How to Buy an Oak Tree

Steps

1. Contact a local arborist. Arborists are professionals who will guide you in determining what types of oak trees thrive best in your climate given the growing conditions.
2. Purchase oak saplings from a local tree nursery, as raising an oak tree from an acorn or a seedling is a complicated procedure best left for professionals. Purchasing an oak sapling 2 to 4 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) in diameter is less complicated and requires less maintenance.
3. Consider several factors when buying an oak tree. Determine the tree's expected mature height to ensure that the tree won't grow into power lines or other overhead obstacles. To be sure you have enough space, consider the size of the canopy, which is the diameter of the tree at maturity. Before choosing an oak, consider the tree's moisture, sun and soil requirements to ensure that your soil and climate can sustain the tree.
4. Check your soil and sunlight conditions. Use a soil pH test kit, available at home and garden stores, to determine what kind of soil is in your planting area. Check the area where you will plant the tree to determine how much sunlight it receives. These factors will help determine which type of oak is best for your site. For example, a live oak will require well-drained, loamy or sandy soil, and at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight.
5. Buy adaptable bur oak trees if you have soil in which other oaks have failed to adapt. Bur oaks, also called majestic oaks, are slow-growing, 80-foot tall trees with an 80-foot spread. The trees are often used as ornamentals or as windbreaks, especially on farms.
6. Attract wildlife to the landscape by planting a sawtooth oak, which begins to grow acorns after about 6 years. Sawtooth oaks have moderate water needs and tolerate salty soil, but not alkaline soil. Sawtooth oak tree provide good shade, as the canopies spread 40 to 60 feet (12.2 to 18.3 m) and mature height of the tree is up to 60 feet (18.3 m) tall.

   • Gobbler sawtooth oak trees are similar to sawtooth oaks, but provide smaller acorns that are eaten by wild turkeys.
7. Shop online. Search the Internet for nurseries that sell and ship oak trees. Reputable dealers will provide you with the description and growing conditions for the tree, zone information to ensure you are buying the right tree for your locale, shipping information, and a guarantee of the quality of tree.
8. Select a northern red oak for its strength and brilliant fall foliage. Some people consider the northern red oak a specimen tree. Specimen trees have various qualities that set them apart from ordinary trees. In the fall, northern red oak foliage ranges from yellow-brown to bright red. Red oaks grow up to 2.5 feet (76.2 cm) per year for 10 the first 10 years. At maturity, the trees reach 60 to 75 feet (18.3 to 22.9 m) tall, with a 45-foot spread.
9. Buy a fast-growing pin oak tree, which grows up to 70 feet (21.3 m) tall with a 45-foot spread, for acidic soil. Pin oaks are one of the most widely used trees in landscaping, as the trees have moderate water requirements and do well in a range of soils. Lower branches of pin oaks die as the tree ages, as sunlight cannot reach the branches.
10. Plant a white oak tree if you're looking for a sturdy, long-lived tree. White oaks, which produce large numbers of acorns, thrive in moist, well-drained, acidic soils. White oaks range from 50 to 80 feet (15.2 to 24.4 m) tall, with an equal spread.
11. Purchase a willow oak tree, also considered to be a specimen tree, which grows as far north as Cape Cod on the U.S. East Coast. Willow oak is a popular tree for residential properties, streets and parks. Willow oaks grow about 2 feet (60 cm) per year up to a mature height of 60 feet (18.3 m) tall with a 35-foot spread. Willow oaks tolerate drought, standing water, salty soil, heat and pollution. Water needs are moderate.
12. Buy a live oak if you live in the zone extending from North Carolina to Florida, then west to Texas, across the Southwest and up the West Coast to Washington State. The tree grows 80 feet (24.4 m) tall with a canopy measuring 80 feet (24.4 m) in diameter. The live oak is a majestic tree that stays green year round.