repeated mowing of the lawn should take care of them ..

and then.. if it really bothers you.. get rid of the oak ..

ken

I think Ken means get rid of the lawn.
They are so passé.

Don't fight a losing battle, grass needs sun. Extend your mulch ring today!

Just keep mowing.

If they are in the lawn, mow 'em. If they are in the garden, hoe 'em. If they are in neither, spray 'em. Mowing will eventually get rid of trees in turf. However, long term, do we see turf in the forest? Musicalperson is, somewhat ironically, partially correct. A matter of timing.
hortster

Mowing works. Oak seedlings (most seedlings, in fact) don't have the vigor to keep coming up again and again in the middle of an established lawn.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I pulled a few out of the ground and noticed I can sometimes pull out the acorn from where it was established. If a simple mow will improve the situation, therefore only cutting off the tops of the seedlings. Will the seedling re-establish themselves since the acorns are still in the ground/lawn?

the acorn is a finite source of power ... perhaps enough to sprout up.. and put down a root ...

mowing.. removes the top ... and without leaves to make food.. the acorn will run out of energy.. before it can re-establish the top

simple enough??? i am sure there is more science behind it.. but that should suffice

ken

Joelle,

Since this thread is about oak seedlings, you might want to consider starting your own thread, particularly because your problem may be related to suckers rather than seedlings. Start your own thread and post some pictures so we can ID the tree and respond accordingly.