Northern Red Oak
Tree·Quercus rubra
Full sun
Sun
Medium
Water
Moist soil
Drainage
Zones 3–8
Hardiness
Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is a tree. It grows best in full sun and has moderate water needs. It grows well with black walnut.
Through the year
DormantFloweringLeafing outFruiting
Works well with
from wiki dataWHAT IT NEEDS
Wants full sun
Needs moderate water
Tolerates moist soil, as long as it drains well
Prefers soil pH 4.5–7
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Prefers loam, sandy loam, clay loam soil
Tolerates some soil compaction
Draws up calcium, potassium from deep in the soil
Adds a lot of organic matter to the soil
Partners with mycorrhizal fungi to boost nutrient uptake
WHAT IT GIVES
Gives shade (dense)
Gives leaf litter (high)
Gives fruit (high)
Provides calcium
Provides potassium
Attracts mammals
Shelters birds
HOW IT GROWS
SIZE & SPACING
Canopy tree
Height2000–3000 cm
Spacing1500 cm (min 1000 cm)
Root depthDeep
Width1500–2500 cm
Width figures are rough estimates, the most variable measurement in our data.
AI estimate · accuracy improves as growers contribute corrections.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Propagate by seed
Difficulty
Establishes in about 3 yr
Self-seeds readily on its own
Where this comes from
Parsed11 Sept 2026
ConfidenceNot recorded