Bluff Oak Quercus austrina 10 Seeds

The Bluff Oak is a medium-sized deciduous oak tree that is native to the southeastern United States. It has glossy, lobed, medium green or grayish-green leaves and scaly, brown bark. Acorns are ovoid or elliptic, smooth, yellow-green to brown and are in a hemispheric or cup-shaped cupule. Native range is on the coastal plain from North Carolina down to and west to Mississippi. It grows on river bluffs, river bottomlands, along streams and in flatwoods. It usually grows 45-60 feet tall although exceptional specimens can grow over 100 feet in height. It has an open, rounded crown and is a good shade tree for the south. It is used as a street tree. Leaves turn red and orange-brown in the autumn. Produces numerous acorns for wildlife. It is drought tolerant and heat tolerant. It grows well in sandy Hardy in zones 5-9.

Growing Instructions for the Bluff Oak

The seeds need to be planted when received or stored in a refrigerator until they are planted. The seeds have a period of dormancy. They can be planted outdoors in the fall or winter for spring germination or they can be cold stratified to simulate winter conditions and to break their dormancy at any time of the year. 1. Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. 2. Put the seeds in a ziplock bag. 3. Put the bag in the refrigerator and leave it there for 2 months. 4. The seeds like moist, well-drained soil. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half sand, perlite or vermiculite. 5. Sow the seeds 1 inch deep. 6. Water the soil so that it is moist but not wet. 7. When the seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.