Moisture in acorn/chestnut storage bags

Cap'n

Active Member
Has anyone ever tried putting rice in the bags to absorb any moisture? I was just thinking that instead of drying these out so often it would speed up the process if I just put rice in the bag and changed out the rice.
 
I lose more to them drying out during storage than being TOO moist.
As long as their isn't water pooling up in the bags with the Long leafed spaghnum moss, I haven't seen the need to dry them out during the process.
What are you using to hold moisture that needs to be dried so often ? Different methods, just curious :)
 
I just poked a bunch of holes in a zip lock and put them in the fridge. i have to take them out one a month or so and dry them off and get the moisture out of the bags.
 
Have you used this method before ?

Just curious. I store mine in "stall mode " like that from October - early January. Just the nuts in a bag with about a 1" opening at the top for a little air flow. There is still a lot of condensation on the top. Which I like. It's keeping the nuts moist, without the moisture being directly on them. All that moisture is coming directly out of the nut. If I keep opening it, to let that moisture out, I'll be stealing more moisture from the nut. That's when I get that gap between the nut and the shell, turning them into floaters.

Around Jan 15, I switch to adding moist long leafed spaghnum moss until they sprout a radical 60-90 days later. That usually allows me to grow them to grow indoors for 12 weeks in the grow trays. Then i can start acclimation them to outdoors and transfer into 1 gal pots.
 
Have you used this method before ?
No, in the past I direct seeded Postoak acorns into 1 gal pots and planted them the next fall.
I didnt know about stratifying back then. This is what Wayne (wpbdeer) recommended for the Chestnuts he sent and I'm doing it with all my acorns too except 25 Bur oak i've already direct seeded.
 
Wayne knows his stuff, so I'm sure you are in good hands.

To answer your original queation, IMO adding rice would be a bad idea. I believe it would dry out the nuts and make them not viable.
Kinda like going swimming with your phone in your pocket, then putting it in a bag of rice to dry it out. Same concept. I think after some time in with the rice they would all not pass the float test :)
I think drying them regularly is flirting with that as well, but never did it that way, so it's just a guess...
 
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