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This is definitely going to be an interesting year for acorns
- Thread starter Hoytvectrix
- Start date
PatinPA
5 year old buck +
I've barely had any acorns at my place in 8 years and this year they're absolutely everywhere. Kind of surprising as dry of a summer as we had.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Had a nice surprise this evening. I happened to look out our front windows and saw a mature doe in the yard of the neighbor right across the street from us. I called my wife to watch too, as the doe walked across the street to munch on the bounty of acorns under our pin oak. She walked off after another neighbor brought their dog out into their yard. We wondered if she has fawns she'll bring back during the night. Our 2 crab apple trees might be the next spots for them to visit. After tasting the acorns - she'll be back.
RGrizzzz
Administrator
This summer I learn that the local college had a burr oak that sparked the interest of some prominent growers. They were kind enough to show me where it was, and I went and collected about 225 nuts, a 5 gallon bucket full. I kept about 45 with the goal of starting 25 in the spring, and mailed the rest off to the grower who shared the location. 
RGrizzzz
Administrator
Sometimes I wonder how anything eats burr acorns, with those huge caps. Squirrels can probably get at them, but I have to think deer don't want any part of the caps.
b116757
5 year old buck +
Some bur acorns drop free from the caps Teeder those I sent you rarely hold the cap and I find deer sign under that tree nearly every time I check it when gathering acorns. I’m going to start planting more of those bur oak acorns on my place but there is no guarantee it’s progeny will carry that trait.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
It seems like the bur oaks I find tend to be the first ones to drop. I would imagine dear wouldn't mind the extra work of removing the caps for the first acorns of the season. I pretty much never find bur oak acorns unless they had dropped in the last few hours.
I can't remember where I saw it, but I watched a video a few weeks ago where someone stated that when an oak drops acorns with a cap still on them, that those acorns are likely not viable. I don't know if there is any treat to that and I haven't tested it myself, so take it with a huge grain of salt.
I can't remember where I saw it, but I watched a video a few weeks ago where someone stated that when an oak drops acorns with a cap still on them, that those acorns are likely not viable. I don't know if there is any treat to that and I haven't tested it myself, so take it with a huge grain of salt.
RGrizzzz
Administrator
I collected some acorns from the "famous" Hershey Burr at the Downingtown Friends meeting House. They all had caps on them and almost all germinated.
BuckSutherland
5 year old buck +
I stopped today and checked 2 of the new swamp white oaks that I recently found. They are still hanging onto the majority of their acorns. Those two trees have the biggest crop and the latest hanging crop that I have ever seen on a SWO. I harvested about 75-100 acorns from each tree and kept them in separate bags. I got "the look" from several people in the neighborhood and driving by. Its on the edge of a residential neighborhood with a fair amount of traffic along the road.
I didn't get a great picture today, but these things were still LOADED, especially high in the canopy. I'm gonna throw them into the freezer and try to get some growing in March. I wanna plant a couple of each on my land next spring. These trees are what I really want. Huge crop and late dropper. Wish I had more than 2 months of experience with these two trees. They have no competition around them. Just 2 random trees along a city street.
I didn't get a great picture today, but these things were still LOADED, especially high in the canopy. I'm gonna throw them into the freezer and try to get some growing in March. I wanna plant a couple of each on my land next spring. These trees are what I really want. Huge crop and late dropper. Wish I had more than 2 months of experience with these two trees. They have no competition around them. Just 2 random trees along a city street.
Teeder
5 year old buck +
Monsters!
Nothing like that around here!
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
UPDATE:
Deer have been back feeding on the pin acorns. They've also found the Sugar Tyme crab in the back yard. Wife's hostas too. They nipped off a few twig ends on the crab, and are eating the plump crab apples on the tree, as well as the drops. We've had 6 squirrels, 7 blue jays, a downy woodpecker, 2 red-bellied woodpeckers, nuthatches and tufted titmice in that pin oak. Squirrel nest high up in it, too. Moths & butterflies in it /on it all summer long. It's a perch for Cooper's hawks all year. Amazing what one oak tree can support / attract.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
I was at our one son's place last evening, and what we thought was a red oak at his place, seems to be a black oak. (Leaves are similar.) Acorns by the bushel. The acorns didn't look like any red oak I've ever seen. Son looked up black oak acorns on his phone, and the pics looked exactly like his acorns. He's tired of walking on them in the yard, and they do seem like marbles all over his lawn. Still plenty on the tree, and his big, flat-bed trailer is full of them. No deer where he lives, so no visitors that way. Huge crop will go to waste.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Yep. We knew they weren't red oak acorns - we've seen gobs of those before, but the leaves looked like red oak leaves. For our area, that pointed to blacks, and his phone pics confirmed. The striped exteriors of the nut shells are distinctive. I'd never held a black oak acorn until last evening.
