ACORNS TO OAKS How to Grow Your Own Oak Trees The historical and
economic importance of Iowa's oaks led the General Assembly to
name them the state tree in 1961. But considering how desired
oaks are, a landscaping trees it is surprising how infrequently
they are planted for that purpose. Partly this is because oaks
are slow growing and can take as long as two to three decades
before they begin to provide significant shade. But mostly it's
because the oaks, with their deep penetrating tap roots, do not
fit into the current commercial nursery practice of supplying
large caliper (trunk diameter) balled and burlaped or container
grown trees for planting. Bur oaks can send a tap root down as
deep as five feet in the first year of growth. If about 95% of a
tree's roots are removed when it's moved from the nursery then
oaks do not make good candidates for transplanting. The best and
fastest growing oaks are grown in place--starting exactly where
they'll end up. This is what nature does when white oak acorns
sprout a