Acorn to Oak Tree Contest Rules Discussion

So I have A question on sowing acorns...I gathered acorns while in northern Michigan in August and placed them in soil in a 1 gal container. Obviously I have not seen anything come up yet and am wondering if these have to sit over winter? I have kept soil moist so just wondering if these should be viable to sprout? I believe they are red oak based on pictures online but not 100% sure.
 
Jrmcmich said:
So I have A question on sowing acorns...I gathered acorns while in northern Michigan in August and placed them in soil in a 1 gal container. Obviously I have not seen anything come up yet and am wondering if these have to sit over winter? I have kept soil moist so just wondering if these should be viable to sprout? I believe they are red oak based on pictures online but not 100% sure.
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I potted mine about 2 months ago and just dug them up today out of curiosity. They all have a 2-3 inch tap root. So I'd say if yours were viable they should be well on their way.
 
Jrmcmich said:
So I have A question on sowing acorns...I gathered acorns while in northern Michigan in August and placed them in soil in a 1 gal container. Obviously I have not seen anything come up yet and am wondering if these have to sit over winter? I have kept soil moist so just wondering if these should be viable to sprout? I believe they are red oak based on pictures online but not 100% sure.
Click to expand...
To echo @czaczaja they should be sending out roots at this point. If you are using shallow containers you should see root tips coming out the bottom. They send out some pretty aggressive/long roots so look for those. If they haven't sent out any roots at all then the might not be viable.
 
Jrmcmich said:
So I have A question on sowing acorns...I gathered acorns while in northern Michigan in August and placed them in soil in a 1 gal container. Obviously I have not seen anything come up yet and am wondering if these have to sit over winter? I have kept soil moist so just wondering if these should be viable to sprout? I believe they are red oak based on pictures online but not 100% sure.
Click to expand...
Additional information in case you were not aware:

A lot of plants in areas that have warm/cold seasonality need stratification (basically a cold period for a certain number of days) before they began to germinate. It is a mechanism to help the plants time their germination point when it is early spring.
 
Jrmcmich said:
So I have A question on sowing acorns...I gathered acorns while in northern Michigan in August and placed them in soil in a 1 gal container. Obviously I have not seen anything come up yet and am wondering if these have to sit over winter? I have kept soil moist so just wondering if these should be viable to sprout? I believe they are red oak based on pictures online but not 100% sure.
Click to expand...
czaczaja said:
I potted mine about 2 months ago and just dug them up today out of curiosity. They all have a 2-3 inch tap root. So I'd say if yours were viable they should be well on their way.
Click to expand...
LuZiKui said:
To echo @czaczaja they should be sending out roots at this point. If you are using shallow containers you should see root tips coming out the bottom. They send out some pretty aggressive/long roots so look for those. If they haven't sent out any roots at all then the might not be viable.
Click to expand...

In my area, I wouldn't expect to see anything from a red oak acorn until April or May. White oaks tend to send out a radicle as soon as they hit the ground. Red oaks need a period of cold followed by warm to break the seeds' dormancy. That said, even some white oak acorns will wait till spring to germinate.
 
Thanks for info. I did check couple amd nothing coming from the, so will wait until spring and see if they sprout.
 
OK, 10 yrs is pretty optimistic, but I'll jump in for now. Not sure if it's against the rules, but I chose to start with four different species. I think I have valley oak, Engelmann oak, canyon live oak, and ? (could be interior live oak). The cage is obviously to discourage the tree rats. Hope it works.
 

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BrianBay9 said:
OK, 10 yrs is pretty optimistic, but I'll jump in for now. Not sure if it's against the rules, but I chose to start with four different species. I think I have valley oak, Engelmann oak, canyon live oak, and ? (could be interior live oak). The cage is obviously to discourage the tree rats. Hope it works.
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Ten years is very optimistic, but a fifteen- or twenty-year contest is too long, so we'll just have to be happy with whatever progress we get in that short amount of time.
 
Gabler said:
Ten years is very optimistic, but a fifteen- or twenty-year contest is too long, so we'll just have to be happy with whatever progress we get in that short amount of time.
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Actually meant that it's optimistic that I'll be alive and still working trees!
 
Gabler said:
Proposed contest rules:
  • The spirit of the contest is to gather (or purchase) acorns this fall and plant them.
  • To that end, you must begin the contest with one or more acorns. You may not begin with a seedling that germinated earlier this year or any prior year.
  • For those in the southern hemisphere, you might get a head start if you're able to plant some acorns right now and germinate them in the next few months. Otherwise, you'll need to wait until early 2024 to gather your acorns.
  • In case it wasn't clear by my use of the word "acorn," your entries must be plants from the genus Quercus.
  • You may begin the contest with any number of acorns. By the end of the year 2028, you must designate no more than three trees as contenders. By the end of the year 2033, you must choose a single final contest entry.
  • To document your progress, you should create a progression thread. I would request that @Bonsai Nut please create a sub-forum to contain those threads.
  • You should post at least one picture of each tree each year of the contest. In the first five years of the contest, a single group picture each year will suffice. In the latter five years of the contest, post at least one picture of each of your three contenders each year.
  • In December of 2033, I will create a thread to show everyone's trees, so forum members can vote on a winner. I believe the site allows up to ten photos per post, so you should create ONE post with your ten photos. Seven of those photos should show your progression from acorn to tree, one should show your tree in leaf, one should be a bare silhouette, and the tenth photo can show off anything else about the tree.
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I’m in...thanks for the update
 
Agr247 said:
I’m in...thanks for the update
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Gabler said:
Proposed contest rules:
  • The spirit of the contest is to gather (or purchase) acorns this fall and plant them.
  • To that end, you must begin the contest with one or more acorns. You may not begin with a seedling that germinated earlier this year or any prior year.
  • For those in the southern hemisphere, you might get a head start if you're able to plant some acorns right now and germinate them in the next few months. Otherwise, you'll need to wait until early 2024 to gather your acorns.
  • In case it wasn't clear by my use of the word "acorn," your entries must be plants from the genus Quercus.
  • You may begin the contest with any number of acorns. By the end of the year 2028, you must designate no more than three trees as contenders. By the end of the year 2033, you must choose a single final contest entry.
  • To document your progress, you should create a progression thread. I would request that @Bonsai Nut please create a sub-forum to contain those threads.
  • You should post at least one picture of each tree each year of the contest. In the first five years of the contest, a single group picture each year will suffice. In the latter five years of the contest, post at least one picture of each of your three contenders each year.
  • In December of 2033, I will create a thread to show everyone's trees, so forum members can vote on a winner. I believe the site allows up to ten photos per post, so you should create ONE post with your ten photos. Seven of those photos should show your progression from acorn to tree, one should show your tree in leaf, one should be a bare silhouette, and the tenth photo can show off anything else about the tree.
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Thank you
 
I originally entered this contest with Cork oak acorns (Quercus suber) , is it okay if I switch to Red Oak? (Quercus Rubra) I haven't planted any yet, just stratified and germinated the acorns.
 
This is what happens when you don’t log on for a year

I’m super late, but we have many holm oak in my area and even around my neighborhood… though I’ll prob have to find older trees

I’ll grab a whole bunch on a walk and see if I can get anything to start. I love oak trees
 
Eh, read that if you don’t get them within a week of dropping, bugs have gotten them or they’re bad from the elements

May just have to start next year
 
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