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Oak tree selection help por favor - selected shumard oak

Posted on 7/19/19 at 10:19 am
Posted by weagle99
Member since Nov 2011
35893 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 10:19 am
This fall I am going to take down 2 dying water oaks and go back with a single new oak planting. My choices so far:

Willow Oak
Nutall Oak
Shumard Oak

Smaller, urban yard. My guy keeps recommending the nutall but I am located outside of its home range so I am uneasy about long term longevity (I’m in Georgia).

Which does the board recommend? Any others? Thanks in advance!

This post was edited on 8/1/19 at 4:41 pm
Posted by Hammertime
Will trade dowsing rod for titties
Member since Jan 2012
43031 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 10:25 am to
What's your soil like (check Soil Web Survey)?
Posted by Geauxld Finger
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2005
32309 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 10:46 am to
Try a white oak or maybe a cow oak.

What’s the desire for this specific 3?
Posted by CAT
Central Arkansas
Member since Aug 2006
7216 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 11:02 am to
We have both willow oaks and shumard oaks in our yard and have planted both. I like both, willow oaks seem to grow faster here (central Arkansas) but they also seem more vulnerable to breaking large limbs in storms.
Posted by weagle99
Member since Nov 2011
35893 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 11:21 am to
quote:

What’s the desire for this specific 3?





They were recommended as faster growing oaks that would work in the location but I’m open to suggestions.
This post was edited on 7/19/19 at 11:24 am
Posted by weagle99
Member since Nov 2011
35893 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 11:23 am to
quote:

What's your soil like (check Soil Web Survey)?


Will do and post the results.

It is fairly sandy, that much I know.

ETA: I looked. It is called Orangeburg sandy loam
This post was edited on 7/19/19 at 12:38 pm
Posted by weagle99
Member since Nov 2011
35893 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 11:24 am to
quote:

We have both willow oaks and shumard oaks in our yard and have planted both. I like both, willow oaks seem to grow faster here (central Arkansas) but they also seem more vulnerable to breaking large limbs in storms.



Thanks! How does leaf raking compare between the 2 types?
Posted by ItzMe1972
Member since Dec 2013
11503 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 11:40 am to

"Thanks! How does leaf raking compare between the 2 types?"

Willow oak leaves are slim and almost disappear. Shumard have bigger leaves.

I also have both, but those willow oak limbs keep snapping as the previous poster mentioned. I prefer Shumard.
Posted by Geauxld Finger
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2005
32309 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 12:32 pm to
Shumard is better than willow.

Take a look at Cow Oaks aka Swamp Chestnut Oak. Good and hardy oak. Can take moisture but can also be in drier soils. Very versatile and different. Gets some decent fall color as well
Posted by Hammertime
Will trade dowsing rod for titties
Member since Jan 2012
43031 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 12:49 pm to
Don't waste your time raking. Run over that shite with your mower
Posted by CrawDude
Baton Rouge
Member since Apr 2019
5617 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 1:01 pm to
Though I don’t have any of the 3, each of my surrounding neighbors have one of the 3, and I’m the beneficiary of much of their winter leaves that I use as mulch.

Each tree is 25 years old. In my opinion the Shumard is the nicest looking, eye appeal, of the 3. The Willow oak is attractive and also the largest with the widest canopy - fastest growing. The Nutall oak, although nice looking, is the “twiggest” of the group and smallest (after 25 years), height and canopy wise.

Leaves of the willow oak can be used directly as mulch in the landscape bed without chopping. In Louisiana, the willow oak is designated as a LSU AgCenter Superplant.

Cherry Bark oak, almost identical to the Shumard, has fuzzy, lighter green color to the underside of the leaf, and has a very attractive eye-catching appeal when spring and fall winds blow and rustle the leaves.
Posted by AlxTgr
Kyre Banorg
Member since Oct 2003
84505 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 1:14 pm to
quote:

Shumard is better than willow.
Posted by Zappas Stache
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
Member since Apr 2009
40979 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 1:56 pm to
quote:

Smaller, urban yard.


Based on the smaller, urban yard, Shumards, Nuttalls and Willow Oaks all get 40-50' spread which may be too big for your yard. If you want a smaller oak, look at the Georgia Oak.

quote:

Georgia Oak Georgia oaks (Quercus georgiana) are small, deciduous trees that grow 20 to 40 feet tall and with a 15 foot spread. The leaves are small, with three to six lobes; they turn bright red in the fall. Georgia oaks grow in rocky, dry areas of Georgia zones 7a, 7b and 8a. Georgia oaks are well-suited as specimen trees in small yards or along streets.


A non-oak but a great tree is the Chinese Pistache that gets 35' tall x 30' wide.
This post was edited on 7/19/19 at 6:13 pm
Posted by meeple
Carcassonne
Member since May 2011
10306 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 2:00 pm to
Neighbor has a willow oak that was planted right after Katrina took their live oak... so 13 years old. The tree is gorgeous, huge, and perfectly proportioned. I would have planted one in my backyard then had I known about them.
Posted by REB BEER
Laffy Yet
Member since Dec 2010
17156 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 2:03 pm to
Have you looked into a Japanese Saw-tooth Oak?

I think they grow pretty fast.

Sawtooth Oak
This post was edited on 7/19/19 at 2:04 pm
Posted by LSUA 75
Colfax,La.
Member since Jan 2019
4339 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 2:20 pm to
I have about 5 sawtooth oaks in my large front yard,hate them.Constantly dropping twigs.If you don’t mind just chopping them up with mower might be ok but I’m too OCD.
I would prefer Shumard oaks.
Posted by REB BEER
Laffy Yet
Member since Dec 2010
17156 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 2:32 pm to
10-4 I don't personally have any but my uncle does and I like their unique look. The Shumards are very nice looking oaks.
Posted by Man4others
Member since Aug 2017
2355 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 2:42 pm to
Willow Oaks have thin leaves that are a pain to blow off the yard. But they are nice trees overall
Posted by weagle99
Member since Nov 2011
35893 posts
Posted on 7/19/19 at 5:30 pm to
Thanks everyone for the recommendations!
Posted by Cowboyfan89
Member since Sep 2015
12934 posts
Posted on 7/20/19 at 7:45 pm to
quote:

Take a look at Cow Oaks aka Swamp Chestnut Oak. Good and hardy oak. Can take moisture but can also be in drier soils. Very versatile and different. Gets some decent fall color as well

Better adapted to wetter sites than drier. Also gets very big, and one of the slower growing oaks compared to willow, shumard, and nuttall. Also makes massive acorns that someone may not want in their yard.
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