Acorns v Seedlings

[GoldenTriangleIL]

I am wanting to gauge the opinion of those with experience. Should I plant white oak acorns directly into ground and cage when they sprout or plant in containers and transplant seedlings and then cage?

 

[The Fishman]

The answer depends on what you are trying to do. Are you trying to establish a new timber stand or just add a few new trees? I have done both and it really depends on what your goals are and how you measure success. This report details some of the advantages and disadvantages of direct seeding. I can give you more advice once you let me know if you are trying to plant 10, 100, or 1000 trees.

 

[GoldenTriangleIL]

10-20 trees would be sufficient.

 

[OakSeeds]

I have grown 100's of white oak trees (5-7 varieties) and not one was started as an acorn - in a container - above ground. I believe - for a variety of reasons - raising seedlings from acorns in containers above ground requires as much effort as caring for a newborn child ...,. if you intend to max their growth! Temperature / moisture control are critical for growing in containers above ground and I don't have time to monitor them daily. In general, the smaller the container you use, the more attention the new seedlings require. Whenever possible, I prefer to direct seed oak acorns in their final location using appropriate protection from squirrels, ground squirrels, mice, etc. No concerns about j-hooking or root circling/girdling with direct seeded acorns. I do grow some oaks in containers using my milk jug method that involves direct seeding oak acorns in gallon jugs (bottom 4 corners removed) IN THE GROUND. The variation in heat and wind effects are reduced and the ground temperature (especially heat) varies less. I believe it is a much more stable environment with respect to temperature and moisture .... remember, the greatest threat to acorns/new seedlings is heat .... which eliminates moisture. It's hard to over water a seedling growing in the ground; not so much so with a relatively small container above ground. This is what works for me; others may indicate they prefer growing in containers above ground for transplant as young seedlings.
Just remember, raising your own seedlings from acorns is a much more laborious task than buying seedlings from a state agency/nursery and planting them in the spring.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Oakseeds,

Are the acorns germinated when you plant them?

If not, do you plant several at a single planting site to hedge your bets?

A review of your technique would be appreciated

I am learning that preservation of the tap root is paramount in my arid,harsh summers

bill

 

[j-bird]

Cage as soon as you plant them....regardless of which way you do it (directly plant an acorn or plant a seedling). I have seen far too many acorns dug up well before they ever sprouted. Make a small cage of hardware cloth and stake it in some fashion so it can't be removed. Put a flag on it so you can find it later. Plant a couple of acorns per site and weed out the weaker ones later. Keep as much other competition away from them as is reasonable. I have grown some from acorns and some in containers and then planted. The direct seeded ones seem to have done better for some reason. I have some sawtooth I grew from acorns I direct planted in 2017 I think...and they are now 4 and 5 feet tall. I simply increase the cage size as the tree grows. If you grow them in a container be aware that squirrels will still eat your seedlings until the acorn is completely gone. I have to put mine in a wire dog crate to keep the squirrels from pulling my seedlings in their effort to get to the remainder of the acorn. the other issue with growing them in a container is there tap root. The tap root tends to be at least a long as the top growth if not more.....so depending on how large you want them to get before you transplant them will drive your container size. And yes....like was mentioned growing them in containers can be a lot of work trying to keep the watered and the like.

 

[bigbendmarine]

Start with the caveat I'm in Florida so my conditions vary quite a bit from others on the forum in more northern climates. I love growing oaks from acorns in containers, though all J-Bird's tips are spot on, especially keeping adequately watered and protecting from squirrels (I lay old grill grates over my pots). I've grown over 50 sawtooths, and a handful of red, swamp chestnut white oaks, and live oaks from acorns with very high succcess rate based on float testing for bad acorns, cold storing ones over the winter that need it (not all oak species do), keeping watered (easy as I grow them next to my house) and protecting from squirrels.

Love the low cost (free for most of mine), and feeling when see tree 5 years after starting from an acorn and they look like this...

 

[bigbendmarine]

One additional key tip for seedling survival planting at my place is planting in EARLY spring when still dormant / BEFORE leaf-out. I've had about 100% success when planted in tubes before leafing out whereas did see some loss on a few I tried planting after leaf-out due to transplant shock, but again I'm in Florida and it gets real hot real quick in my neck of the woods.

 

[The Fishman]

If you are only trying to plant 10-20 trees, I would do both. For direct seeding, pick out the spot where you want the final tree and plant 5-10 acorns for every tree you want. I drive a dibble bar a couple of inches in the ground and then twist it side to side to make an opening. I drop an acorn in and then step on the hole to close it back up. I take a large step forward and repeat the process. Once the trees put on top growth next year you can protect them as you see fit. If you want to protect the acorns, Catscratch has recommended using 12-18" of 3-4 inch PVC and window screen to protect direct seeded acorns. Plant the acorn, drive the PVC 4 to 5 inches into the ground, and then shove the window screen into the top to close the top opening. Here is a photoof his protection method.

For the seedlings, you can get as fancy or as low tech as you want. For low tech, I would suggest a couple of 18 gallon or larger Rubbermaid totes. A recycle bin will work also. Drill holes in the bottom for drainage and fill with potting soil. Plant the acorns a couple of inches below the surface and put chicken wire or something over the top to protect from rodents. The totes and bins are usually over 16 inches deep and allow for good root development. Water as needed over the summer and plant your seedlings out next fall or spring 2022. Protect them with cages or tree tubes.

I have had several oak seedlings (Nuttall, overcup, Shumard, swamp chestnut) reach 36-44 inches in their first year that I planted them in raised beds. These trees were busting out of their 60" tree tubes in July of the following year. I have also direct seeded swamp chestnut oak acorns, walked away from them, and two years later they were topping six feet. I did go back and put tubes on them after their first year. These were the exceptions and not the rule, but planting seedlings or direct seeding can work.