The trees in the pot probably have a long tap root that is spiraling around the bottom of the container. Tree nurseries use bottomless or root pruning containers to prevent this problem. A circling root system is a big problem for a transplanted tree. You might be able to physically prune the tap root yourself before planting...not sure how much undue stress this could cause the tree.

Smaller trees are generally quicker to establish than larger transplants of the same variety. If often heard it mentioned that a 5 gal. tree will eventually catch up to a 20 gal. I'm not aware of any comparative studies done on container transplants as opposed to direct seeding or planting small seedlings. Oak trees are propagated from seed at the nurseries (as opposed to cuttings/grafting) so that won't be an issue.

If you're willing to take a small risk, then plant the seedlings. If you really need a tree and want a sure bet, then you should probably purchase one from a nursery.

Jason

We have small live oaks that pop up all over our yard. We were told to pot them up for one year before we transplant them to another area. We transplanted one directly from the ground to another area and potted up a second live oak. The first oak after having been planted two years in the ground has only grown a few inches. The potted oak we planted one year later in the ground and after the second year (first year in ground)it is over 7 feet tall.

I have read about some studies on planting large trees.
I have read that a large tree will take longer to get established so it is always wiser to buy a smaller tree. I don't know how true this is. I have purchased a 10 gallon maple tree and that baby is growing leaps and bounds. It has never slowed down from the time I planted it. Water and fertilizer will make a difference.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

Here's a great link--tons of information about growing trees from seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Reforestation, Nurseries and Genetic Resources

Thanks for the input.

Every bur oak I've ever planted had roots circling along the contaniner edge - regardless of container size or grower. Its amazing how much energy/growth they put into their roots compared to the modest growth rate above ground.

By comparison, I planted a couple chinese pistachios from 10 gal containers and was amazed to see there were barely any roots along the container edge! - bur oaks of that size had me slicing and untwisting roots for a while.

It sounds like for the fastest growth/establishment time I should either plant my 11" tall seedling or buy a 5 gallon container (maybe 4' to 5' tall?) - although its very hard around here to find an oak in a 5 gal container that is not already too large for the container. I'm still trying to figure out which is best...

I have a bur oak that i bought from lowes that I planted in Fall 2005. It was probably 5 feet tall. Maybe 4.5 feet tall for 5 gallon. It grew about 8 inches for 2006. This year, it has grown 2 feet already and is in its 2nd growth spurt right now. It's amazing how much growth it has put on this year. I was hoping for 3 feet of growth and it looks like I might get more than that with all the rain!

I had shumard oak that REALLY GREW this spring after planting it in fall 2005. Unfortunately, that violent storm over a month ago snapped it in half.

Looks like for 5-7 gallon, 4-7 feet height, it takes a year to establish roots before they really take off in 2nd year.

I can confirm that oak trees grow VERY LONG TAPROOT. I planted a bunch of acorns in the small cups and didnt think about roots since they have grown only 3-4 inches. When i took them out of the small cups, i was shocked to see all those long tap root circling around in the cups. Lesson learned. It's best to air prune them!

I am curious how fast oak trees grow when planted as an acorn. I probably will experiment with that on my "retirement" land (thats a long time away :( ) and there are area that I want to grow trees for privacy. There's no water there for me to water container trees so Im stuck with planting seeds or very small seedlings.

Anyway, the oak trees that I grew in small cups last year hasn't really grown very much this year. I had to prune the tap root off. Apparently from reading about tap roots, they do not like their tap root pruning and will significantly slow the growth. Oh well.

My DH grows Burr oaks from acorns. He starts them in a pot for the first year, then bumps them up to a larger pot with no bottom. Three year old trees, now 9-10 feet tall. The only thing is that this is where that tree is going to live it's life. It will not be transplanted again. We already have our quota, no more room, so he is giving them away to friends and family now.

Janie

"It grew about 8 inches for 2006. This year, it has grown 2 feet already and is in its 2nd growth spurt right now."
WOW! Thats a tremendous rate for a bur oak. I think 4-5 feet is the max height for a 5 gal container, any higher and it gets really root bound.

I think you've all convinced me its better to start small.

So far I have not found any nurseries in my area (Plano, TX) that sell 5 gal bur oaks 4-5' tall, so what I might do is wait until the fall (after they go dormant) and plant one of the oaks I started from acorn. They first sprouted May of 2006, so they will have 2 growing seasons behind them. I'd plant one now if I could, but with the summer coming up I think I would stress it so maybe its best to wait until fall...

I think the biggest difference is in the price. Your oak tree is free, except for maybe a bag of potting soil. Plant it and enjoy it. Just make sure you follow the basic instructions for planting a tree - hole twice as wide as the rootball and just as deep. Backfill with native soil and give it TLC (i.e., water weekly if it doesn't get rainfall.)