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For timber and wildlife value, it’s hard to beat white oak. In our portion of the Midwest, white oak is second only to black walnut in timber value.
I’ve been experimenting with propagating both red and white oak (among other species) from seed, and here’s what I’m learning about a key species here in the Midwest.
Why White Oak?
We’re propagating white oaks for two main reasons – to plant as a valuable timber and wildlife nut tree on the property, and to sell quality seedlings.
So why are we doing this? Don’t squirrels do this?
Timber Value That Holds Up
White oak timber consistently brings premium prices. We’re talking $800-1800 per thousand board feet for quality logs versus $100-400 for most other hardwoods in the Midwest. The difference compounds over decades.
A 60-year-old white oak with good form can be worth $1,000-2,000+ as a single tree. Plant 100 trees on 5 acres, lose half to thinning and natural mortality, and you’re still looking at $40,000-70,000 in timber value in your retirement years – or your children or grandchildren’s retirement years. What’s the old saying – “the best time to plant a tree was about the lifespan of a white oak tree ago, the next best time is now.” Growth rate depends greatly on site quality, but generally white oaks can get to harvestable size in 50-100 years.
We’re not growing exclusively one species, as markets shift over time, but white oak is definitely part of our plan. We’re planting white oaks with the knowledge that they are consistently higher valued as quality timber. I really like the fall foliage in sugar maples, but I’m not going to take up much of our space with them, as they are not very desirable for timber.
The Bourbon Boom
White oak is a major species for barrel production – both for distilled spirits such as bourbon and also for wine. The market for cooperage-quality white oak is strong and likely to stay that way.
I’m not banking on this, but it’s a nice insurance policy. Even if timber markets shift, bourbon barrels create a specialty market that adds stability. Maybe in the future there will be another industry that uses barrels for aging.
Wildlife Value
White oak acorns are preferred food for deer, turkey, and dozens of other species. If you hunt your property or lease hunting rights, mature white oaks add real value. Some landowners in Missouri are getting $15-30/acre for hunting leases on properties with good oak mast production.
This isn’t why I’m planting them, but it’s an option on the table if necessary.
If you have a game camera on your property that faces under a productive white oak tree, you will see plenty of traffic as the wildlife discover these acorns in late fall.
Climate Adaptability
White oak handles our zone 6 temperature swings, and tolerates both wet springs and summer droughts better than many alternatives. It’s a low-drama tree once established – a native species.
The question isn’t whether white oak has value. The question is: can you grow them cost-effectively from seed?
Acorn Viability
Here’s the first thing you need to know: white oak acorns are different from red oak acorns.
White oaks germinate in the fall—within weeks of dropping. Red oaks wait until spring.
This changes how you may want to collect and handle them.
What “Viable” Means
Viable doesn’t mean “looks good.” I’ve collected hundreds of acorns that looked perfect but were dead inside.
The float test helps: drop acorns in water. Sinkers are usually viable, floaters are usually duds. But this isn’t foolproof—I’ve had sinkers that still didn’t germinate.
Better test: cut open 10-20 acorns from your collection. Viable acorns have solid white or cream-colored kernels inside. Brown, shriveled, or hollow kernels are dead. If 70%+ of your sample looks good, your collection is viable.
When to Collect
White oak acorns drop September through October in Missouri. Your collection window is somewhat narrow—maybe three to four weeks.
Too early: acorns aren’t mature, won’t germinate well.
Too late: acorns have already germinated on the ground (yes, really), or they’ve been eaten by squirrels and deer.
I walk my areas every week or so during peak drop. I’m looking for fresh acorns on the ground, caps recently separated, no radicle (root) emerging yet.
How Many Acorns Do You Need?
Here’s my math for planning purposes:
- Germination rate: 60-80% (assuming good collection and handling)
- First-year survival in air pruning bed: 80-90%
- Second-year survival after field planting: 70-80%
So if you want 50 established trees in the field by year three, work backwards:
- 50 trees needed
- ÷ 0.75 (year two survival rate) = 67 seedlings to plant out
- ÷ 0.85 (first year survival rate) = 79 acorns to start with
I collect 100 acorns per 50 trees I want, which gives me some buffer.
Storage Before Planting
White oak acorns lose viability if they dry out.
Here’s what works:
Collect acorns into a 5-gallon bucket or bag. Immediately when I get home (same day), I spread them out and sort them. Remove any with obvious damage, holes (insect damage), or caps still attached (immature).
I run the float test right away—discard floaters.
Good acorns go into gallon-size bags with damp (not soaking wet) paper towels or damp peat moss. The goal is to keep them moist, not wet. Too wet and they’ll mold. Too dry and they’ll die. Make sure if using plastic bags, that there are holes in the bags to allow air in.
Store bags in the refrigerator at 35-40°F. Check every few days for mold. If you see mold, remove those acorns immediately.
White oak acorns can be stored medium/long-term like this. I’ve stratified them in the refrigerator for four months, and although many radicles get to be up to 2” in length, they are still viable. The best course is probably to put the acorn(s) in their final planting location the fall that you collect them. It is better to store them in the refrigerator short-term before moving to final planting site or overwintering location.
White Oaks Germinate in Fall
Plant a red oak acorn in October, nothing happens until April. Plant a white oak acorn in October, you’ll see a radicle within a month. If you go into a wooded area with white oaks in late October, move some leaves and you may find some white oak acorns underneath with radicle emerging.
Why This Matters
White oak acorns need to get their root system going before winter. The radicle emerges in fall, grows down 4-8 inches, and the seedling overwinters as just a root with the acorn attached.
Come spring, the shoot emerges and grows.
If you try to store white oak acorns until spring like you would red oak, they’ll either germinate in storage or lose viability and die. As I mentioned above, they can be stored in refrigeration over winter, but the issue I see is the danger of breaking off the radicle while transporting or planting.
Growing Seed First Season in Air Pruning Bed
An air pruning bed is just a raised bed with wire mesh bottom that prevents roots from circling. Roots hit the air gap at the bottom, stop growing, and the tree produces more fibrous roots instead. This creates a healthier root system that transplants better. I first saw this system on the Edible Acres YouTube channel – a very informative site for those who wish to maximize growing crops in a small area, without a ton of monetary input.
My Air Pruning Bed Setup
Dimensions: 2 feet wide × 8 feet long × 10 inches deep. This gives me about 16 square feet of growing space.
Bottom: 1/2-inch hardware cloth, elevated 4-6 inches off the ground on cinder blocks. The elevation is critical—it needs air circulation underneath.
Sides: 2×10 treated lumber boards. I used treated pine.
Growing medium: 50/50 mix of quality topsoil and compost. Some growers use potting mix, but I wanted something closer to field conditions. Total cost for soil: about $40 for one bed this size.
Location: Sun. At least 6 hours of sun per day. My beds are on the west side of a tree line where it gets morning shade and afternoon sun. Not ideal, but it’s what I have now.
Total bed cost: approximately $100 in materials.
Overwintering the Acorns (November-April)
This year, I’m trying something new. I put the acorns in gallon plastic bags with holes in them, along with some peat moss. I drilled small holes in the bottom and lid of a five gallon bucket, put the bags in the bucket, dug a hole to put bucket into. Then put sand at bottom of hole, put some soil on top of bags, closed bucket lid, covered bucket with soil, then put chicken wire with bricks on top to prevent theft. I did water some once they were covered in place. We’ll see what they look like come April.
What Happens Over Winter
You won’t see much. In a natural environment, the radicle grows down into the soil, and the acorn sits there. Don’t panic—this is normal.
Luckily, our precipitation has been more normal than the end of summer dry spell, but usually natural precipitation is enough.
First Season Growth (April through October)
I’ve been planting the acorns in the air pruning bed in Late April/early May. Soon after, shoots emerge. Last spring I really packed them in – about 2 inches apart. I think this was a little too close and will adjust next year. Most survived, but with a little too much competition.
Watering: White oak seedlings need consistent moisture but not wet feet. The planting beds get watered about 3 times a week, for about 15 minutes each time. If we start putting air pruning beds at the farm, I will adjust this – soaking hoses, timer, etc.
Weed Control: This is critical. The air pruning bed really helps with this. I haven’t had much issue here.
Fertilizer: I add mycorrhizae to planting bed at time of acorn planting.
Growth Expectations: By October, white oak seedlings should be 4-12 inches tall. Some will be smaller, some larger. Don’t cull the small ones yet—they often catch up in year two.
Pest Issues I’ve Seen
Some small insects have eaten portions of leaves. For this, I’ve applied sulfur powder, and that seems to slow the issue.
When to Transplant to Field
Late October/early November of the first year. You want the seedlings to go dormant before transplanting.
I dig carefully to preserve as much root as possible, though the air pruning method means roots are naturally more compact and fibrous. Because I planted so densely this year, the roots were more entangled than I wanted.
Survival rate from air pruning bed to field: 70-80% if you follow good planting practices (proper depth, protection, watering).
The Reality Check: Is This Worth It?
Growing white oak from seed is more work than buying nursery stock.
Nursery white oak seedlings: $1-2 each in bare root, $17-$100 in containers, assuming you can even find them. Many nurseries don’t carry white oak because it’s harder to grow than other species.
White oak acorns: Free if you collect them yourself. Your cost is time (collection, sorting, planting) and materials for the air pruning bed.
For 50 trees:
- Nursery cost: $150-750
- Seed-grown cost: $120 (one-time bed construction) + 15-20 hours of labor spread over 13 months
If you value your time at $20/hour, seed-grown still comes out cheaper, plus you’re getting seedlings that are adapted to your local conditions.
The Real Advantage: Scaling Up
Where this gets interesting is when you want to plant 200-500 trees. Nursery costs balloon to $1,000-5,000. Seed-grown costs stay relatively fixed—you build a couple more air pruning beds ($240 total) and invest more time.
I’m planning to scale up to 200 white oak seedlings next year using this method. Total projected cost: $300 in materials plus my labor versus $1,200-2,000 from a nursery.
What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting
Squirrels are relentless. Cover the base of your air pruning bed with hardware cloth, and the sides and top with 1” poultry netting. Don’t skip this.
Not all acorns are created equal. Collect from multiple trees if possible. Genetic diversity matters for long-term health.
The first season is not too difficult. It’s year two in the field (final growing location) where most mortality happens. Plan for intensive management in year two—watering, weed control, protection.
White oak grows slower than some other species. The payoff is hopefully down the line, when the seedling is tall enough to outcompete less valuable species.
The Bottom Line
Growing white oak from seed isn’t for everyone. If you want quick returns, look elsewhere. If you don’t have time for the first-year management, buy nursery stock.
But if you’re thinking 30-60 years out, if you want to build real timber value for your land, and if you don’t mind some hands-on work, growing white oak from seed makes sense.
I’ll report back in a couple years on how my seedlings perform in the field. For now, I’m encouraged by the first-season results and ready to scale up.
Questions about white oak propagation or air pruning bed construction? Drop a comment below. I’m figuring this out as I go, and I’m happy to share what works (and what doesn’t).
Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use or would use on my own farm. Read my full disclosure policy.