Giant White Oak Acorns - still plant?

[snowracerh]

All, I collected a large amount of white acorns last weekend. They were the largest I've ever seen. I was on a camping trip, and like most of you, I could not resist taking them home. Its been 6 days and some have already grown a 1" root/radicle. I am wondering if they are worth my time to plant them this weekend via direct seeding or is it a lost cause at this point? If there is still hope, do I have to loosen the soil and orient the radicle down or just lay it on its side and it will turn down on its own? I have kept them moist since collecting them. I also float tested 2 gallons of then and maybe 10 floated! I know there are some experts on here that have probably experimented with this before.

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[Oakseeds]

You can direct seed them at this time at a final location, grow them in some kind of container (above or in ground) for transplant in the future, or store them in your refidgerator crisper until the spring .... or some combination of all three. If you decide to store some until spring, I'd select those that have not produced a radical; float test them and store them in the container (plastic bag type or plastic/glass container full of the medium of your choice - see threads on this site about growing oak trees from acorns). I would direct seed some in final locations (if you know where you want to plant them) at this time; plant acorns displaying a radical ... plant the acorn sideways (with radical pointing down) about 2 -3 inches deep (soil will compact with moisture). You will likely not see the tree until next spring even though it is growing a taproot this fall. For those you direct seed, it is very important you do 2 things .... 1) cover the planted acorn with some type of wire to keep squirrels at bay (some folks like to use protective tree tubes or some type of cage) and 2) make sure you water the planted acorn well (at time of planting) in order to ensure good soil/radical contact c(otherwise, your acorn radical might dry out and perish). There are other things you might consider; however, this pretty much answers your question about the possibility of planting acorns this fall.

 

[TreeDaddy]

growing acorns(chestnuts,persimmon,etc) from seed is my favorite part of management

"i insist on being present when they are born...."
Dr John Hammond from Jurassic Park 1993

bill

 

[Gator]

Success will be higher if you bury the root but you can certainly just throw them on the ground, your success rate will just drop a lot. You will still lose some to critters either way, just a slightly buried nut will higher a better chance to make it.

 

[dogghr]

All the above is correct and good luck. And don't assume initial failure with planting is the end. Acorns can begin and abort many times over a decade or more, until conditions allow their growth. Some of that and more nonsense you can read in The Mighty Acorn thread should you wish.
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/the-mighty-acorn.1814/

 

[j-bird]

Get them in something! The ground, potting soil or the fridge or all 3! Sounds like you found some good ones...take advantage!

 

[snowracerh]

Get them in something! The ground, potting soil or the fridge or all 3! Sounds like you found some good ones...take advantage!

Yes! Going to direct seed into this summers clearcut

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[TreeDaddy]

All the above is correct and good luck. And don't assume initial failure with planting is the end. Acorns can begin and abort many times over a decade or more, until conditions allow their growth. Some of that and more nonsense you can read in The Mighty Acorn thread should you wish.
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/the-mighty-acorn.1814/

i enjoyed this thread very much

Post more" nonsense".......

bill