Technically yes, but oak is one of the hardest trees to grow from cuttings, and for home gardeners it is rarely worth the effort. Mark Coggeshall, writing in the International Oak Society’s journal, describes oak as a challenge to propagate from softwood cuttings and impossible to root from dormant hardwood cuttings. Cuttings from young seedlings can root well. Cuttings from the mature tree in your yard almost never do.

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The short answer: oaks are very hard to root from cuttings. Dormant hardwood cuttings do not root, and softwood cuttings from mature trees normally root at very low rates or not at all (Coggeshall, International Oak Society). Cuttings from young seedlings can root at up to 90% under mist with rooting hormone, but only in a narrow 2- to 3-week window at the end of the first flush of spring growth. For a new oak, plant acorns. To copy a particular tree exactly, have it grafted.

Why oak cuttings are so difficult

Coggeshall points to three main factors:

Age of the parent tree. This has the biggest influence. Seedling material can root at very high rates, around 90%, but rooting from mature trees is normally very low or nil. Trees older than about 4 to 6 years root only with difficulty.
Timing. The best window is only 2 to 3 weeks long. It comes at the end of the first flush of spring growth, before the shoots harden. Later flushes root less well.
Type of cutting. Softwood cuttings can root. Dormant hardwood cuttings, the easy method for willows, do not work for oaks.

Even when mature-tree cuttings root, Coggeshall notes they can keep their mature growth habits, growing slowly and sometimes sideways rather than upright.

If you want to try

Coggeshall describes how researchers root oak softwood cuttings:

Timing: collect at the end of the first spring flush, while shoots are still soft but fully expanded.
Source: use young plants, ideally seedlings or stock plants cut back hard in late winter to force vigorous young shoots.
Prepare: cut 5- to 6-inch shoots with 3 to 5 leaves and trim the leaves in half to reduce water loss.
Hormone: dip the base in a strong rooting hormone containing IBA. Many formulations have been used for oaks.
Humidity: stick the cuttings in a shaded greenhouse under a polytent with fog or mist. Fog has been reported to work better than mist for English and red oak.

Iowa State University Extension’s general softwood method can be adapted at home. Use a free-draining mix of sand, perlite or vermiculite, a clear plastic cover to reduce water loss, and bright light but no direct sun. Expect low success, take many cuttings, and see the first winter as a second hurdle. Even rooted cuttings often fail to grow new shoots in the following spring.

The practical alternative: acorns

Acorns are how nature and most nurseries grow oaks, and they work well at home. Iowa State University Extension recommends collecting acorns as soon as they fall and putting them in water. Sound acorns sink, and most floaters are not viable. White oak and swamp white oak acorns should be planted in fall. Many red oak group acorns need a cold, moist period, which you can provide with stratification: store them in a moist mix of sand and peat in a cool place over winter, then plant in spring.

Seedlings grow into strong trees with natural, deep root systems, and they are genetically varied, which helps them cope with pests and climate. Our guide to growing oaks from acorns covers each step. Our roundup of home acorn experiments shows how other gardeners have done it.

Other shortcuts that do not work well

Rooting an oak branch in water. Unlike willow, oak twigs in a jar of water almost never root. They usually leaf out briefly on stored energy and then die.
Pushing a dormant oak stick into the ground. This live-stake method works for willows, but Coggeshall describes oak hardwood cuttings as impossible to root.
Digging up a root sucker. Some oaks sprout from their roots, but suckers on grafted trees may be rootstock, not the variety you want. They also have few roots of their own.
Air layering a mature branch. It is possible in theory but slow and unreliable on oaks, and rarely worth it compared with an acorn.

Copying a special tree: grafting

If you want an exact copy of a particular oak, for example a family tree or one with unusual leaves, grafting is more reliable than cuttings. Coggeshall describes grafting oaks onto potted seedling rootstocks in a greenhouse in early spring, timed to the start of bud break on the rootstock. Cleft, side and whip grafts can all work. Most home gardeners hire a specialist nursery or propagator for this.

Planting out

Whether it started as an acorn, a rooted cutting or a graft, plant a young oak in full sun with room to grow. Many oaks reach 50 feet or more. See the best time to plant an oak tree and how close to a house you can plant an oak before you dig.

Sources

Oak Propagation Techniques (Coggeshall, International Oaks No. 6), International Oak Society
How do I germinate acorns?, Iowa State University Extension
Propagating Shrubs and Trees from Softwood Cuttings, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Top photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Can You Grow an Oak Tree From a Cutting?