Planting tree seeds?

[Catscratch]

I've been collecting persimmon, sawtooth oak, white oak, and crab apple seeds. Clean and store in baggies (with moist peat) in the fridge. My question is: can I just plant them when they sprout a root or when conditions are right in the spring? Everything I google says to plant them in containers and then transplant in the spring or a yr later. I really don't want to do that with the hundreds of seeds that I'm collecting. I would rather just walk along planting seeds and hope they grow on their own. I would plant pre-winter but squirrel are everywhere, I'm assuming they stand a better chance against predation if they don't have to winter outside.

Any insight here? I'm sure some of you guys have the scoop on this.

Thanks

 

[non-pro-archer]

The oaks can be direct seeded this fall and do fine. The crab apples and persimmons need cold stratification and would do better if you potted them and planted out next fall

 

[kabic]

I sometime wonder how anything grows in nature with all the care we take when we want something to grow in our chosen spot. Quality versus quantity I guess.

I think you can plant the seed when ever you want now, just don't expect them all to live. Maybe expect less than half to live?

If you are determined to have a certain tree grow in a certain spot, than I guess the best chance of success is to start it in a pot and baby it for a while then transplant.

 

[Catscratch]

I'm not too concerned about survival rates. I've planted hundreds and hundreds of purchased saplings and have worked hard to keep them alive. Sometimes weather cooperates and we get around 80% survival, but I've also had 100% failure on a certain yrs. Average is somewhere in-between.

If I want a certain tree in a certain spot I will buy a container grown and plant it. What I want to do here is general propagation of some semi-local trees.

Thanks for your insights.

 

[dipper]

If you have a lot of seed supply, I just threw a layer of cow poop/ hay right over a layer of apples last fall. I can't say how many apples I planted maybe 20....but I have well over 30 seedlings that are about a foot tall and as thick as a pencil. I'll gonna give them to next year before I rearrange them.
I also have about 200 white oaks that I covered in dirt. They are about 6"s. I placed a screen over the top to prevent rodents eating them.

 

[Catscratch]

Cow poop, what a great idea! I have all sorts of cow poop. I think I will use some short sections of PVC, drop a couple of crabs or acorns into it, a scoop of poop, set some hail screen down on top, and top it with a rock. Should protect the seeds from rodents and be easy to cleanup in the spring after they sprout.

Are there any chemicals that would keep critters from finding the seeds so that you wouldn't have to use tubes? A mothball or something dropped in with the seeds that would detour eating, or mess up their since of smell enough to keep the seeds in the ground?

Anyone have a better idea let me know. I'm looking for "some" success with minimal effort.

Thanks.