Acorns to Oaks!

[letemgrow]

Just got my shipment of acorns from the Nebraska Arboretum and I have a couple questions:

1. About 1/3 of the Dwarf Chinkapin Oak acorns are starting to sprout. Will I still be fine to put them in a bag of damp peat moss and in the fridge and keep until late winter/early Spring, or, do I need to plant them now since they are already sprouting?

2. The Swamp White Oak acorns have a little fuzz of mold starting on them. I rinsed them off in water and have them in a bucket of water right now and they all sunk fine. Will they still be O.K.?

Those DCO's will be fine if they started to sprout to be put in the fridge. I like to keep them around 34-35 degrees tho so they do not grow much. I'd plant some out now and keep some in the fridge.

You want to keep the acorns in the same position all winter if the tap root does grow cause it grows by gravity....if it starts to grow one way, then gets flipped, it grows the other for example. I started putting a handfull or two of peat in first, then the acorns on top and then a little peat to just cover them. The bag goes in the fridge (vented of course with holes in sides) with the acorns on the top side and stays that way.

 

[AIRASSAULT]

Those DCO's will be fine if they started to sprout to be put in the fridge. I like to keep them around 34-35 degrees tho so they do not grow much. I'd plant some out now and keep some in the fridge.

You want to keep the acorns in the same position all winter if the tap root does grow cause it grows by gravity....if it starts to grow one way, then gets flipped, it grows the other for example. I started putting a handfull or two of peat in first, then the acorns on top and then a little peat to just cover them. The bag goes in the fridge (vented of course with holes in sides) with the acorns on the top side and stays that way.

Do you ever have to add more water to keep the peat moss damp? Do the holes in the sides let the water evaporate?

 

[letemgrow]

Do you ever have to add more water to keep the peat moss damp? Do the holes in the sides let the water evaporate?

I just poke small holes with a knife in the sides. Check them weekly, the peat just needs to be damp to the touch. Chinkapin acorns are finicky little creatures.

At times, I have added more water, but not very often. I think a real problem with chinkapin oaks spoiling is too much water. All mine spoiled last year, so I waited till they started to germinate to put them in the fridge. Just left them out in a ziploc baggie with nothing inside so I could pull them out to put int the fridge as they started to germinate.

 

[letemgrow]

Anyone else looking for dwarf chinkapins, get ahold of Troy Pabst at the email listed below. He has a few pounds left of a SE NE source collected close to where the NE State Arboretum gets theirs as well.

I ordered half a pound and am waiting for those to show up soon!!! They are 10 per 1/2 or 20 per pound plus shipping.

[email protected]

 

[JNRBRONC]

With the drought, it was a difficult year to try to establish trees.

I planted 100 acorns last spring and only watered the one I planted in the yard. I figured that if they could survive without water, that was the genetics I wanted. :way:

It appears many have survived, I'll know better next summer.

I'll be gathering Swamp White Oak acorns soon if anybody in the Iowa City area is interested in some.

 

[Nontypcl1]

With the drought, it was a difficult year to try to establish trees.

I would say difficult is an understatement

I planted 750 trees and shrubs this past spring and I'm not sure how many are still alive. At one time I figured 75% loss. However, I was surprised to see some shrubs and cedars green back up after the couple good rains we got in mid September. Still quite a few casualties though.

Even more surprising was that almost all of the swamp white and northern red seedlings I planted from acorns last fall were still kickin it.:way:

 

[Central Iowa]

Trees per acre spacing

I was just getting recommendations from Phil on planting and came across this chart for spacing. Thought it was handy and a good quick reference.

http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/service/library/for96-054/index.html

 

[letemgrow]

I was just getting recommendations from Phil on planting and came across this chart for spacing. Thought it was handy and a good quick reference.

http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/service/library/for96-054/index.html

Thats a great reference!! :way:

 

[Sligh1]

I got 3 lbs of DCO's from Troy, thanks Phil. I think that was the last of his.

Hey- anyone know where to get a hold of Dunstan Chestnut seed???? I'd like American but worried about blight & obviously I read great things about Dunstans. Obviously I'm not a expert of the chestnuts though. What you think I should do and any known sources, especially with drought?

Found this source for some other types of Chestnut seeds, thoughts????....

http://store.route9cooperative.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1855

 

[dbltree]

Here's a source for seed....

Chestnut seed

The Dunstans are highly advertised and while no doubt good trees, I suspect a little overrated.

Here are some comments that also suggest that Dunstans are not that winter hardy and northern grown chestnuts such as those from Oikos may be better suited for our area.

Dunstan Discussion

Normally Oikos has chestnut seed but I think they ended up short this year due to the drought...still a great source for seedlings however

Oikos Chestnut seedlings

Red Fern Farm is an Iowa source for seedlings but they also market chestnuts so one might ask if they would sell seed also?

Red Fern Farm

I have kept my chestnut seedlings in rootmaker cells since spring and will plant when they go dormant this fall. :way:

 

[letemgrow]

I got 3 lbs of DCO's from Troy, thanks Phil. I think that was the last of his.

Hey- anyone know where to get a hold of Dunstan Chestnut seed???? I'd like American but worried about blight & obviously I read great things about Dunstans. Obviously I'm not a expert of the chestnuts though. What you think I should do and any known sources, especially with drought?

Found this source for some other types of Chestnut seeds, thoughts????....

http://store.route9cooperative.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1855

I am with Paul, I think the Dunstans are a little over-rated. When coming from seed, there are no guarantees they will grow like American, or Chinese. You may get a big apple tree, are a true giant like the American chestnuts so be aware of that Skip if you go that route.

If they are going in an orchard type setting, no worries tho.

 

[Nontypcl1]

This is a pretty good read for an orchard type planting.

http://www.pfi.iastate.edu/ofr/The_Chestnut_Primer_2002.pdf

It does say that Dunstan's have not performed well this farm north.
It was written by Tom Wahl of Red Fern Farm.

 

[Sligh1]

Thanks guys. I think I'll go with the link Paul posted for chestnuts (I think it ends up being the same one I posted too if you work thru it- same company). I am more thinking for deer value.

1) Do you think I'd be ok with those 4 choices if I get some of each- for deer purposes? (Wildlife chestnut, Allegheny, chinese & timber hybrid chestnut). Any you'd favor over others?

2) Would you store chestnuts the same way as acorns? I am going to use root makers in the spring & likely plant in the fall for example.


I will be happy if the above choices will be ample for deer because it's a heck of lot more trees for a heck of a lot cheaper. I think $25-ish for EACH Dunstan tree is getting a little silly. Especially when I can do my own from seed & get over a 100 times more trees & the fact that Dunstans may not do well this far north anyways.

 

[letemgrow]

Allegheny chinquapins are very hard to get going. They do not transplant very well from what I have tried. Still batting zero on my place with those seedlings.

I ordered from Reeseville Ridge, they were great seedlings, I just have had bad luck. They are a great wildlife tree and a lot like dwarf chinkapins in size/shape...chinquapins taste like corn pops

 

[SoDakarcher]

Dco

O.K let me see if I have his correct. Take my 1lb. of DCO's from Neb. and put a layer of peat in a breathable bag( paper or plastic garbage with holes??). Place the acorns on their sides and cover to the depth of about one acorn with damp peat ( not too damp) and do not change the orientation until Mar. Put them in my fridge at the farm at around 36 degrees. In late Mar or early April take the sprouting (maybe) acorns carefully out and plant them in the 18 Rootmaker cells with Miralcle grow planting soil, careful not to change root orientation. At that point, water and keep indoors( in a warm sunny window??) for a month or so... then slowly expose to the outdoor wind and sun.. then plant late spring or early summer. Or wait until fall. Tubes and chemical per Doubletrees specs. What am I missing or need to change?

Thanks! Would not even try this without the help of many.

 

[letemgrow]

O.K let me see if I have his correct. Take my 1lb. of DCO's from Neb. and put a layer of peat in a breathable bag( paper or plastic garbage with holes??). Place the acorns on their sides and cover to the depth of about one acorn with damp peat ( not too damp) and do not change the orientation until Mar. Put them in my fridge at the farm at around 36 degrees. In late Mar or early April take the sprouting (maybe) acorns carefully out and plant them in the 18 Rootmaker cells with Miralcle grow planting soil, careful not to change root orientation. At that point, water and keep indoors( in a warm sunny window??) for a month or so... then slowly expose to the outdoor wind and sun.. then plant late spring or early summer. Or wait until fall. Tubes and chemical per Doubletrees specs. What am I missing or need to change?

Thanks! Would not even try this without the help of many.

I fill a quart baggie up about 3/4 the way, then put the acorns all side by side...on their side...then put some peat on top just to cover them. This way if they send down a taproot it will be oriented the same way all winter since they grow down to gravity.

If they grow a taproot, then you move the bag, the will start to grow another way for instance if they are not put back in the fridge the same way.

Mine are left where the ziploc side is straight up so they are easy to put back in and check regularly to see if any mold is growing for instance. Maybe a pic would be best when I get home to show ya...not really difficult, but easier than trying to write it out.

I received some acorns the other day, some has "S" roots on them...that comes from not being in the same place the whole time that they are growing roots and it starts to grow one way, then gets moved around, grows down to gravity, which is opposite of where it was starting to grow.

 

[letemgrow]

My acorns bags looks like this.

Acorns placed on top in a row so to speak all across the top if need be, then covered in peat about 1" or so.

 

[AIRASSAULT]

Thanks for all the info you guys have given! What do i do if i start to see some mold? I checked some the other day and they were just starting to get some mold residue on them so I took them out of the bag and rinsed off and put back and turned fridge down a little colder..

 

[bowman]

My acorns bags looks like this.

Acorns placed on top in a row so to speak all across the top if need be, then covered in peat about 1" or so.

How many acorns are you doing per bag? It looks like 10 or less. If so, how many bags to you have going at one time? My wife was upset at two bags last year but I had the bags pretty loaded. Maybe that is why I only had about 30% of the acorns that cracked and sprouted. I just got my DCOs and with 100 acorns or so that could add up to quite a few bags.

 

[letemgrow]

How many acorns are you doing per bag? It looks like 10 or less. If so, how many bags to you have going at one time? My wife was upset at two bags last year but I had the bags pretty loaded. Maybe that is why I only had about 30% of the acorns that cracked and sprouted. I just got my DCOs and with 100 acorns or so that could add up to quite a few bags.

I double or triple stack if need be. Can put 40+ per bag that way. I do them this way so they have room if roots do grow and they will all grow down the same way. I keep the fridge at 35 so they should stay pretty stable all winter and not do much...