Acorns For Planting
Whitetail Deer
I have been gathering a few acorns here and there with the intent on starting them in pots next spring and eventually plant them on my property. My intent was to try a handfull but I said something to my 6.5 year old daughter and now she is gathering everything. For those that have done something similar in the past how or what is the best way to store them during the winter?
I'd pot them right now and leave them outside, they'll spring right up when its time... Don't believe ya have to plant them too deep either, an inch at the most for I have both red and white varsities in my yard and baby trees spring up every year without planting. I suspect they are the acorns the mower pushes in the ground during the fall and the squirrels miss...
go plant them on the property now and mark with a stake.
They will start producing acorns of their own when your daughter is 56.5. It takes 50 yrs to mature, but great for future generations.
A lot of it depends on tree type. White Oaks don't require cold stratification, but Reds do, typically around 90 days just above freezing.
regarding it taking 50 years to produce acorns, that may be true in a pure Woods setting, but if you plant them and take some time to keep the competition down they will produce much quicker. Certain types of oaks will produce in under 8 to 10 years, and some dwarf varieties in as little as 3.
I have about 500 acorns in my fridge right now waiting to be planted in the spring, that is what I would recommend that you do. Collect the acorns you want from good trees, put them in a bucket full of water and toss the ones that float, place in a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel in your fridge. They say to keep him away from fruits and vegetables as the gases they let off can harm germination.
The cold of the fridge will delay growth in White Oaks and is required for red oaks as I mentioned above. Winx spring rolls around you can either plant them in their final location or put them in pots and babysit them as you see fit.
I can give you some additional pointers if you have any question.
CAS. . . do you seal the ziplock bag shut, or leave it open?
Open bag and you should check one a week for molding.....may need a rinse to wash mold off after a couple months
Deer are probably eating acorns right now as I am typing, planted 12-14 years ago, Willow, Possum, Water, Sawtooth Gobbler, Schuettes ,Bebbs and Burenglish Oaks. Wating on the other half dozen or so other varieties.
Deer are probably eating acorns right now as I am typing, planted 12-14 years ago, Willow, Possum, Water, Sawtooth Gobbler, Schuettes ,Bebbs and Burenglish Oaks. Wating on the other half dozen or so other varieties.
Brian,
I'm familiar with how slow they grow as I had 2200 oaks and other hardwoods planted 4 years ago on part of my farm under CRP. Always need a few trees to replace ones that have been hit primarily by rabbits.
I figured might as well take advantage of the free 'seeds' while I have been walking on a few other properties I hunt. I don't know if the oaks on my property have produced anything as I stay out of the timber after hanging stands in early Aug.
My daughter is excited so it is something we can do together.
CAS-thanks for the information. I will store them in the refrigerator we keep in the garage.
Chasin, I've heard of guys potting them in the fall covering with mulch or leaves to overwinter then transplant the ones that sprout. We direct seeded 25 acres 10yrs ago and have oaks anywhere from ankle high to 15' high!! Direct seeding is probably the the easiest method to reforest a large area. Like others have said there's a ton of info on the QDMA website.
I pick up acorns from desirable oaks as I leave the woods from my morning bow hunting. I try to make sure they don't have any wormholes as those won't germinate. I have built some Earth Box type containers out of 18 gallon plastic tubs and fill them with potting soil. I primarily use them for vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, etc.. After a couple of years and I think the fertility of the potting soil is declining, I will plant my acorns in them in the fall as soon as I find them in the woods, being sure not to plant them very deep. Just laying them in the soil on their side seems to .work. Not all, but a good percentage will sprout and send down a root fairly quickly and by spring you will have some pretty little oak seedlings. I keep them watered in the container through the summer and in the following winter dump everything out on a tarp or sheet of plastic or the ground. You will need to separate the roots but should end up with perfect bare root seedlings that you can plant with a dibble. I especially look for white oak, swamp chestnut oak, Durand oak and water oak. There maybe a better way but this works for me and I have been doing it for several years.
When you plant tree seedlings, make sure you punch a hole longer than the tap root - just a tad - so that the root does not take a " S " shape when you drop it in.
If the root is bent in anyway, it will usually die.
I understand that it is usually around 15 to 18 years before a White Oak or Black Oak will produce any acorns at all.
Photo: Rapidan River, Virginia, forest reclamation project with the Isaac Walton League.
Right before planting soak acorns in water for 12 hours and only plant the ones that DO NOT float
White Oaks. I will dump these out, separate them and plant them with a dibble, most likely in late January or early February. It's important to keep the roots moist after you get them out of the soil. I wrap them in wet hay or grass.
After browsing this this post a couple of weeks back, I came across this summary on planting acorns & starting oaks from the Penn State Extension Office. I thought maybe others would benefit from these instructions.
Best of luck to everyone this season
