Direct Seeding Acorns

[George]

Mice are just as effective as squirrels at eating planted acorns.

G

 

[Kurt]

I actually bought a acorn planter awhile back and ended up selling as it's faster to use a seedling planter and be a couple years ahead.Oaks will grow faster in tubes than cages

I am pretty certain tubes in our 100 plus degree days may have helped cook them. But I may be totally wrong on that. I do know that with that heat and tubes all seedlings died. The ones in cages only, had maybe a 10% survival rate. So either way its not good lol.

Maybe the acorns will pop up this spring and I can cage them.

 

[yoderjac]

I am pretty certain tubes in our 100 plus degree days may have helped cook them. But I may be totally wrong on that. I do know that with that heat and tubes all seedlings died. The ones in cages only, had maybe a 10% survival rate. So either way its not good lol.

Maybe the acorns will pop up this spring and I can cage them.

I prefer cages for small number of trees, but if I'm going for volume the cost and work can be prohibitive compared to tubes. Tubes have both plusses and minuses. You mention one downside with "cooking" trees. If and how you use tubes depends on your environment. Another issue can be drying out trees. If you don't seal the bottom of the tube, air enters there and as the tube heats in the sun, it acts as a chimney and dries out the tree. I've had tubes both help and hurt me. Tree location and deer densities come into play. If you put a tree in a food plot, deer feeding in the plot will take a nibble from time to time as they feed by and the central leader can get nipped off. Sometime you end up with a bush or in high deer density situations, especially with attractive trees like apples, deer will kill trees if not protected in some way.

To tube or not always depends...

 

[cutman]

I have some sawtooth acorns and chestnuts in the fridge. When is the ideal time of year to plant them? We are supposed to have a warm February so I’m thinking I should plant them soon…

 

[RGrizzzz]

I have some sawtooth acorns and chestnuts in the fridge. When is the ideal time of year to plant them? We are supposed to have a warm February so I’m thinking I should plant them soon…

You don't nedd to rush it. When is your last frost date?

 

[Native Hunter]

I have some sawtooth acorns and chestnuts in the fridge. When is the ideal time of year to plant them? We are supposed to have a warm February so I’m thinking I should plant them soon…

I would go ahead and get them in the ground.

 

[yoderjac]

I'd say it depends on your commitment to protection. The longer they are out there, the more time for predation. If you are focused on protecting them, I'd say sooner, if not, I'd say later.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Plant and cage them

I also sprinkle molemax around perimeter of cage

bill

 

[buckdeer1]

Are your tubes ventilated?I tested tubes for the state before they cost shared and oaks loved the tubes,walnuts and fruit trees not so much.But for the price I would plant state forestry seedlings and use tubes on oaks.I cage after tube splits until they get big enough not to rub

 

[Kurt]

Update post on my acorn project. Gathered acorns in Hays city park in Sept/Oct. Float tested. Stored good ones in fridge a few months and planted late fall. In my overgrown pasture, I weed whacked 4' diameter circles to get down to the dirt and planted 4-5 in each circle. 10 circles. I get out there about every 4 weeks to work on stuff. This trip I was greeted with 3 bur oaks. I promptly caged them and watered them. Did others come up and get eaten? Will more still come up? Not sure. But if we can get out of drought conditions this may work. Eternally optimistic in my tree planting efforts in semi arid KS.

My new plan is a repeat planting this fall in 10 more whacked circles. But this time I am just going to put cages in after planting. If any come up in my absence they'll be safe. I can thin later as necessary.

 

[weekender21]

Update post on my acorn project. Gathered acorns in Hays city park in Sept/Oct. Float tested. Stored good ones in fridge a few months and planted late fall. In my overgrown pasture, I weed whacked 4' diameter circles to get down to the dirt and planted 4-5 in each circle. 10 circles. I get out there about every 4 weeks to work on stuff. This trip I was greated with 3 bur oaks. I promptly caged them and watered them. Did others come up and get eaten? Will more still come up? Not sure. But if we can get out of drought conditions this may work. Eternally optimistic in my tree planting efforts in semi arid KS.

My new plan is a repeat planting this fall in 10 more whacked circles. But this time I am just going to put cages in after planting. If any come up in my absence they'll be safe. I can thin later as necessary.

That’s impressive! Squirrels and chipmunks are too competent at our place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kurt]

More wins. Found a total of 16 bur oak seedlings on this weeks visit. All have been weed whacked and caged. Also watered though we have gotten great moisture in May. More is forecast. We'll see if these little guys can make it in a hostile environment. If they do, they are the only oaks within 10 miles of the place.