S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing a
Shumard Oak Tree
for the Northeast Florida Landscape
( Quercus shumardii )
Shumard Oak Origins:
– Native to Florida
Shumard Oak Preferred Exposure:
– Full sun
Shumard Oak Foliage | Bark:
– deciduous foliage of the Shumard Oak is a deep green color during the growth season and one of the few trees in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape to have reliable fall color, the leaves turn a deep bright red to red orange color before falling off for the winter.
Shumard Oak Soil Preference / Salt tolerance:
– widely tolerant of soil conditions
– extremely drought tolerant once established in the landscape
Shumard Oak Size Variance:
– can reach sizes of 55+ feet H | 40+ feet W
Shumard Oak Growth Habit:
– upright narrow when young and eventually rounding out of the canopy with age
Shumard Oak Growth Rate:
– fast growth rate
Shumard Oak Bloom:
– small bloom followed by acorns that attract wildlife
Shumard Oak Water Requirements:
– drought tolerant Shumard Oak trees make an excellent selection
where supplemental irrigation will be limited in the landscape.
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– Shumard Oaks attract allot of wildlife
Best Uses For Shumard Oaks:
– Shumard Oak is an excellent choice for a large growing shade tree in an
environment where supplemental irrigation will be limited. Extremely drought tolerant once established in the landscape, the Shumard Oaks takes little care in the way of pruning needed for other large scale shade
trees.
– Also a good street tree or for commercial applications or rental properties
where trees will only receive minimal maintenance if any
Care of Shumard Oaks:
– water every day during the establishment period. See watering your newly planted trees for more information.
– provide a 1 ft diameter circle of mulched area where grass is kept from growing for each inch of caliper (or diameter) of trunk measured 4 inches from the ground level.
– fertilize each spring with a mixture of Milorganite and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the tree.