How to grow oak from acorns

Oak was always in honor of people at all times. This powerful high tree with a spreaded crown is considered a symbol of courage, strength and nobility. In oak groves, some of the most valuable and expensive mushrooms - truffles are growing. But why do you need to cultivate at home? Some amateur gardeners grow it as a bonsai tree, forming a neat beautiful shape, others want to have a personal oak on their plot, which will please not one generation of descendants, the third simply planted the rapid sprouts on the streets and in the forests, restoring the green cover of the planet. Whatever your goal is to grow oak from the acorns of the house easier than simple, and today we will tell you how to do it.

Planting material

Oak grows very slowly, and for that in order to get a high tree to leave decades, but this process is quite interesting, which does not require special skills and labor costs. You have a unique opportunity to observe in the literal sense of the miracle of birth, especially since at first, the oak is developing very actively.

This is one of the most long-lived trees in the world, and it can grow almost on any soils (but still prefers a rich nutrient soil). If you decide to grow oak from the acorns at home, and then planted out on the street, then prepare for the fact that it will take 2-3 years.

In contrast to the prevailing majority of seeds of the trees, the acorns are lost after drying and with long-term storage, so it is necessary to sow and germinate them immediately after ripening and before the onset of frosts. Of course, you can postpone sowing until spring, but in this case the jerseys must be kept correctly. To do this, it should be placed in the conditions of high humidity at 0-3c and moderate ventilation. Such an atmosphere usually reigns in the cellar or basement, where vegetables are stored. You can also slightly ship acory to a depth of 20 cm and cover the area with a polyethylene film so that the air layer is left inside - the effect of the greenhouse and at the same time protection against rodents.

Collect acorns for growing should be at the beginning of autumn. Choose only whole fruits without visible damage (holes, mold, black spots). Brownish acorns with emerald tint are considered the most good, however, the color is mostly depends on the oak grade. Another criterion for choosing a good sowing material if acorn is easily moving away from the hat. The hat is protection and, if you want, the method of fastening the acorns to the branch, but not his vital part.

Useful advice: Watch over the oaks in the summer, stitching the biggest and powerful trees. In the fall, you can immediately go to the desired trees and harvest. However, some varieties of acorns ripen only once every 2 years, for example, in red oak.

When you brought seeds home, you need to select unsuitable "dead" acorns. To do this, repay them in a cold water basic, mix your hand and leave for 5 minutes. During this time, all spoiled acorns will pop up to the surface, and good will remain on the bottom. Drain the water and spread the selected good seeds on the towel so that they should be dried. You do not need to put them in the sun, exactly how to put on the battery - let dry in natural conditions in the shade. Place the dry seating in a plastic bag and put in the cellar for storage. So that the acorns are not dry, put them in a bag of moss, wood chips, vermiculitis, or other material that keeps moisture well.

How to grow oak and select seeds for landing, look in the video below:

To strengthen the "immunity" and endurance of the acorns, they are subjected to stratification. For this, the seeds in the package are put on the lower shelf of the refrigerator (for vegetables) for 30-60 days or longer, while they do not germinate. Stratification helps seeds faster to germinate in the spring, however, they need to constantly monitor and control the level of humidity in the package. A little more water is drunk, too dry - will not sprout.

If in the fall weave with the eyelids, it can be made in the spring if the winter was not too cold. In March, you can find untouched by mice and already sprouted acorns. It is better to collect them immediately after the module of snow so that the birds do not have to shove or damage the gentle roots, barely seemed from the shell. Seeds can be immediately sowed in an open soil or pot or store them in plastic box, with wet leaves or sawdust. In the latter case, it is important to provide at least minimal ventilation, otherwise the roots will be rotten. But it is still better to immediately plant the crumpled acorns, then more likely that they will develop into strong seedlings.

Great gesting

Sprouted acorns require careful appeal, since their roots are very fragile and gentle. Slide them into small pots, cropped plastic bottles or disposable glasses with a volume of 0.5 liters. In the sidewalls of tanks, take a few holes around the perimeter so that water inside is not found, and the roots received access to oxygen.

Pour in pots of ordinary garden or forest land, stirring it with a small number of peat moss or vermiculite to hold moisture. Make a depression of 3-5 cm and lower it to the root down. It is possible to plant a young dub at once in the open ground, but it is fraught with mice and insects, because the gentle root is not protected.

When you were dissolved acorns in the pots, water them quite often, especially the first 2-4 weeks. It is necessary to pour water until it flows from the side holes in the pot. Arrange seedlings on the windowsill on the southern or western side, so that the spring sun warms and "lured" the sprouts from the Earth. You should not wait for the first week the green stems will appear - at first all the energy of the plant will go to the formation of the root system (and the oak is very powerful), and only then sprout will appear.

It is useful to know: the acorns geracts pretty quickly, and it does not matter whether you covered their wet vat or put in the ground. Powerful sprout will appear after 2-3 weeks.

Oak landing

So, on your windowsill already grows a small grove of young doodles. Because they have powerful and rapidly developing roots, for a long time to keep them in a close pot it is impossible - it is necessary to transplant more in the container more or in open soil. If you still want to settle the dubok at home, prepare for it a spacious lytra's personnel so 100.

If in winter, the sprout suddenly stopped in growth and began to wrap, do not hurry to rush it with fertilizers, feeding, and even more so throw away. It is quite possible that the plant simply felt that in the yard of winter and completely naturally "fell asleep." Leave him alone until spring and see how he behaves with the first rays of the warm sun.

For the following signs, it is possible to determine that the jokes are time to transplant:

1. The sprout rose to a height of 15 cm, and 3-5 leaves appeared on it.
2. Root plants strong and healthy white color.
3. The central main root is well developed.
4. Sprout itself became higher than the container in which it is planted.
5. Seedling is in the pot for more than 2 weeks.

It is very important to correctly determine the place of landing of oak into the open ground. It is now it seems small and compact, but after 20-30 years, a modest sprout will turn into a large tree with a powerful root system and an empty crown. If such a giant is in close proximity to the residential building or some construction, be sure that it will destroy it with its roots or will move any foundation. Choose immediately spacious and free plot so that you are not interested in inconvenience. By the way, to transplant the grown oak without harm to him will not work - the roots go deep into the ground and stroke hard, so you in any case are traumating the plant, as a result of which it can perish.

How to plant Oak Oak in perfect place:

1. Oak loves the sunlight and needs good lighting, so it is better to plant it on the southern or western side. But at the same time consider that over time he will create a lot of shadows, and therefore the garden will not work under it. It is better to immediately plan to do under the oak arbor, swing or just leave a place to relax.
2. The area under the oak should be as far away from the water supply, pipeline and garden tracks, as powerful roots destroy any obstacles on its path.
3. Putting the oak on the southwest side, you will provide the natural shading of a residential building. This option is well suited if you are going to install mansard windows or make panoramic glazing. But if you live in the southern region and want to shake the house, put the oak on the northwestern side of the site.
4. Do not put the oak in areas with lush vegetation, otherwise "old-timers" simply will not give a young plant to develop and will take moisture and light from him.

When you were determined with the site, you can proceed to disembarking sprouts.

Oak landing consists of several stages:

1. Clean the area of \u200b\u200bland from the vegetation so as to obtain a flat area with a diameter of 1.5-2 m.
2. It is necessary to create a uniform soil, oxygenated, so to dig it to a depth of 25-30 cm and carefully dissecting all the big lumps.
3. Lightly moisten the soil when it is dry. Planted oak sprout should be in the hole with a diameter of 30 cm and a depth of a little more than the length of the spine.
4. Lower the seedling into the hole and gently sprinkle the roots of the earth lightly tamping it.
5. At the end of abundant water the plant and place pieces of bark mulch or 30 cm from the young trees to prevent drying of the soil and the spread of weeds. Make sure that the mulch does not touch the stem of oak seedlings.

Useful advice: For 100% of the successful result, professional gardeners recommend landing at once 2-4 acorn on one site. To do this, clean the area of \u200b\u200b60x60 cm and plant several sprouts there.

Oak care

After disembarking into the open soil, the first few weeks must be given to oak sponsors a lot of attention. Changing the decomposition for faster plants is the most real shock, so they need special care. In addition, gentle leaves and roots are a treat for rodents, birds and insects, so you need to take care of the protection of plants. For this, a strong plastic hedge is usually used or a mesh grille. If deer lives in your area, and they can penetrate the area, protect the crowns of young trees, building a high fence from a fine grid. Also, the oaks often suffer from the May beetles and Tly, so in the spring you can process the leaves with pesticides.

Since the oaks have a powerful root system that goes deep into the ground and finds moisture yourself, closer to autumn watering should be reduced to a minimum. In the summer, on the contrary, it is better to water seedlings as often as possible. Experienced gardeners use a drip irrigation system, since it provides regular and uniform watering of plants. Oaks by approximate calculations need 30 liters of water for 2 weeks. If you use a drip system, then it will be needed only in the first 2-3 years. Install it around the trunks so that the moisture is not accumulated. When the oak will become powerful enough, that is, for 4-5 years, it is enough to water only in very dry days.

Finally, we suggest you to watch an unusual video, which in all details shows the process of developing oak sprout from acorn in a seedling.