The Woods ... mistakes I'v made

[OakSeeds]

Started another experiment today. Harvested first chestnuts off 5-tree grove that was direct seeded 5-6 years ago. Small nuts in photo are result of lack of pollination. 3 nice dark chestnuts came from bur (dark brown and starting to open); however, the other 6 represent 3 burs off same tree that were still quite green (think they will be mature enough to germinate next spring if stratified over winter). I have picked acorns off white oak trees that were half green in color; they turned brown and produced trees the next spring ... testing to see if chestnuts do the same thing.View attachment 20973

My experiment was a total success; the 10 chestnuts (6 of which were green coming off the tree) all germinated in the refigerator. This may be useful information for those who prefer their chestnuts not be possibly contaminated from falling on the ground. When the first chestnuts on a tree appear ready for harvest (brown with burr opening) it is very likely you can pick others off the tree and they will ripen further. Attached is a photo of the 10 chestnuts (stuck them in a bag with a wet paper towel and literally forgot about them).

 

[Bill]

Nice!

 

[OakSeeds]

During Jan 2018 I posted this description of an attempt to start pear trees via a smashed-gooey-overripe method.

"Also tried a new planting technique today. I had placed 25-30 pears (little sugar pears off a very old tree) in a plastic cat litter container and forgot about them until 2 weeks ago.
Since they were too gooey to cut and remove seeds, I used a short piece of 2 X 4 to mash them into the consistency of applesauce, dug a very shallow trench and spread "pearsauce" liberally the length of the trench; covered the trench and placed a long section of hardware cloth over it for protection. If little pear trees come up this spring, I'll transplant some into pots and nurse them through the summer. Wish me luck!"

It was a dismal failure! Since the container with the pears had been in my garage, I thought perhaps the seeds didn't get enough chill hours before I mashed them into pear-applesauce and placed the gooey mess into the ground. Last fall (2018) I gathered some more pears off the same parent tree, cut them in half lengthwise and planted them with the cut side down. Placed hardware cloth over them for protection and I am anxiously awaiting the HOPEFUL emergence of tiny pear trees. I have never attempted to start pear trees so you might say I am just fumbling around! Any and all observations/suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[Telemark]

I still haven't had any luck with pear seeds. Can't get them to germinate.

 

[OakSeeds]

Last fall I picked acorns off a Kindred Spirit columnar white oak tree (sister to the Regal Prince CWO but with a tighter columnar shape.) Over half of the acorns were completely green in color while some had begun to show streaks/spots of brown. Of the 19 KS-Col WO acorns, 18 germinated easily (see attached photo) again suggesting it is OK to pick acorns off a WO tree when the first acorns begun to show signs of ripening. Good luck my friends

 

[finahol]

Hi, I am fairly new to growing trees from seed. How long should I let the acorn/chestnut remain attached to the seedling before it can be safely removed? I would like to get them outdoors into direct sunlight but my tree rat population would wreak havoc on the seedlings if i don't remove the nuts first. I haven't been able to find an opinion on this anywhere. Thanks.

 

[OakSeeds]

Hi, I am fairly new to growing trees from seed. How long should I let the acorn/chestnut remain attached to the seedling before it can be safely removed? I would like to get them outdoors into direct sunlight but my tree rat population would wreak havoc on the seedlings if i don't remove the nuts first. I haven't been able to find an opinion on this anywhere. Thanks.

I try to direct seed white oak acorns and chestnuts whenever possible; the benefits of a solid tap root and more natural development of the tree far outweigh - I believe - trying to grow them above ground in any sort of container. I do grow a few container-type oak and chestnut trees by planting a 1-gal container IN THE GROUND - with holes cut in the bottom to allow development of a tap root, and planting (in a direct seeding fashion) an acorn or chestnut in the jug. I rarely have any watering issues with trees sprouted in this fashion and when transplanting one of these container-type trees, I attempt to get as much tap root as possible. In regard to your question above, the attached quote explains why I would never remove the nut in any sort of above ground growing circumstance. The nut should ALWAYS be protected until the tree is in - at least - it's second growing season. The reserves in the acorn sustain early growth and development of the tree. Good luck my friend.


Oak Tree and Acorn Facts
"Like other nuts, an acorn is a seed, an embryonic tree-to-be wrapped in a hard shell. But only the lower end of an acorn's innards is occupied by a rudimentary root and stem; the rest is nutritive tissue loaded with protein, carbohydrates and fat. Its purpose is to sustain a sprouting seedling until the infant grows green leaves and can stock its own larder via photosynthesis. But far more often than not, a forest creature gobbles the nut and its stored nutrients first."

 

[TreeDaddy]

In keeping with the thread, a big mistake I have made is expecting success by covering acorn with soil, placing surveyor flag, and walking away!!!!

Site selection,protection from animals,weed prevention are essential with direct seeding as well........DUHH!!!!!!!!

bill

 

[OakSeeds]

I have noticed comments from folks on several threads regarding the difficulty of germinating pear seeds. As reported earlier, I've tried twice slapping them in the ground with hopes something would emerge. No luck. Recently, I placed 35-40 seeds from a local tree (they appear to be small sugar pears) sandwiched between several very wet paper towels in a closed plastic container. 3 seeds germinated so far; 2 pretty quickly and a third about a week later. None have germinated during the last 5 days; I am concerned my germination system for pears lacks quite a bit. I am going to try exposing them to more heat and some time in a dark space to see if either of those changes make a difference. The attached photos provide some insight into my attempts. I'll just keep trying!

 

[Cap'n]

Hi, I am fairly new to growing trees from seed. How long should I let the acorn/chestnut remain attached to the seedling before it can be safely removed? I would like to get them outdoors into direct sunlight but my tree rat population would wreak havoc on the seedlings if i don't remove the nuts first. I haven't been able to find an opinion on this anywhere. Thanks.

I lost Several seedlings to squirrels my first year. I’ve fixed that problem now though. I direct seed quite a few Oak varieties in my garden in the fall and cover them with gutter guards. The next spring when they come up the guards are zip tied together to form a little dome over the rows. When they pop up and get to the top of the dome, about 4” I dig them up, take the nut off and put in a 1 gal grow bag. No problem with squirrels after that and the seedlings do fine. I did build a cage to put them in but I still take the nut off because I haven’t noticed a big difference in leaving them attached or twisting them off.
With Chestnuts I start in RM 18’s once the nut has a root started, and remove it when they are ready for 1 gal , in June . I keep the RM 18’s in the cage until they are ready to go to 1 gal. After that, no problems.

 

[Telemark]

I have noticed comments from folks on several threads regarding the difficulty of germinating pear seeds.

Funny you mention that. Yesterday i threw away the last of my pear seeds. They were a bit moldy, with no signs of growth. My apple seedkings are still going gangbusters though.

 

[OakSeeds]

Cap'n .... sounds like you have developed a system that works well for you … that's great. Equifinality ...OR .. more than one way to skin a cat- - - fish.

TM …. while my success rate at germinating pear seeds is abysmally low, I am encouraged knowing it can be done …. just have to figure out the best procedure for doing so.

 

[Mortenson]

Hey OakSeeds, any new revelations on treating yard Ash trees this year? I screwed up and treated my tree last week before remembering and locating this thread where you gave advice on treatments. I again used the blue jug, only now it's called Bioadvanced instead of Bayer. It still has only .74% of Imidacloprid, so I bumped the rate a little. Last year the tree had a good growing season, and it continues to look as though it's wounds are healing. I think this year will really tell the tale.

 

[Lee Haakenson]

Hey OakSeeds, any new revelations on treating yard Ash trees this year? I screwed up and treated my tree last week before remembering and locating this thread where you gave advice on treatments. I again used the blue jug, only now it's called Bioadvanced instead of Bayer. It still has only .74% of Imidacloprid, so I bumped the rate a little. Last year the tree had a good growing season, and it continues to look as though it's wounds are healing. I think this year will really tell the tale.

Try this. Read the active ingredients...

https://www.domyown.com/dominion-2l...UjHd2OuieXf0jKU-gIbeyeQx7cwwlvrBoCeawQAvD_BwE

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[OakSeeds]

What Lee said …… that's exactly what I use and where I get it. I mix 1 oz for every 5 inches of diameter at breast height. Compute the number of oz's you need (e.g., 4 oz for 20 inch diameter); then, divide that number by 4 and mix 1/4 of the required chemical with 4-5 gallons of water and pour that mixture on the ground (from the base of the tree out to about 3.5 feet). Think of the area around the tree like the face of a clock …. 1/4 of the appropriate solution (1/4 of chemical in 4-5 gal of water) poured on the 12pm - 3pm area, 1/4 of the appropriate solution (1/4 of chemical in 4-5 gal of water) poured on the ground on the 3pm - 6pm area, 1/4 of the appropriate solution (1/4 of chemical in 4-5 gal off water)poured on the ground on the 6pm - 9 pm area and 1/4 of chemical mixed in 4-5 gal of water and poured on 9pm-11;59 pm area. Good luck, you can do it.

 

[Cap'n]

Another good product is Zylam. It’s basically 1/2 strength Safari. It is expensive but it’s very easy to use because you can do a bark spray with a hand can. Moves faster through the tree and kills way better than imidicloprid

 

[OakSeeds]

While I bought Safari when I first started treating my BIG tree, the tree has a 45-inch diameter at breast height … hence pretty thick bark that does not lend itself to basal/bark spray. Consequently, I use imidacloprid on the higher end of suggested mixture as an effective soil drench. As Cap'n notes, Zylam would work well as a bark spray on smaller trees with thinner bark; I just wasn't willing to risk it on a big tree. As Cap'n noted, it is expensive …. Zylam costs about 8 times as much as Imidacloprid for about the same amount of product.

 

[Mortenson]

Good info guys. Thanks. My tree is now 18" diameter chest high. The neighbors' trees are basically goners at this point. Think I'll go ahead and order the Dominion 2L now so that come next year I don't forget again!

 

[OakSeeds]

Good info guys. Thanks. My tree is now 18" diameter chest high. The neighbors' trees are basically goners at this point. Think I'll go ahead and order the Dominion 2L now so that come next year I don't forget again!

If you haven't treated the tree with anything this year, I would strongly encourage you to order either Dominion 2L or Zylam ASAP. it is definitely not too late to treat the tree this year and the sooner the better. With Dominion 2L, you can treat your tree for about $5; if you are serious about treating/saving your ash tree, I wouldn't give the ash bores another 10-12 months to attack the tree. Just friendly - and unsolicited - advice. Good luck my friend.

 

[Mortenson]

Yes it got a healthy shot of the Blue jug last week. Thanks again!