LittleDingus
Omono
This thread will track my efforts at quercus muehlenbergii over the next 5 years...
I was already tracking some known chinkapin oaks for acorns to collect this season anyway so why not track their progress through this challenge! I have some personal reasons I wanted to start a tree from seed to hopefully be planted out in my next yard when we move in a year or three. Whatever I don't set aside for that project, I'll use for this one
This is not a mast year for chinkapin in my area. The trees aren't hard to find in the local preserves/parks, but the availability of acorns is sparse this season. There were some along a trail my wife and I frequent that I've been watching closely for maturity. But, knowing how few acorns I was finding this year and that the wildlife LOVE chinkapin acorns, I have also ordered some bare root fingerlings from the Missouri Department of Conservation. I think I ordered 10 from there...they aren't scheduled to be delivered until February if I remember right.
In the meantime, I did manage to collect a handful of acorns!
I was too late to get the ones I had been watching though I did manage to find 18 in all that were still on known chinkapin trees. In general, it's preferable to collect acorns direct off the tree. Once they hit the ground they become more susceptible to dehydrating and the myriad of insects and animals that want to eat them! Chinkapin, especially, you want direct off the tree as they can start to germinate as soon as they fall and will sometimes even germinate BEFORE they fall if it's wet enough!
I soaked the ones I gathered in water for 24 hours. They were all sinkers...which is a good sign! Then, I planted them all out into a communal 1 gallon grow bag filled with Napa 8822 mixed with some chunk coconut coif and 1/4 dose solid fertilizer sprinkled on top.
Chinkapin can germinate right away and even throw up a few leaves before the winter. That's unlike most other native to me oaks that form a peduncle and remain entirely underground through the first fall/winter before finally emerging in the spring. We'll see. I am a little worried the 8822 is not acidic enough for best germination...but I do have some backups hopefully arriving late winter...
My plan is either/both a shohin single tree or a shohin forest planting. Which will depend on how many plants I have in the spring after I set aside the few I want as future landscaping
Quercus muehlenbergii - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I was already tracking some known chinkapin oaks for acorns to collect this season anyway so why not track their progress through this challenge! I have some personal reasons I wanted to start a tree from seed to hopefully be planted out in my next yard when we move in a year or three. Whatever I don't set aside for that project, I'll use for this one
This is not a mast year for chinkapin in my area. The trees aren't hard to find in the local preserves/parks, but the availability of acorns is sparse this season. There were some along a trail my wife and I frequent that I've been watching closely for maturity. But, knowing how few acorns I was finding this year and that the wildlife LOVE chinkapin acorns, I have also ordered some bare root fingerlings from the Missouri Department of Conservation. I think I ordered 10 from there...they aren't scheduled to be delivered until February if I remember right.
In the meantime, I did manage to collect a handful of acorns!
I was too late to get the ones I had been watching though I did manage to find 18 in all that were still on known chinkapin trees. In general, it's preferable to collect acorns direct off the tree. Once they hit the ground they become more susceptible to dehydrating and the myriad of insects and animals that want to eat them! Chinkapin, especially, you want direct off the tree as they can start to germinate as soon as they fall and will sometimes even germinate BEFORE they fall if it's wet enough!
I soaked the ones I gathered in water for 24 hours. They were all sinkers...which is a good sign! Then, I planted them all out into a communal 1 gallon grow bag filled with Napa 8822 mixed with some chunk coconut coif and 1/4 dose solid fertilizer sprinkled on top.
Chinkapin can germinate right away and even throw up a few leaves before the winter. That's unlike most other native to me oaks that form a peduncle and remain entirely underground through the first fall/winter before finally emerging in the spring. We'll see. I am a little worried the 8822 is not acidic enough for best germination...but I do have some backups hopefully arriving late winter...
My plan is either/both a shohin single tree or a shohin forest planting. Which will depend on how many plants I have in the spring after I set aside the few I want as future landscaping