away in the Autumn. The shoot, or plumule, does not begin to grow until the following spring. This strategy, combined with the large amount of food stored in the big nut, means that the acorn has a head start on grasses and weeds in the subsequent competition for water.

Planting & Aftercare.

No special requirements: please see our general Planting & Aftercare notes.

Coppicing.

Stump regrowth has been good on trees which have been cut back to improve their form. Experiments with a "mini-pollard" technique, where trees where cut to around 4' in height have not been successful: the trees simply produced heavy, twisted, horizontal branches.

Formative Pruning.

Oak benefits from frequent formative pruning, especially removal of competing leading shoots and thicker branches. Otherwise an abundance of heavy, low branches and forking will destroy any potential timber value. Branches should be removed as early as possible to reduce the number of potential knots in the finished timber.

Having said this, however, some trees just will not grow straight whatever you do. By this stage I usually give up and cut the tree back to ground level: "stumping back". I then allow the resulting new stems to grow on for 5 or 6 years before selecting out the best one. Of course, if there is no improvement then the stems can be left for firewood.

Normally it is best to prune Oaks during the winter months: when they are dormant. But some years I prune during the late summer. Although Oak has a predeterminate growth pattern and has normally finished growing by then, it is still laying down food reserves for the new growth in spring and for any emergencies that might occur. So I am reluctant to do any work that might unduly stress them, particulary in very dry summers.

However, in particularly favourable years a second burst of growth occurs. This is known as "Lammas growth" after the festival on the 1st of August. So when this growth occurs I take the opportunity to remove some of the lower branches and forks; thus reducing some of the winter workload.

See the Formative Pruning notes in the standard Planting & Aftercare page.

Timber Properties.

Oak heartwood timber is very durable in the ground. I hope, therefore, to be able to produce poles and stakes. Unfortunately, oak is so slow growing I haven't been able to grow any so far.

Oak sapwood timber is perishable. 

Density is 700 kgs/^m-3.

Pests & Deseases.

Squirrels

Likely to cause significant damage in pole-stage crops (10-40 years) through bark-stripping. Squirrels seem particularly attracted to fast-growing Oaks in plantations. Control by shooting or trapping will be essential.

Shake

This defect of the wood (xylem) cannot be detected until the tree has been felled. However trees that regularly flush very late in spring are the likeliest to have this problem. They should be removed during normal thinning operations.