poking acorns

[diamond hunter]

I have a big chinkapin in my backyard and at my place they are logging several acres.I was wanting to make a tool woth a shovel handle and a long point and walk around in the woods where the trees are cut and poke a hole and poke in an acorn and cover up with my boot. I heard once a guy did this and it worked well planting the acorns in the tops. Does anyone have any advice and does the acorns have to be refrigerated ect before I do so.?Thanks

 

[BSK]

You can just push them into the ground with your thumb. They don't need to be planted deep. In fact, just getting the nose of the acorn into the ground is enough. And no, they don't need to be refrigerated.

 

[diamond hunter]

Ok I'm on it

 

[diamond hunter]

I'm gonna plant 300 acorns and my goal will be to have 30 trees out of it an about 20 years,all on the edge of a big field.

 

[squackattack]

Acorns in timber harvest setting are going to have very low percentage chance in competing with seeds from other species unless some type of site prep is used. They need to be 4.5 feet tall ( advanced regeneration) before they can compete. They need a few years to get established.

 

[diamond hunter]

OK,thats interesting and makes sense.Ive got poplars like crazy.

 

[Carlos]

I've read that it helps to test for viable seed (acorns) using a float test. The day before you plant them, soak them all in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Viable seed will sink, bad ones will float to the top.

 

[BSK]

I've read that it helps to test for viable seed (acorns) using a float test. The day before you plant them, soak them all in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Viable seed will sink, bad ones will float to the top.

I've not heard that. Very interesting.

 

[rifle02]

I've noticed acorns floating in puddles that had wormholes bored into them. Also yesterday I noticed oaks dropping acorns into Chickamauga lake they all sunk instantly. I was just thinking about this very subject

 

[squackattack]

I've read that it helps to test for viable seed (acorns) using a float test. The day before you plant them, soak them all in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Viable seed will sink, bad ones will float to the top.

Basically a weevil eats an air space in the acorn, thus it floats. Don't have to soak, just float them.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I was given a dozen sawtooth last year and I just put them in a bowl of water...none of them floated....all went to the bottom of bowl and all sprouted once planted.

 

[diamond hunter]

OK,If I plant the acorns all along the field edge where the timber is being cut,maybe 10'inside the edge,the seed bank wont be so bad and I can possibly have a chinkapin edge.Thoughts?

 

[BSK]

OK,If I plant the acorns all along the field edge where the timber is being cut,maybe 10'inside the edge,the seed bank wont be so bad and I can possibly have a chinkapin edge.Thoughts?

Sure. Personally, I've had no problems getting acorns to produce oak saplings in an opening, as long as the acorns root the first year after the timber is cut. Give other saplings an extra year's growth - especially Poplars - and the oaks will struggle.

 

[XCR-2]

Float testing is also done on muscadine seeds before planting.