TreeWalker Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 OK guys....got a couple of questions for you..... For Oak trees in our area, they are mostly Bur Oaks.....I see that they have a healthy crop of acorns this year. When can a guy expect them to start dropping ?? Another question, is has anybody messed around with planting them ?? I have seen tons of young volunteer saplings, but if I was going to purposely try to grow some, would I merely scatter them on the ground ?? Rake a small amount of dirt over them ?? Or bury them a certain depth ?? Thanks for any and all help. Clay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... I agree with Fast Eddie on this one. White Oaks seems to be the sweet candy over any other type of Oak, and dont bother planting acorns if your doing so for future hunting potential. Apple trees are much faster but even then it takes a few years and they need tons of attention to do well. No idea about when to expect the Oaks you mentions in concerns to acorn drop. My best guess would be... Fall time. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... I thought I read somewhere that deer eat the sweetest acorns first and then work towards the bitter ones. If that is the case, target white oaks first. Another tip. Oaks make good trees for stands. If you can get up by the leaves, oaks always have their leaves a lot longer than other trees. A little better cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... We don't have too many burr oaks here, although we do have some. In fact, there's a state park about 2 hours south of me called Burr Oak, I believe Nut hunts there. Like the other guys said, White oaks produce a big sweet nut, whereas pin and red oaks produce a little A-kern (sic), that is on the bitter side I guess. For the most part, we have red, pin and white oaks where we hunt, but to be honest, I've never really noticed deer flocking to oak stands like everyone raves about. I think it's because most of the areas I hunt are surrounded by crops which seem to be more palatable to the deer. Oaks are a slow growing tree, and as stated before, they take a loooooooong time to produce acorns. As far as planting them, I copied this from a site, because I'm too lazy to type this morning. [ QUOTE ] Collecting acorns. Most acorns ripen from late October to early November, with seeds on the lower branches ripening first. Use tools, such as long-handled loppers, sticks to knock them down. Fully mature acorns will dislodge easier than green ones, but birds, deer, and insects will quickly take their toll if acorns are not collected soon after ripening. The biggest acorns are usually best. Test by soaking them in a pail of water, keeping only sinkers. Acorns that float often have been damaged by insects or have not matured properly But if acorns were collected off the ground where they may have dried out, soak them longer—up to 24 hours—before discarding floaters. Storing acorns. Acorns may lie stored up to six months without significant loss in viability if they are kept cool and not allowed to dry out. Place them in peat or saw dust within polyethylene bags, in an environment with temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, such as in a refrigerator. Polyethylene bags with a wall thickness of four to ten mils are ideal for storing acorns since they are permeable to carbon dioxide and oxygen hut impermeable to moisture—two factors that help maintain acorn viability. Preparation for planting. Float the acorns again, and select the sinkers. Planting directly in the field. Direct planting of acorns eliminates the root disturbance that occurs with transplanting and allows maximum root development. Methods for planting vary tremendously, so feel free to experiment. [/ QUOTE ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted July 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Bur Oaks do still get hit pretty hard here, and the great thing about them is they CAN produce as early as 8 years.......... I'm not looking to hunt over them as much as try to get them established by the time the cottonwoods and ash/elm trees start dying off..........after all, I have adult oaks to hunt over now........I'm just hoping to possibly scrounge up some acorns for planting and wondering what would be the best time to expect them, and the best way to plant them..... Thanks for the replies so far, anybody got some planting tips/tricks or any comments....keep them coming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntr104 Posted August 1, 2005 Report Share Posted August 1, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... I agree. White Oaks first. Here in Rhode Island they start dropping 2nd week in Sept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted August 1, 2005 Report Share Posted August 1, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Have all sorts of mature oaks all over our property. Acorns usually dont start falling here until sometime in late September to October. Most of my ladder stands are located in mature oak trees. Not real sure about planting them, we have saplings growing all over the property that have started on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted August 1, 2005 Report Share Posted August 1, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Clay, Deer and Deer Hunting magazines Bow hunting issue has a rather comprehensive article on Acorns and Oaks. Truly a must read if you can get a copy of it. It was out a couple months ago. Totally eye opening. I have it here someplace. When I find it I'll quote from it. I do know the tannin within the acorn is what determines which ones they will eat first. The order of which to my surprise is White, the Pin and the Black and Red the scrub oak and then the large rock oak. [ QUOTE ] I can state unequivocally that in the northeastern, central, southern and west coast regions of the United States, acorns when available, are the favorite whitetail food. There are times when acorns comprise 80 percent of the diet. When acorns drop, deer forsake their regular haunts and most of the other available foods to feast on these succulent brown nuts. ..........Leonard Lee Rue III [/ QUOTE ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted August 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... A little more info, that I did not realize.......the Bur Oak falls into the White Oak family, and has one of the sweetest fruits of all oak.....so I am in business, LOL They also can produce fruit in their first year, but 8-10 years is most likely.........and the Bur Oak lives to be 200-400 years old !! Kinda makes me proud to be able to do something for the future hunters in my family...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckNrut Posted August 2, 2005 Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... I planted white oak acorns in my garden one year just for fun. They all came up. Try loosening the soil and burry the nut about 3" deep. Cover the area with leaves if possible to insulate and protect from critters. BTW, any chance you could send some of those Bur nuts my way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted August 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... [quote As far as planting them, I copied this from a site, because I'm too lazy to type this morning. [ QUOTE ] Collecting acorns. Most acorns ripen from late October to early November, with seeds on the lower branches ripening first. Use tools, such as long-handled loppers, sticks to knock them down. Fully mature acorns will dislodge easier than green ones, but birds, deer, and insects will quickly take their toll if acorns are not collected soon after ripening. The biggest acorns are usually best. Test by soaking them in a pail of water, keeping only sinkers. Acorns that float often have been damaged by insects or have not matured properly But if acorns were collected off the ground where they may have dried out, soak them longer—up to 24 hours—before discarding floaters. Storing acorns. Acorns may lie stored up to six months without significant loss in viability if they are kept cool and not allowed to dry out. Place them in peat or saw dust within polyethylene bags, in an environment with temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, such as in a refrigerator. Polyethylene bags with a wall thickness of four to ten mils are ideal for storing acorns since they are permeable to carbon dioxide and oxygen hut impermeable to moisture—two factors that help maintain acorn viability. Preparation for planting. Float the acorns again, and select the sinkers. Planting directly in the field. Direct planting of acorns eliminates the root disturbance that occurs with transplanting and allows maximum root development. Methods for planting vary tremendously, so feel free to experiment. [/ QUOTE ] [/ QUOTE ] Wow....don't how I missed this before...thanks for posting it Chris.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted August 2, 2005 Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... [ QUOTE ] [quote As far as planting them, I copied this from a site, because I'm too lazy to type this morning. [ QUOTE ] Collecting acorns. Most acorns ripen from late October to early November, with seeds on the lower branches ripening first. Use tools, such as long-handled loppers, sticks to knock them down. Fully mature acorns will dislodge easier than green ones, but birds, deer, and insects will quickly take their toll if acorns are not collected soon after ripening. The biggest acorns are usually best. Test by soaking them in a pail of water, keeping only sinkers. Acorns that float often have been damaged by insects or have not matured properly But if acorns were collected off the ground where they may have dried out, soak them longer—up to 24 hours—before discarding floaters. Storing acorns. Acorns may lie stored up to six months without significant loss in viability if they are kept cool and not allowed to dry out. Place them in peat or saw dust within polyethylene bags, in an environment with temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, such as in a refrigerator. Polyethylene bags with a wall thickness of four to ten mils are ideal for storing acorns since they are permeable to carbon dioxide and oxygen hut impermeable to moisture—two factors that help maintain acorn viability. Preparation for planting. Float the acorns again, and select the sinkers. Planting directly in the field. Direct planting of acorns eliminates the root disturbance that occurs with transplanting and allows maximum root development. Methods for planting vary tremendously, so feel free to experiment. [/ QUOTE ] [/ QUOTE ] Wow....don't how I missed this before...thanks for posting it Chris.... [/ QUOTE ] You know Clay, I almost gave you one of these ---> the other day because, well, you figured it out. lol. The previous owner of my house was into planting trees. He planted well over 100 white pines that are now over 15'. He also planted a bunch of acorns all over. Way out in my field, he planted about 20 white oaks. A few years ago, I dug up 3 of them and moved them to the front. I just noticed the biggest of the transplants developed a few acorn cups on it. Don't know if it will actually produce nuts. It looks like it didn't get pollinated. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. I will say one thing, if you plan on transplanting the seedlings, make sure you do it when the tree is dormant, like in March, and don't let it get too big. anything over 2 feet will be pretty tough to transplant because oaks grow an incredibly long tap root. Found out the hard way on that one. Unfortunately, I killed a couple trees while trying to transplant them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted September 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Well I brought home my first batch of acorns......nearly 100 of them, only had 4 floaters..............man the acorns are dropping like crazy right now......... Can't wait to plant these, and see how many I get to come up..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Very cool. Good luck with them. I have a buddy that propogates them commercially, let me know if you run into problems and I'll forward them to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MarylandQDMA Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... DELETED CAUSE I'M A MORION F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted September 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... [ QUOTE ] DELETED CAUSE I'M A MORION F [/ QUOTE ] I think you're to hard on yourself, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Bringing this back up to the top......... A while back when the acorns started dropping, I picked up roughly 100 of them. I performed the float test like Tominator described, and had 95 of them that passed. I proceeded to wrap these ina towel and kept them wet, because I didn't know what I was going to do with them, and had no where to really plant them yet.......................well I accidently let them dry out for a couple days, and the outer shells cracked open before I knew it..........I thought it may just be a good thing............turns out it was. I've been continually keeping the towel wet and the acorns covered since then. I looked at them again yesterday, and low and behold a ton of them have started to spout !!! I'm going to buy a bunch of those small cardboard cups and plant each one in some soil and foster them throughout the winter, so they will be ready to plant next spring.........gonna have a bunch of nice little oaks to plant by then.......can't wait!! So, it can be done......if I can start an oak from an acorn, ANYBODY can do it, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Like I had mentioned before, Bur oaks are a member of the White Oak family, but they produce withing 8-10 years.......but I ain't planting them for me, but to help replace some cottonwoods and ash trees that will be dying off in the future......I've got adult oaks to hunt now, but these will be established by the time my kids get a little older....... Here is a great website I came across....a nursery that handles strictly trees and plants for wildlife.....here's the link.... MORSE NURSERY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Man I love this thread,,,, I've always been facinated by Oak Tree's.... Thanks for all the great info, I'm really enjoying this one.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Ya......me too, LOL I'm really liking that website I came across.....their HyBred Oaks look awesome by description........looks like they do their homework..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... I'm really interested in how your seedlings turn out,, I may have to try that method with the bucket of water... Fostering those seedlings seems to be the best way to give them the best chance of survival... And besides nothing like free seeds from mother nature herself.....whats there to lose right ??.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Whe you attempt to store them next time here's some info I dug up.... Acorn Collection and Storage. Growth habit, rate, and other characteristics can vary greatly among white oak populations that have developed under different environmental conditions. Consequently, acorns should be collected from local trees growing in conditions similar to those of the reestablishment site. Oregon white oak flowers in April and May and acorns require only one growing season to mature, ripening in September and October. Because immature acorns cannot be ripened artificially after picking, acorns should be collected shortly after they are physiologically mature. The easiest and best characteristic of ripe acorns is the ease with which they can be dislodged from the acorn cupule or cap. When ripe, acorns can be easily removed from the cap by gentle twisting. If they are not ripe, the caps are difficult to remove and some of the fleshy meat may be torn off the acorn when separated. The best quality acorns are generally collected off the tree before they fall. An efficient method of harvesting is to shake acorns from the trees onto tarps, or pick them from the branches. Acorns can be collected off the ground. However, those that are lightweight, dried, or insect-damaged should be discarded. Viable acorns will look plump and have a dark color. Sometimes immature acorns will fall with caps intact in late summer; these are not viable and should be avoided. Acorns may be stored until time to plant but require proper storage to maintain their viability. White oak acorns have no embryo dormancy and will begin germinating unless refrigerated at temperatures 33-41 degrees Fahrenheit. The easiest way to store them is in 1-gallon zip-lock plastic bags. Fill bags half-full with acorns and add a handful of dry peat moss, perlite, or a 3:1 mixture of perlite and vermiculite. The peat is slightly acidic, which inhibits bacterial growth, and absorbs excess moisture. Do not seal bags, as some gaseous exchange from respiration occurs in viable acorns. Airtight storage containers should not be used. To retard mold, fungicides such as Captan® may be placed in bags. Do not let acorns dry during storage as they are quite sensitive and their ability to germinate decreases with loss of moisture. Here's another great site,, for some great tips and light reading... http://www.biodiversitypartners.org/pubs/Campbell/03.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ousoonerfan22 Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... I hunted a place last weekend that was loaded with white oak acorns,after reading this I think I'll go back and pick some up.I've planted apple and peach tree's on my parents land and would love to have some white oaks around the food plots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ousoonerfan22 Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Would it be too early to disc some rows and plant the acorns now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted November 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2005 Re: Questions Concerning Oak Trees..... Since we are up north, I think it may be, and I didn't want to take the chance.... On another note, I just finished planting all sprouted acorns into those large cardboard cups........I ended up with 60 that sprouted well.........somehow a dang worm snuck through my initial inspection and wiped out nearly 40 of the acorns before they got a chance to sprout...........but 60 out of 100 is still pretty good. I'm going to make it a habit from this year on out, to try and plant at least 50 oak trees, but will try to do 100 or more..........I figured I may as well pack 10 or so out while on each shed hunting trip in the spring....I'm out there anyways and enjoying the outdoors....and it really wouldn't take long to plant 10 or so each time I'm out........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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