Early

• At the seedling growth or early stage of an oak plant's life, a rosette type of plant forms. The plant features leaves and a very short stem that grows in either a prostrate, semi-prostrate or upright growth habit. Plants stay in the rosette stage until spring if planted in the fall.
  
  

Later

• Later growth includes new growth that come from tiller or branch buds growing under the soil. The plant and the tiller branches start pushing upward where they grow into plants 2 feet or more in height. The stems end in a large, loose panicle on which the oat seeds appear.
  
  

Factors

• An oat plant's growth may suffer if temperatures fall below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The plants may produce smaller yields because of the freeze. Plants that already produced tillers remain less susceptible to harm from cold weather than plants at the early stages of growth.