#Acorn tree seeds how to#

(Stratification temperatures should be 32 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit.) Acorns of the bur oak require a 30 to 60 day stratification period, while red and pin oak acorns require 30 to 45 days. The refrigerator is a good storage location. Suitable containers include coffee cans, plastic buckets and food storage bags. Acorns can be stratified by placing the seeds in a moist mixture of sand and peat moss and then storing them in a cool location. The cold-moist requirement can also be accomplished through a process called stratification. Winter weather in Iowa normally provides the necessary conditions to break dormancy. They will germinate immediately after sowing.Īcorns of bur oak, pin oak, and red oak will not germinate until they have been exposed to cool temperatures and moist conditions for several weeks. The acorns of white oak and swamp white oak should be planted in fall. Most floating acorns are not viable and can be discarded. Sound, viable acorns can be separated from damaged or unfilled acorns by placing them in water. Red oak ( Quercus rubra) and pin oak ( Quercus palustris) acorns mature in two years.Īcorns should be collected as soon as they fall to the ground. The acorns of white oak, swamp white oak ( Quercus bicolor), and bur oak ( Quercus macrocarpa) mature in one year. For example, freezing temperatures in spring (when trees are flowering) can damage or destroy the flowers, drastically reducing the fruit crop.

Weather and other factors can affect flowering and fruiting. However, the white oak ( Quercus alba) tends to produce a good acorn crop once every four to six years. Most oak species produce a good crop of acorns once every two or three years.

It’s common for the acorn crop on oak trees to vary from year to year. My oak tree produced just a few acorns this year.

#Acorn tree seeds how to#

Here are some tips from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists on how to best handle, germinate and plant acorns. Viable acorns can be grown into oak trees, if properly handled. AMES, Iowa – Fall is here, and so are acorns, falling from oak trees into yards everywhere.