Quercus Nigra - Water Oak Seedlings

Water Oak Seedlings for Sale: Fast-Growing Quercus nigra for Bottomlands, Duck Holes and Deer Woods

Water oak seedlings (Quercus nigra) are among the quickest-growing native oaks you can plant, sold bare root by the 100 or 500 at 6–12 or 12–18 inches for roughly 80 cents to $1.15 apiece. Water oak reaches 50–80 feet in USDA zones 6–9, takes full sun to part shade and is built for moist Southern bottomlands.

Duck hunters and landowners know this beech family (Fagaceae) red oak by nicknames like possum oak, spotted oak and duck oak. Its native range runs across the Southern coastal plain from Delaware and Virginia to Florida and east Texas, and north up the Mississippi River valley into southeastern Missouri, Oklahoma and West Tennessee. Water oak is semi-evergreen in the Deep South, holding much of its foliage well into winter.

• Botanical name: Quercus nigra, beech family (Fagaceae), red oak group
• Also called: possum oak, spotted oak, duck oak
• Pack sizes: 100 seedlings or 500 seedlings
• Seedling heights: 6–12 inches or 12–18 inches, shipped bare root
• Mature size: 50–80 feet tall and 40–70 feet wide
• Growth rate: fast, often 2 feet or more per year once established
• Leaves: 2–5 inches long, spoon- or paddle-shaped, often with a shallow three-lobed tip
• Acorns: about ½ inch, nearly black, ripening in their second fall
• Best uses: bottomland reforestation, duck impoundments, deer and turkey mast, quick-growing windbreaks

How Much Do Water Oak Seedlings Cost?

Each water oak seedling costs between about $0.80 (500-pack, 6–12 inch) and $1.15 (100-pack, 12–18 inch).

Where Do Water Oak Seedlings Grow Best?

Moist, acidic bottomland in full sun is home ground for water oak seedlings, whether the soil is clay, silt or sandy loam at pH 5.0 to 6.5. Short winter floods and heavy, compacted ground suit water oak fine, and established trees also grow on upland sites.

That flexibility makes water oak a favorite for returning old bottomland crop fields to hardwood forest. Plant water oak seedlings on low flats, around sloughs and beaver ponds, and across fields that stay soggy in late winter.

How Many Water Oak Seedlings Should You Plant Per Acre?

Plant about 300 to 435 water oak seedlings per acre for bottomland reforestation, using 10 × 10 to 12 × 12 foot spacing. Use about 110 to 195 seedlings per acre, at 15 to 20 foot spacing, for an open duck impoundment or deer mast grove.

Are Water Oak Seedlings Good for Ducks, Deer and Turkeys?

Yes. Mature water oaks are heavy, dependable acorn producers, with good crops nearly every year or every other year, and the small acorns go down whole for mallards and wood ducks while deer, turkeys, squirrels and blue jays share the rest.

Water oak is a classic tree for green-tree reservoirs, the bottomland woods that duck hunters flood shallowly each winter after the acorns drop. The timeline below shows what a fast-growing water oak planting gives back over the years.

What Grows Well With Water Oak Seedlings?

Other bottomland natives grow well with water oak seedlings. Pair water oak with willow oak seedlings, a close bottomland cousin, and pin oak seedlings on the wettest flats. Bald cypress seedlings fill standing-water spots, and river birch seedlings and sycamore seedlings hold creek banks.

For a lawn or driveway, our larger willow oak trees give the same bottomland look as a single shade tree. More bulk species wait in our oak seedlings and wildlife friendly plants collections.

How Quickly Does a Water Oak Windbreak Fill In?

A water oak windbreak row fills in fast, because water oak often adds 2 feet or more per year and makes one of the quickest tall rows in a Southern shelterbelt. In the Deep South, the semi-evergreen leaves add winter shelter. Space water oaks 12 to 15 feet apart in the row, with rows 16 to 20 feet apart.

What Helps Water Oak Seedlings Survive the First Year?

Dormant-season planting, from late fall to early spring, with roots kept damp from box to hole and the root collar at ground level, does the most for first-year water oak survival. Our Altamont, Tennessee crew digs the seedlings dormant and ships them with roots in moist packing. On planting day:

1. Let the bundle sit with roots in a bucket of water for an hour or two.
2. Make each slit deep enough that no root bends, and stamp it shut.
3. Knock back the grass in a 3-foot circle and mulch 2 to 3 inches deep.
4. Tube the seedlings so deer and rabbits leave the quick new growth alone.
5. Train each young tree to a single central trunk in its first few winters for a strong, straight form.

Planting & Growing Information

Botanical Name: Quercus nigra
Plant Family: Fagaceae (beech family), red oak group
Ships: Bare root, packs of 100 or 500, 6–12 or 12–18 inches; ships between November 15 and 29
Planting Zone: 6–9
Height at Maturity: 50–80 feet
Spread: 40–70 feet
Growth Rate: Fast, often 2 feet or more per year
Spacing: 10–12 feet for reforestation; 15–20 feet for duck and deer groves
Sun or Shade: Full sun to part shade
Water Needs: Moderate to high; thrives in moist soil and handles brief flooding
Soil: Acidic clay, silt or sandy loam, pH 5.0–6.5
Bloom Season: March–April (catkins)
Foliage: Semi-evergreen in the Deep South; yellow to brown in fall farther north
Care: Clear a 3-foot circle, mulch, shelter each seedling, water weekly the first summer and train to a central trunk.
Plant Attributes: Fast-growing native oak, heavy acorn crops for ducks, deer and turkeys, semi-evergreen in the Deep South

Water Oak Seedlings FAQ

How fast do water oak seedlings grow?

Very fast: established water oak seedlings commonly gain 2 feet or more a year in sun and moist soil.

Do water oak seedlings grow in wet soil?

Yes. Water oak seedlings thrive in moist bottomland soil and handle short periods of winter flooding.

Do ducks eat water oak acorns?

Yes. Mallards and wood ducks swallow the small water oak acorns whole, and deer, wild turkeys and squirrels eat them too.

What zones do water oak seedlings grow in?

Water oak is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9, from the mid-South to the Gulf Coast.

What is the difference between water oak and willow oak?

Water oak has spoon-shaped leaves 2 to 5 inches long, while willow oak has narrow, willow-like leaves; both are fast-growing bottomland red oaks with small acorns for ducks and deer.

Grown and Shipped by TN Nursery

TN Nursery has grown hardy native plants since 1959, more than 65 years of experience, and has supplied plants to major U.S. landmarks like the Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery. Duck clubs, hunting leases and bottomland restoration crews order our Altamont, Tennessee water oak seedlings by the hundred. Related reading: Water Oak vs Live Oak: Best Trees for Landscapes, Facts About Oak Trees for Wildlife and Habitat and Landscaping a Wildlife Habitat.