He Grows Oaks That Produce Acorns in 3 to 9 Years

He Grows Oaks That Produce Acorns in 3 to 9 Years CROPS Miscellaneous Plant hybrid white oak seedlings now and within 3 to 9 years they will produce acorns says Charlie Morse owner of Morse Nursery in Battle Creek Mich     “Ninety-nine percent of our customers buy hybrid white oaks for acorn production for wildlife They don’t want to wait 20 or more years ” he says     The white oak acorn is one of the favorite foods of deer and turkeys Morse says he’s watched wildlife go through his apple orchard to get to the acorns under his oak trees when they have heavy crops     Hybrid white oaks occur naturally in nature from crossbreeding but they are few and far between Morse gathered acorns from them and started his own grove He gathers the acorns from those trees in the fall stores them in a humidity-controlled refrigerator and plants them in January to be ready to sell as seedlings in the spring     “We use air root pruning which tricks the plant to grow more lateral roots in the top 12 in of soil This helps speed the process of nut production ” he explains While the seedlings above ground are short with twice as many roots the trees grow 2 to 3 ft /year for about five years     “In Michigan Zone 5 we see them produce acorns regularly by the 5th year – and almost always by the 6th or 7th year ” Morse says Minnesota Zone 3 takes 5 to 9 years while warm Zone 8 states can produce acorns in just 3 years     The seedlings sell for $4 50 to $6 50 each according to volume Morse also offers older plants starting at $11 50 for year-old plants They are shipped in special packaging in containers with soil not bare root     Morse emphasizes that it’s important to know where the seed comes from when buying stock His seedlings start from acorns grown in Michigan so they are cold hardy for customers in places such as Minnesota yet also adaptable to warmer climates     In addition to hybrid oaks he sells fruit trees chestnut trees crab apple trees persimmon trees and many other varieties     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Charlie Morse Morse Nursery 12300 Betz Rd Battle Creek Mich 49015 ph 269 979-4252; www morsenursery com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.