How to Propagate Oak Trees
When properly pruned and maintained, oak trees are the envy of every neighborhood. Although they take many years to grow to maturity, these trees provide abundant shade and beautiful foliage. You can purchase small oak trees at most home and garden centers, but it is just as easy to propagate your own. And since acorns are abundant during the fall season, it is extremely easy to get started growing your own. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Acorns
- Plastic sandwich bags
- Peat moss
- Water
- Potting soil
- Paper or styrofoam cup
Instructions
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1
Collect acorns in late fall that will be used to grow the oak trees. Look for acorns that are not cracked and have the entire outer shell intact. Collect more than you need in case some of them do not propagate. The acorns should fill about half of a plastic sandwich bag.
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Fill the remaining part of the sandwich bag with peat moss and dampen the mixture slightly. Seal the bag and shake vigorously to combine the acorns and peat moss.
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Place the bag in the refrigerator until late April. Check the bag periodically and add water if the moisture content gets too low. If you live in an area where the outdoor temperature is consistently 32 to 25 degrees, you can place the acorns outside; don't allow the acorns to get to a temperature above 40 degrees.
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Fill a paper or syrofoam cup In late April with a mixture of one part potting soil with one part peat moss. Combine the mixture well to allow for proper nutrient distribution, and poke several holes in the bottom of the cup to allow for drainage.
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Push the acorns into the top of the soil and barely cover them with soil. Water the acorns until water drains out of the bottom of the cup.
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Place the cup in a sunny location but do not let the soil dry out.
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Begin setting the plants outdoors during the day in May to adapt them to the temperatures and sun. Move them inside at night.
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Transplant the oak trees into larger containers when you see the roots grow out of the bottom of the cup.
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9
Plant the oak trees outside in the soil, but wait to do so until mid-fall. Apply a liberal amount of mulch around the small plants to protect them from cold temperatures.
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