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www.MorseNursery.com Phone: 269-979-4252 9 ft. Hybrid Surprise Reprinted with permission from QDMA’s Quality Whitetails magazine. In fall 2005, QDMA received a house-warming gift for our newly constructed National Headquarters in Georgia – four con- tainerized hybrid oak seedlings from Charlie Morse of Morse 8 ft. Nurseries in Michigan. Charlie admitted he wasn’t sure how these trees would fare in the heat of the South, far from their native grounds, but that was part of his reason for sending them – an experiment of sorts. What are hybrid oaks? Oaks are known to naturally hybridize by pollinating Still Growing The final size across species, producing fertile of the young “sergeant oak” offspring with characteristics of acorns is not yet known. The both parents. White oaks are photos on this page were taken on August 21. especially prone to hybrid- ize with other members of the white oak family. Experts have noted that some offspring Tree Tubes are sold exhibit “hybrid vigor,” which at Morse Nursery means a faster-growing tree. Some observers say they have also noted heavier acorn crops, larger acorns, earlier acorn production, or combinations of these attri- butes. Experts study the physical characteristics of hybrids to try to determine the parent species, but sometimes this is an educated guess. Charlie sent QDMA two “bodacious bur” oaks (thought to be a cross between bur oak and swamp white oak), a burgambels oak (bur x gambels), and a ser- geant oak (English x white). 4 ft. Sprouted by Charlie from Morse Nurseries supports the Quality Deer acorns in spring 2005, they Management Association and recommends were planted in winter 2006. their customers join QDMA to learn more Plastic Tree Tube This spring, the third about improving deer habitat. 4-foot tree shelters like this one protect growing season since plant- seedlings from browsing ing, brought a surprise deer, rubbing bucks and – tiny acorns on two of Name other pests. They also the trees. A bodacious bur Street encourage faster vertical growth by dimming bore two acorns, which City, State, Zip available sunlight except were since aborted dur- at the top. All seedlings ing a summer dry spell (a Daytime Phone ( ) at QDMA headquarters are in tree shelters. common survival strategy Email among oaks). The sergeant 2 ft. oak, meanwhile, bore 15 ❑ 1-yr NEW Adult Membership - $35 immature acorns; nine were aborted, leaving six to ❑ Mastercard ❑ Visa ❑ AmEx mature. Hearing the report, Charlie was pleased with Card # Exp. Date the progress of his experi- ❑ Check # ❑ Money Order # ment. Even in Michigan, it 1 ft. is uncommon for 4-year-old hybrids to bear acorns, he said. Acorns at six years is Fax this form to: 706-353-0223 typical. He speculates that Or Mail to: QDMA, P.O. Box 160, Bogart, GA 30622 Georgia’s significantly lon- Phone Orders: 800-209-3337 ger growing season is Web Orders: www.QDMA.com playing a role. 1 www.morsenursery.com 269-979-4252 www.facebook.com/morsenursery Morse Nurseries.indd 1 10/1/09 3:03:32 PM “At 66 years old I don’t have a lifetime to wait for results.” Charlie Morse Bringing Wildlife to a Tree Near You Sooner! 12300 Betz Road, Battle Creek, MI 49015 Phone 269-979-4252 • www.MorseNursery.com www.facebook.com/morsenursery Hello, I’m Charlie Morse, thank you for requesting a catalog from us. At Morse Nursery we grow fruit, nut and berry producing trees and shrubs for wildlife habitat improvement and/or personal enjoyment. Planting trees and shrubs that produce fruit, nuts or berries makes sense as they are a renewable resource and pay for themselves by producing food for many years. Our growing techniques of air root pruned seedlings and RootTrapper containers help our plants get established and produce food faster! Almost everything we grow is either in a jiffy forestry pellet or RootTrapper container and are not bareroot plants. These containerized plants are much different than bareroot plants in that they are not in transplant shock which can take a bareroot plant three years to recover from. Our plants are delivered with the soil they have been growing in and once planted don’t have to “recover” so they start growing right away. You start to see results right away! This is what I mean when I say “Wildlife, coming to a tree near you…….sooner!” I hope you enjoy reading this brochure as much as I have in producing it. Because our plants are containerized we can ship year round at your convenience. This catalog does not reflect our inventory so please check our website www.morsenursery.com for availability or call us at 269-979-4252. It’s best to place orders no later than March for best availability as some items start to sell out for spring shipments. We are happy to help with your selections. Dear Morse Nursery, I ordered Johnny Come Lately Seedlings from you and re- ceived them Spring 2008. They were 3 to 4 inches tall when I received them. I wanted to let you know now September 2008 these trees are 4 feet an over 4 foot tall. They are doing Dear Charlie, EXCELLENT. I am literally amazed at the FAST GROWTH! I was looking over our Hybrid Oak Trees we Thank you so much for a quality product. planted at QDMA Headquarters in Athens Phil Smith Georgia fall of 2006. I was SHOCKED to see Indiana Tiny Acorns on a tree I planted 3 years ago as seedlings! Lindsay Thomas Jr. QDMA Headquarters Dear Morse Nursery, I want to Thank You for helping me realize my Dear Morse Nursery, dream of planting 500 Oak Trees On my Farm, I planted your Hybrid Oaks in 2006 hoping the trees would start along with Apple Trees. I purchased my first producing acorns earlier than 25 years. Well I didn’t have to wait long large order of seedlings about half of these in 2008 the trees started producing acorns. The trees were 2 years old are already out of their 5 foot tubes. You have when I planted them in 2006 and are now 4 years old. I would recom- provided me with excellent planting stock and mend Morse Nursery to anyone looking to improve their property for advice on tree varieties, and planting tech- wildlife habitat and doesn’t want to wait 25 years for results. niques.. Robert Hintzke Thank you, Franklin, Wisconsin Bud Lake, September 2008 Springport, Michigan www.morsenursery.com 269-979-4252 www.facebook.com/morsenursery 2 “Hello, this is Charlie Morse. At 66 years old I don’t have a lifetime to wait for results.” TABLE OF CONTENTS Frequently Asked Questions HYBRID PLANTS – Hybrid Plants are naturally VISITING MORSE NURSERY occurring crosses created by open pollina- We are asked many times a year “What are your hours?” Hun- tion that are frequently written about and have dreds of customers a year visit our nursery to pick their plants been known for years. Hybrids are nature’s way up and we look forward to seeing our friends every year, how- of evolving and adapting to a changing world ever, we are not a garden center and have no “Retail hours.” As often becoming superior to its pure species parents. Hybrids the grower, we are not set up for browsing or shopping kinds are simply plants that have naturally cross pollinated in the wild of retail activities. Orders can be placed before your scheduled producing a cross of the two or more parents to produce a new arrival by phone, catalog or on our website. Most orders are species. These hybrids demonstrate a biological vigor that is shipped, but if you’re going to pick up your plants make sure hard to explain. For example a typical white oak may take 25 you schedule your arrival date with us before you come as we years to produce acorns and a bur oak the same amount of will have your plants packaged and ready for you ahead of time, but when crossed, white oak and bur oak (Quercus alba time. Nursery tours are not given, as this is a working farm filled x macrocarpa) become a Bebb’s Oak. Bebb’s oaks have been with many hazards making it impractical for customers to walk known to produce acorns at a very early age 4-8 years from around safely. Directions page 24. seed, WOW! I’m not sure how Mother Nature does the math but I like the answer! This hybrid is superior to both its parents Jiffy Container RootTrapper Container in many ways. First, acorn production at an earlier age, next the white oak improves the sweetness of the bur oak acorns and the bur oak improves the reliability of the white oaks notorious intermittent- ly poor acorn production. The result is a superior hybrid oak as it relates to improving wildlife habitat. Plant breeders have used hybrids to produce new plants for years. Some scientists have devoted their lives to produce, for example, Pear trees that produce tiny pears that won’t lit- ter your yard. These ornamentals are fantastic accomplishments for the landscape industry but are of little value when it comes to feeding wildlife. The same science used to grow trees and shrubs that produce no mess in your yard is the same used to grow trees genetically programmed to do just the opposite. To simply put it, these are trees that are hard to walk un- WHAT IS A JIFFY CONTAINER & ROOTTRAPPER der because there is so much food on the ground, branches so CONTAINER? WHY AIR PRUNING OR TRAPPING? heavily loaded with food that they hang down under their own The picture on the left is a Jiffy Pellet showing air pruned roots, weight or produce food at an earlier age! and the picture on the right is a Root Trapper container.

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