Quercus Falcata - Southern Red Oak Seedlings

Southern Red Oak Seedlings for Sale: Quercus falcata for Southern Uplands, Deer Plots and Pine-Hardwood Plantings

Southern red oak seedlings (Quercus falcata) are heat-tough native oaks for the South, shipped bare root in 100- or 500-seedling packs at 6–12 or 12–18 inches, roughly $0.80 to $1.15 apiece. Southern red oak reaches 60–80 feet in USDA zones 6–9, loves full sun on dry hills and clay, and drops small acorns turkeys and deer seek out.

Better known to many Southern landowners as Spanish oak or three-lobed red oak, this beech family (Fagaceae) member of the red oak group ranges from New Jersey and Long Island south to northern Florida and west to southern Missouri, Oklahoma and east Texas, including the dry hills of Middle and West Tennessee. The name falcata means sickle-shaped, for the long, curved end lobe on each leaf.

• Botanical name: Quercus falcata, beech family (Fagaceae), red oak group
• Also called: Spanish oak, three-lobed red oak
• Pack sizes: 100 seedlings or 500 seedlings
• Seedling heights: 6–12 inches or 12–18 inches, shipped bare root
• Mature size: 60–80 feet tall and 40–60 feet wide
• Leaves: 5–9 inches long, with 3–7 bristle-tipped lobes, a rounded, bell-shaped base and soft, rusty-gray undersides
• Acorns: about ½ inch, orange-brown with a shallow cap, ripening in their second fall
• Best uses: upland reforestation, pine-hardwood mixes, deer and turkey mast, farm windbreaks

How Much Does It Cost to Plant an Acre of Southern Red Oak Seedlings?

Planting one acre of southern red oak seedlings costs about $185 to $590 in 6–12 inch seedlings, depending on spacing; one 500-seedling pack covers an acre at 10 × 10 feet.

By the seedling: 100 × 6–12 inch is $91.99 (about $0.92 each), 100 × 12–18 inch is $114.99 (about $1.15), 500 × 6–12 inch is $401.99 (about $0.80) and 500 × 12–18 inch is $516.99 (about $1.03).

Where Do Southern Red Oak Seedlings Grow Best?

Sunny, well-drained uplands suit southern red oak seedlings best: dry ridges, rolling hills, sandy coastal plain and red Piedmont clay at pH 5.0 to 6.5. Few red oaks handle long, hot Southern summers as well. Cutover timberland, old cotton fields and hill pastures are classic sites, and many landowners interplant southern red oak with loblolly pine seedlings for a pine-hardwood stand that grows timber and acorns on the same acre.

Are Southern Red Oak Seedlings Good for Deer and Turkey Food Plots?

Yes. Southern red oak acorns are small enough for wild turkeys, bobwhite quail and blue jays to swallow whole, and deer and squirrels eat them from fall into winter. Southern red oak gives good acorn crops every 1 to 2 years once the trees reach about 25 years old.

Plant a row of southern red oak seedlings 20 to 30 feet back from a clover or grain plot, where the acorn drop lands where deer already feed. For food in the meantime, add soft mast: American persimmon seedlings bear sweet fall fruit, honey locust seedlings drop sugary pods deer seek out, and white dogwood seedlings give red fall berries for turkeys and songbirds along the woods edge.

Can You Plant Southern Red Oak Seedlings in a Windbreak?

Yes. In a Southern farm shelterbelt, put loblolly pine on the windward side and a southern red oak row behind it, trees 10 to 14 feet apart and rows 16 to 20 feet apart, for height, summer shade and acorns.

Southern Red Oak vs. Northern Red Oak: What Is the Difference?

Southern red oak has 3 to 7 sickle-shaped lobes with a bell-shaped leaf base and grows on dry southern uplands in zones 6–9, while northern red oak has 7 to 11 evenly spaced lobes and grows on moist, well-drained soil in zones 3–8.

North of zone 6, our red oak seedlings fill the same role, and a yard that needs just one shade tree is a job for our larger red oak trees. See more choices in our tree seedlings and wildlife friendly plants collections.

When and How Should You Plant Southern Red Oak Seedlings?

Southern red oak seedlings go in the ground during dormancy, late fall through early spring, giving roots time to settle into cool, moist soil before Southern heat arrives. We dig them dormant at our Altamont, Tennessee nursery and ship the roots packed damp, ready for the planting bar. Five habits that raise survival:

1. Keep the bundle cool and shaded, and soak the roots for 30 minutes to an hour before planting.
2. Set the root collar level with the soil, taproot straight, and firm the slit with your heel.
3. Spray or scalp a 3-foot grass-free spot and top it with 2 to 3 inches of mulch against summer heat.
4. Shelter every seedling with a tube so deer browse cannot set it back.
5. During the first summer, give a deep watering any week without rain.

Planting & Growing Information

Botanical Name: Quercus falcata
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: 60–80 feet
Spread: 40–60 feet
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast, 1–2 feet per year once established
Spacing: 8–12 feet for reforestation; 10–14 feet in a windbreak row
Sun or Shade: Full sun, 6+ hours daily
Water Needs: Low to moderate; heat and drought hardy once established
Soil: Well-drained sand, loam or clay, pH 5.0–6.5
Bloom Season: March–April (catkins)
Fall Color: Bronze, russet and red-brown
Care: Plant while dormant, clear a 3-foot circle, mulch, shelter each seedling and water weekly the first summer.
Plant Attributes: Heat- and drought-hardy native oak, small acorns for turkeys, quail and deer, valuable hardwood timber

Southern Red Oak Seedlings FAQ

Is southern red oak the same as Spanish oak?

Yes. Spanish oak and three-lobed red oak are common names for southern red oak, Quercus falcata.

How fast do southern red oak seedlings grow?

Once rooted in, southern red oak seedlings add about 1 to 2 feet a year in full sun.

Do deer eat southern red oak acorns?

Yes. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, quail, squirrels and blue jays all eat the small southern red oak acorns.

Do southern red oak seedlings grow in clay soil?

Yes. Southern red oak seedlings grow well in well-drained red clay as well as sandy and loamy upland soils.

What zones do southern red oak seedlings grow in?

Southern red oak is hardy across USDA zones 6, 7, 8 and 9.

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. Our Altamont, Tennessee crew bundles southern red oak seedlings by the hundred for Southern timberland, deer leases and farm windbreaks. Keep reading on our blog: Oak Tree Seedlings: Growth, Care, and Planting Guide, Oak Tree Varieties: Types, Uses and Landscaping Guide and Plants for Windbreaks and Shelterbelts.