My Dad and I originally were thinking about planting some sawtooth oaks on our land in Missaukee County for deer, but heard about some people struggling getting them to survive in michigan's colder climate. Missaukee county is a zone 4 hardiness and we are located within a couple miles of the muskegon river. Hybrid oaks caught our attention with their early acorn production. Currently, we think that both Sargent 5 and 7s would be a good choice along with Saul's oak. Our land is very low and swampy but we have dry ground in the middle of it with some sand hills and have quite a few red oaks growing on the dry ground. Do you think those oaks will do well, or do you have other suggestions?

Another question is spacing, I have seen multiple answers regarding the spacing of seedlings. Right now we were thinking about a spacing of 15 by 15 feet to allow them to start some competition to allow for good growth and then thin them out. Would you recommend this method or larger spacing as seedlings?

We plan on watering them on weekends when there has been little rain, because we live 2.5 hours away and can only attend to them on weekends. Would a a gallon of water suffice for weekend watering, or would they need around 5 gallons?

Infinity,
The Sargent and Saul's would be good choices for your dry sandy sites. Your spacing is to close even if you plan on thinning. 21' would be the closest I would plant if I intended to thin, otherwise no closer than 30'. Watering in sandy soils is the most important step in getting these trees to survive. I would amend the soil and use a mulch on top of the planting site to help retain moisture. Five gallons sound about right to me.

Thanks for the reply, now we just have to figure out a plan for clearing some more areas.

good toppic

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