Matt and Ecolog:
For what it's worth, I'll add a few more observations.
The methodology suggested by Patterson seems sensible to me; I have zero
experience in extremely cold climates, and would like to know more about the
relationship of temperature to stratification requirements. While I can
consult the Woody Plant Seed Manual, no authority is necessarily always
right, and a lot of oaks have grown since its publication.
It may be useful to emphasize that the term "field-grown" sometimes refers
to growing for later transplantation. This is "problematic," to say the
least, with oaks--at least the ones I'm familiar with. Patterson's method of
planting clusters of acorns seems sensible if one is determined to have an
oak in a particular spot (landscaping?), unlike restoration of oak woodlands
or savannahs where informal patterning, structural diversity, death or
"loss," even deformation, is a positive value. "Most cases" is always a
given--"all cases" is a delusion.
With respect to mycorrhizae, pulling and placing plugs of litter, duff, and
soil to some depth (say, a foot, if possible/practical?) is preferable to
scraping up great piles; it doesn't take much for inoculation, and
propagules of other fungi, flora and fauna are important too, especially
where the surface soil is highly disturbed or sterile. A plug every square
meter should be enough, or, say, three plugs per tree or acorn planting
location? Varying the treatment can be instructive or even scientific.
Drilling holes to facilitate rapid root penetration to depth (capillary
fringe?) can also be done in a small percentage of the cases, especially in
lighter soils through which the root initial can continue to grow
vertically. Particularly in more xeric habitats, planting in depressions
rather than the standard berm can be very helpful, and very low diversion
berms to concentrate runoff can be useful.
WT
PS: Thanks for the links, Matt.
----- Original Message -----
From: "M.S. Patterson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2011 12:59 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] growing oaks from acorns Tree development
performance?
Hi there.
While also not an expert, I would tend to agree with Wayne, below.
Container grown trees are also likely to develop circling roots that can
girdle the tree as it matures. This will not occur with a field grown
tree. Here are a few papers on the matter of tree response to cultivation
practices:
http://www.treelink.org/joa/2001/jan/05_FACTORS_AFFECTING_ESTABLISHMENT_OF_LIVE_OAK_gilman.pdf
http://www.hriresearch.org/docs/publications/JEH/JEH_1990/JEH_1990_8_4/JEH%208-4-220-227.pdf
Planting an acorn (or a cluster of acorns) and then lightly mulching (no
more than an inch or two) around the seedlings will in most cases give you
a better, healthier tree. It will develop an undisturbed root system at
the proper depth, will not have girdling roots, and if planted with
material from near the parent will have a good chance of being inoculated
with the proper fungi (which may be present at the site already).
In your situation, I would gather a handful of acorns, litter and soil,
and take them to the intended planting site in the fall. I'd then bury
them a few centimeters deep. After the first year (or the second), I
would cut or uproot the weaker saplings. Many oaks can be coppiced
(meaning that the root system will produce new stems if well established),
so it's advisable not to let them get too large before cutting them.
If you do start the acorns in a container, the containers should be as
large as possible, and the resultant trees planted as soon as possible. A
healthy root system is extremely important for transplanted trees, as are
proper planting practices. An excellent document on good tree planting
practices is available here:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/636.html
Hope some of this was helpful!
-matt
On 9/17/2011 4:34 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote:
Thanks to McNeely for his post, and to Anderson for posting a summary of
his responses. In my email to Anderson (not included in his list), I (no
"expert" either) mentioned that in my experience, field-planting of
acorns worked far better, in terms of plant performance, than
container-growing (I explained my technique in some detail) followed by
field planting.
I have observed that the very brittle root initial penetrates the soil
rather quickly and quite deeply before branching, while branching occurs
in containers almost upon contact of the root initial with the bottom of
the container or the air. This seems to retard the rate of root
penetration to the capillary fringe of whatever passes for a water
"table." I doubt that this is as much of a factor in sandy or other loose
soils (alluvials) than in the firmer (clayey and/or rocky) soils with
which I am more familiar.
Am I again barking down the wrong root, so to speak, or not? Anybody have
any references/links to real research or experience on this topic?
WT
PS: Following up on McNeely's comment about big mast years, when acorns
are abundant they can be tossed in front of a walker, who then steps on
the seed, almost perfectly pressing it into the soil surface. The
survivorship curve is still steep with this method, but it does have the
effect of producing randomness and feeds rather than deprives local
wildlife.
----- Original Message -----
From: "David L. McNeely"<[email protected]>
To:<[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 6:41 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] growing oaks from acorns
David, I am no expert on growing oaks from acorns. However, I have
observed that most large oaks produce a great acorn crop. Multitudes of
these, in a suitable environment, germinate and produce seedlings.
Given that, if I were interested in growing oaks from acorns, I would
gather large numbers of acorns, and attempt to propagate them under a
range of conditions in both pots and greenhouse flats. Now,
transplantation might be different.
I would also contact native plant nurseries in the areas where I was
interested in producing oaks. Most parts of the country have them. I
know that "Sunshine Nursery" in Clinton, Oklahoma produces native oaks
for transplantation to restoration projects, parks, and private
properties. Steve Bierback, the owner mentioned to me on one occasion
that he gathered litter and soil from under the parent tree when he
gathered acorns, so that he would propagate the appropriate myccorhyzae
with the seedlings. I have several post oaks and black jacks that I
purchased as saplings from Sunshine Nursery on my property, so the
owner's methods must work. These two native oaks, though abundant in
the wild, have been claimed by some nurserymen to be impossible to
propagate.
Vines, Robert A., _Trees and Shrubs of the Southwest_, University of
Texas Press, Austin, 1960, gives propagation directions for hundreds of
native woody plants that grow in the southwestern U.S. Perhaps methods
he gives for oaks could be adapted to your oaks, especially related ones
to those he describes. Be sure to check under "Remarks" in his species
descriptions as well as "Propagation," since he sometimes includes
planting instructions under either heading.
Storage overwinter in cool temperatures, and stratification at cool
temperatures are both included for various acorns, according to Vines.
Whether one propagates woody plants or not, Vines is a great book to
have around.
david mcneely
---- David L Anderson<[email protected]> wrote:
Hello,
I'd like to talk with someone who is expert at growing oaks from
acorns. If
you are that person or know of someone, my contact information is
below, as
are my interests and questions.
Thanks,
David
I am interested in growing oaks from acorns collected from the
"heritage"
trees of Boise, Idaho. I refer to heritage trees as those trees of
outstanding character and community value, usually of great age or
beauty or
serving as a landmark for sites of interest. My questions regard how
best
to propagate oaks from acorns.
How do I know if an acorn is good or bad? Because it is green/brown,
or
floats/sinks when immersed in water?
Is it better to overwinter acorns in a fridge/freezer in paper/plastic
bags? Is it better to transplant them directly into
potting/native/mixed
soil? Better to plant in the fall or spring? In soil that is
wet/dry/left
to natural conditions? Should acorns be sprouted first in wet sawdust?
Or other advice you think would be helpful. Thanks in advance from the
future heritage oaks of Boise.
--
*David L. Anderson**, Ph.D.*
*Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences*
Boise State University
1910 University Drive
Boise, ID 83725
208-426-3216
[email protected]
--
David McNeely
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