Thanks to some kind folks this year in the seed exchange I got some Chinkapin oaks and some Alleghany Chinkipins. After getting them in the mail I soaked them in water like I do for all the acorns for a floating test. I then put them in some moist peat moss and into the fridge they went. After about two weeks I noticed that they are already sprouting a radicle. This shocked me as I didn’t expect to see one this fast, normally takes at least a month for the oaks I’ve experimented with. What should I do? Plant them in containers and get them under lights already? Plant them in pots and get them outside? Or even simply just leave them in the fridge.
Chinkapin Help
- Thread starter Mitch123
- Start date
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Many white oaks will try to germinate as quickly as possible. I would put them in some sort of soil depending on what you have available. I have some in pots now...if I can keep the dang squirrels away form them. I prefer to direct seed if possible. Oaks have a long tap root that needs to be considered.
I have some 9 inch deep treepots that I ordered last year and used for my chestnuts as they too have a long tap root. Direct seeding really isn’t an option or I would. Should I get them in the treepots and just keep them in my garage or outside for a while before they go under the lights?
Cap'n
Active Member
I haven’t planted acorns that produced a radicle in the fall but all my white oak fam I direct seed in my garden with wire over it. This usually happens early Nov. I keep them in the fridge until then in a ziplock with holes punched and no peat. Never had one germinate in the bag unless it was already spring.
Ounce it comes up and is about 3-4” in the spring I plant it in a 1 gal pot so I can tend to it all summer. I found a bunch of expanded metal gutter guards at a garage sale and use those over the direct seeded trees. I zip tie 2 together and make a dome over the seed in the spring. Has been working well
.
Ounce it comes up and is about 3-4” in the spring I plant it in a 1 gal pot so I can tend to it all summer. I found a bunch of expanded metal gutter guards at a garage sale and use those over the direct seeded trees. I zip tie 2 together and make a dome over the seed in the spring. Has been working well
.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
I took some 2 liter plastic bottles and cut the top off and put a hole in the bottom and used those when I planted some sawtooth a few years ago. For white oaks germinating in the fall that should be fine. Just watch out for root circling as they grow if your putting them under the lights. My only concern would be about the roots freezing. I bring mine in and put them in the basement and keep the soil moist and then will bring them back out come spring.
Allegheny Chinkapins will germinate in the fall. Some even will sprout a radicle while still on the tree.
Those that have not sprouted a radicle I would keep in the fridge. I was able to keep some I pulled off the tree in the fridge till spring one year and was able to plant then before they produced a radicle. In that scenario, I just placed them in a ziploc bag with lightly moist paper towel, no peat moss, and kept a check on the moisture.
The others you’ll probably want to get in a container of some kind like mentioned above.
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Those that have not sprouted a radicle I would keep in the fridge. I was able to keep some I pulled off the tree in the fridge till spring one year and was able to plant then before they produced a radicle. In that scenario, I just placed them in a ziploc bag with lightly moist paper towel, no peat moss, and kept a check on the moisture.
The others you’ll probably want to get in a container of some kind like mentioned above.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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