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| ...sprouted acorns grow! I was in the woods today and noticed many holes in the woodchip path. It looked like the squirrels had been digging things up. Near some of these holes I found sprouted acorns. I'm guessing that squirrels buried them. Then, when the available supply was gone, they started to dig them up to eat. They were not interested in eating the ones that had sprouted, so tossed them aside.
For fun, I'd like to plant them. To assure some baby oak trees, am I better off starting them indoors in a pot with potting soil, or just planting them in my garden, and seeing what happens? I am concerned that my local squirrels will dig them up, and either take a bite, or toss them and they will dry out.
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| There are many different opinions on that. I have few Quercus Alba White oak acorns in a spot where I want the tree to be. If you can make a wire cage or overturned milk crate, basically any simple form of protection til spring, it is less work and you don't have to baby the seedling as much if there is drought that growing season and the seasons after that. There is nothing wrong with growing it in a pot and removing circling roots before transplanting etc. But if you know where you want your tree direct seeding makes more sense. You don't have to trim off roots and set the plant back a year or 2 on growth. It gets to send a taproot down, which will help with drought issues while it's young and maybe after that. |
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| Thanks! Yes, I can make a wire cage. Part of my reason for considering starting them in a pot indoors is not just critters, but seeing which is the sturdiest looking seedling, and selectively planting that one. I also don't know what kind of oaks these are. The woods I was in had mostly red oaks, but lots of different kinds. If I could ID some young leaves that might affect which one got planted too. One will go where an ash tree died last year (not ash tree borer, I had an arborist look at it). As for the rest: if the remaining ash trees in that area are also going to die, then I would put the oaks there. They don't have ash tree borer, but it is probably only a matter of time, as it is in my area. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 24, 12 at 16:39
| oh come on.. you dig them out of mother earth.. who apparently was taking fine care of them.. and mother hen wants to pot them and tuck them indoors for winter??? wheres the logic there??? how long did they dry out?? perhaps a run back with some wet newsprint.. and a plastic grocery bag.. dig a few.. wrap in paper.. bring home.. plant in mother earth.. mark well ... and be done with it ... i just wonder how much drying of the root a newly sprouted babe can take ... that is where your failure potential is .. depending on how you brought them home ... ken |
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| Linnea, I would also discourage you from taking too much for granted that the performance of a seedling in early life will tell you anything useful about the plant. From my experience in the lab, plants often start slow and overtake others that seemed to have a lead. Life is a VERY complex things, and the whole aspect of breeding is never clear because you are never quite breeding one trait at a time... |
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| Hey, Ken, I didn't dig them up! :) How would I have known where they were, LOL? Hungry squirrels did. I only found them because the woodchip path was pocked all over with holes, and I looked closer, and saw them. I picked them up yesterday. It was misting rain, so none looked dried out when I found them. Though I don't know how long since they had been unearthed. I took them home and laid them on top of the soil of a potted plant that was moist. But now I will go make sure they are moist, until I can get outside in daylight. |
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- Posted by gardener365 IL 5/6 (My Page) on Thu, Oct 25, 12 at 8:07
| Red oaks need winter dormancy. White oaks usually send out a root prior to winter and in spring they will shoot up their terminal. My advice to you is to pot them and keep them in a non-heated garage. The acorns should be planted on their side with the stylopodium end (pointed end) facing away from the walls of the container. Also, cover the seed. And, place hardware cloth over the container, or mice will find the acorns during winter. Keep the soil moist thru the winter. Another way is to plant them outside in a temp bed covering that with hardware cloth. In either case, allow the seedling to grow thru the hardware cloth all season and when they shed their leaves the following Fall, carefully slide the hardware cloth off as to not damage the bark. Then dig them, and plant them to their permanent location. Best of luck. Dax |
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| Thanks! |
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