Last Fall the oldest boy picked up a fair amount of acorns. I figured I would try to start them come Spring.
Turns out they are not interested in waiting to grow.
I’d put one in a soil block the other day. It hadn’t sprouted yet but the shell had split so I figured it at least had a chance of growing.
Today I just happened to notice roots starting to grow out of four of the acorns, most all of the rest have cracked their shells. The picture above was taken after I planted one of the ones that sprouted.
Below is one of the blocks I’m making for the acorns. I’ve decided it was time to try and get the rest to sprout.
It would be nice if my blocks were a bit bigger, they are a nice 4″ in diameter but just a little over 3″ tall. 4″X 4″ would be better I belive. However I can find a shorter can and make a shorter block, wet the two and make the block taller.
Since I’ll be starting trees in these it seems the bigger the better. I have some 1 gallon pots that will be used to transplant the sprouts into after they get a little size to them.
I have read acorns will need to go through stratification first. However the ones that I have sprouting have not been exposed to cold and have been indoors the whole time..
However for the best chance of sucess it would be best to follow tried and true methods. Including stratification of acorns.
1. Collect ripened acorns as they drop in Fall.
2. Float test: put the acorns in a bowl of water, let sit for 24 hours. Discard the ones that float after that.
3. Put the acorns in a container/plastic bag with a damp paper towel or potting soil.
4. Check frequently for root growth.
5. Once the tap root forms the acorn can be put into a pot or other protected area after ( danger of freezing and frost are over) where it can grow for a year or two before being transplanted to it’s permanent spot.
These are the acorns I’m trying to sprout now, several are showing roots. The ones in this zip lock bag were the ones that sank in the water immediately. The rest are still in the bowl, I’ll see how many are still floating tomorrow.
Three more sank and so were added into the bag. The rest were still floating, though one of them was sending out a root. Needless to say, I won’t be discarding it. I decided to experiment a little and removed the shells from a handfull of acorns, they all sank in the bowl of water. So even though it may be a waste of time, they will all be planted.
I’m also questioning the wisdom of just discarding acorns that don’t float. Since they are edible I’ll be looking into ways of preserving and storing acorns as food. If nothing else, so long as the nut isn’t bad it could be used in animal feed and if it’s bad composted.
Best of luck and may your ventures be met with sucess!
Slocum's Creak 