Starting burr oaks

[WTNUT]

I collected some burr oak acorns from the site of my nephew’s wedding last week. He is a young outdoor nut.

I thought it would be cool to try and start some oak trees from acorns collected at his wedding site. Can anyone refer me to a thread or info about how best to do that assuming it is possible. Thanks.


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[Catscratch]

I would decide right now if you want to direct seed them, or put them in rootprunning pots for a yr. Either has advantages and cons. I personally think direct seeding is best but do grow oaks in root pruning pots every yr. Burrs are a white oak. Google how to grow them from seed. They don't require the same thing that a red oak acorn does.

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[Catscratch]

Direct seeded acorns need protection. I like to use a piece of pvc with a cone of window screen on top to keep rodents out. Once its sprouted and outgrown the pvc I wrap the trunk in window screen and cage it. Remove the pvc at that point. The taproot will be as long as the trunk.

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[Brookesmith]

I collected some burr oak acorns from the site of my nephew’s wedding last week. He is a young outdoor nut.

I thought it would be cool to try and start some oak trees from acorns collected at his wedding site. Can anyone refer me to a thread or info about how best to do that assuming it is possible. Thanks.


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I live in central Texas and frequently collect Burr oak acorns to grow seedlings. I have had very good luck picking up the acorns when they fall and getting them to sprout in early spring by placing 15-25 of the acorns in a large pot or tub with drainage holes (~30 gallons) that is 3/4 full of moist potting soil and then covering acorns with about 1 inch of potting soil. Then occasionally water throughout winter. Then around March-April the acorns sprout and poke through the potting soil. I usually leave in large pot until winter when they are dormant to transplant or put in individual pots for seedlings. If large pot gets crowded you can carefully transfer a few to another pot.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I had good luck putting them in a baggie zip lock in a fridge over winter and starting them using rootmaker methods
spring 2020

I plan to keep them one more growing season in the backyard and transplant to field winter 2021

bill

 

[j-bird]

White oaks (and bur is a white oak) want to germinate as soon as they hit the ground. Oaks in general seem to do far better direct seeded in the forever home in my opinion. Simply plant them and cage them so critters don't dig them up. I am sure you can grow them in pots - I have done it with other oaks before but essentially just enough to get them sprouted and maybe a foot of growth or so. The tap root is the issue with growing in pots as it will create root circling and the like. They will stay in the fridge over winter if you prefer as well, just keep them damp or they will dry out and die...they may even try to germinate in the fridge as well, so keep an eye on them and be prepared for an emergency planting if needed. Once the radical emerges....it needs dirt or it will dry out and die.

 

[Johnrpb]

Probably too late to change your plans for this year but I’d go the root maker route. I grew a bunch of different types of burr oaks out in 2012-2013, staring in the smaller rootmakers then transferred into the mesh rootmakers in an enclosed tree nursery for a second year. This is one of them from this weekend. They’ve had sporadic acorns for the last 2 years.
Had a bunch of information on how I did it on the old qdma forums but looks like that was lost unfortunately.