I think that it depends on the environment that it is in. I planted a 2' whip in alkaline clay soil (seems to like it) maybe 8 years ago and I have a 20' tree with 5-6" caliper. My understanding is that, AROUND HERE, it gets to 50-60' high and 40-60' wide. Sounds like at 30' you're pretty safe. Love the tree.
hortster

The tree is on a sloped, well drained area. For sure around here it likes that, too.
hortster

I would be planting mine in a very flat area that has well drained sandy loam soil with full sun all day from sunrise to sunset. I'm not sure how alkaline the soil around here is. I have been told that it is pretty alkaline, but I would have to have a soil test done to be sure. It sounds like a Chinkapin Oak tree would do well though.

Flat is OK if you've got the drainage. Not far from here there is a native grove looking quite happy that occurs on a fairly steep limestone hillside (therefore, high pH). I mentioned the sloped drainage because mine is in heavy clay and would not like it in a flat spot during a wet year. Sandy loam should be fine.
hortster

Well, the Kansas State University Extension Office says that the Chinkapin Oak is tolearnt of alkaline soil, drought tolerant, insect tolerant, and likes full sun. They also say that it does not like wet soil or light shade.
Even though the spot I would put the Chinkapin Oak is flat as a pancake, my soil drains extremely fast. I really believe it would be extremely difficult to over water plants in my yard. I mean you would have to be trying relly hard to deliberaltly over water them in order to actually succeed at it. That's one of the reasons why I think a Chinkipin Oak tree would do well in my front yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Preferred Trees for South Central Kansas

Hortster, do you have a photo of your Chinkipin Oak you would be willing to post?

I haven't used the new upload feature before today so I hope this works. Picture taken of last fall's brief color.
Will post another of tree today.
hortster

The upload feature is pretty handy but only one picture at a time?
hortster

That's a nice looking tree. It's hard to believe that it was only a 2' whip 8 years ago.
You said your soil is alkaline clay. Do you know the pH of your soil?

Has ranged from 7.3 to 7.7 on tests @ different areas of the yard. 7.7 was just about pure red clay (I speculate that it was mostly basement excavation soil), 7.3 had a mixture of red and black, the black probably a bit of clayish topsoil.
The limestone hillside I referred to earlier was near Leon, KS and the soil test for a residence on top of the hill there was 8.1!
hortster

Yeah, that is pretty alkaline. Chinkapin Oaks must be pretty tough trees. My soil is slightly acidic to neutral at 6.5.
Did you purchase your 2' Chinkapin whip locally or did you order it from an online vendor? I am planning on planting one in my front yard. I may purchase it from my local nursery, but he doesn't have any in stock and probably won't get any more until next spring if he gets any in at all.

It was a freebee from the KSU extension service at "Tree Day," a 3" or 4" pot provided by Sunshine Nursery in Clinton, OK. Steve Bieberich, the owner, is a highly recognized taxonimist and collected it from an extremely high pH area somewhere. Probably doesn't help you much, but you could contact the people at the John C. Pair Horticultural Center and see if they know who might be growing that strain.
hortster

I contacted the John C. Pair Horticultural Center, but they weren't much help. So, I contacted Sunshine Nursery in Clinton, OK. They will have 1 gal. Chinkapin Oak trees for $20.00 and 5 gal. Chinkapin Oak trees for $45.00 available in September. They will also have 25 gal. (2 in. caliper) Chinkapin Oak trees for $175.00 available after frost.
They said their seed source is right there at their nursery in Clinton. They said the soil that their seed source is growing in is very alkaline, which is most likely where your Chinkapin Oak came from.

Hortster, I noticed that you are in SC Kansas. If you don't mind me asking, how close are you to Kingman?