Quercus cerris - Turkey Oak - Bareroot Saplings

Turkey Oak Plants - Delivered by Mail Order from the Nursery with a 1 Year Guarantee

Turkey Oak, Quercus cerris, saplings are vigorous plants that will grow into a soaring parkland tree. Suitable for any well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Turkey Oak is a good choice if you want a tall, majestic oak tree but don't want to wait for the slower growing Common Oak.
Turkey Oak is not suitable for a clipped hedge. It can be grown as a screening tree up to about 30 metres high. It is a good, tall windbreak tree.
The plants on this page are young saplings. You can also buy larger Turkey Oak trees here.
Browse all of our other varieties of Oak here.

Turkey Oak plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March).
All of our young trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

General description of Quercus cerris plants:
This big tree is one of the most vigorous oaks, typically spreading out as wide as it is tall when mature, although trees that were pollarded or otherwise had their main stem cut tend be more upright. The autumn colour is a mellow brown with some brighter bronze tones. It is easy to tell Turkey oak apart from a native oak by looking at the acorn cups, which have moss-like growths on them, unlike the smooth cups of the native oaks. The leaf buds also have bristly brown hairs on them.

History & uses of Quercus cerris
Turkey Oak has been growing in Britain at least since the early 1700's and probably for longer than that. It is widely naturalised here, especially on chalky sites where Common Oak will struggle. It is a poor quality timber tree but it makes a good source of firewood. It is most commonly planted as an ornamental tree in wide open spaces, where it can spread out.

Notes on planting Turkey Oak:
Turkey Oak trees are very versatile, growing on any well drained, reasonably fertile soil. They are hardy and suitable for exposed locations near the sea. They perform best on slightly acidic soils, but they are also fine on chalk.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the area where you intend to plant several months in advance. Destroy the weeds first: nettles, brambles and ground elder are tough and a glyphosate based weed-killer is the best way to remove them. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades.
If you have a heavy clay soil, it might be too difficult to dig over for most of the year. Heavy clay is fertile soil, so you don't really need to improve it; killing the weeds is still necessary.

Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Planting accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass with Roundup weed killer.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a protective plastic spiral for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser and Growmore.

After you plant your Turkey Oak trees, the most important thing to do is water them in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Both of these will be necessary for at least a year after planting.
Water thoroughly but not too often: let the soil get close to drying out before watering your plants again.

Special notes on caring for Turkey Oak:
Turkey Oak is a very tough plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If pruning is necessary, it is best do it in winter. Always hire a tree surgeon to remove large branches.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.

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Delivery: The basic delivery charge for orders of bareroot plants is