Acorns Germinated too Early: How Should I Handle Them?

[Gabler]

USPS finally delivered my seeds from Sheffields. My Quercus prinus acorns have already germinated. The radicles are roughly an inch and a half long at this point. How should I keep them alive until spring? Plant them in the ground outside? Let them grow inside through the end of winter for an extended growing season? Unfortunately, I don't have any sort of greenhouse, just a south-facing window.

 

[Colorado]

I would put them up and put them in the window for an early start.

 

[Bnana]

Here in Europe Quercus robur often germinates in winter, they probably stop growing during frost. But I've got plenty acorns with a 4 or 5 centimeter root in my garden. Q. prinus might do the same thing.

 

[Gabler]

Thanks. I put them in a temporary growing container. I'll move them outside after the last frost, so probably late March or early April. Hopefully the extended growing season won't mess them up too much. Since the acorns are already growing, I decided to inoculate the growing medium with a bit of soil and leaf litter from between a pin oak and a pine, hoping to introduce mycorrhizae to the new roots and improve the seedlings' resilience. If they were in cold stratification, I would have kept the growing medium sterile to avoid rotting the dormant seeds. Any additional input would be appreciated. Even if it's too late now, it could help for next time. Thanks for the answers thus far.

 

[leatherback]

I do not know the species and their normal way of germination. However, keeping this indoors now, means it will start growing under VERY warm conditions with VERY little light. This leads to lanky growth. Exactly the opposite you want for bonsai. I would have choosen planting and puttng outside in a sheltered spot.

 

[Potawatomi13]

This is natural. Plant with acorn under surface of soil 1/2" or so. Put outside in reasonably protected spot especially from squirrels/nut eaters. Keep from drying out. Keep protected from squirrels until nut completely used up or tree will be uprooted. In spring upper tree will sprout. Keep in sunny spot to keep sprout from growing leggy. Two years ago planted 2 Georgia Oak acorns in flower pot/put outside w/little protection in November. In Spring both sprouted. This is the way.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Acorns do this as a survival mechanism. As soon as they sprout, they become inedible or less palatable for rodents. That's why rats and squirrels chew off the root tip before storage if they get the chance.
Acorns, chestnuts and some beech varieties germinate in late fall or early winter and lie dormant until spring. This type of sprouting gives them an advantage too: they can start growing and maximize sunlight exposure in early spring because all the trees towering above them are still barely pushing buds.

Sterility is not an issue if the temperatures are low enough. Pathogens need warmth too! They can't process frozen starches or frozen sugars, they need liquid water. Rotting only happens when there's both a lack of oxygen as well as an excess of water. Keep them damp and they should be fine. As a kid I used to hide plastic bags with acorns and chestnuts "just in case" and I totally forgot about all of them, every single time, for 5 years in a row. Most of those bags had zero fungal issues and were only noticed when they started creating a forest-like smell from somewhere in a cabinet. They can take a whole lot more than most other seeds for some reason. Probably because their natural range is filled with leaf litter and rotting plant debris throughout fall, winter and spring, and summer.

 

[W3rk]

Acorns do this as a survival mechanism. As soon as they sprout, they become inedible or less palatable for rodents. That's why rats and squirrels chew off the root tip before storage if they get the chance.
Acorns, chestnuts and some beech varieties germinate in late fall or early winter and lie dormant until spring. This type of sprouting gives them an advantage too: they can start growing and maximize sunlight exposure in early spring because all the trees towering above them are still barely pushing buds.

Sterility is not an issue if the temperatures are low enough. Pathogens need warmth too! They can't process frozen starches or frozen sugars, they need liquid water. Rotting only happens when there's both a lack of oxygen as well as an excess of water. Keep them damp and they should be fine. As a kid I used to hide plastic bags with acorns and chestnuts "just in case" and I totally forgot about all of them, every single time, for 5 years in a row. Most of those bags had zero fungal issues and were only noticed when they started creating a forest-like smell from somewhere in a cabinet. They can take a whole lot more than most other seeds for some reason. Probably because their natural range is filled with leaf litter and rotting plant debris throughout fall, winter and spring, and summer.

Man these are the kinds of details I love finding from everyone here. Great info and very interesting, thanks WGW.

 

[SevenOaks]

For whatever it is worth, I grew acorns (Quercus Robur) indoors in 2020.

I gathered them in October/November and put some of them in bottles with water in a south-facing window, changing the water every second day. A few I put in moist sand in a plastic container out in the shed, and later moved them into water and light when they had started roots. All of them (seven, with a later straggler, making it a total of eight) grew and spent about three months indoors, growing leaves. Some a bit reluctant and anemic, like gruffy rudely awakened dormice, and others like sprightly blackbirds getting on with business early. I pruned all of them, shortening the tap root. Now all of them are out in the sunshine, having survived a soggy May. Long story short: if they get outdoors after having gotten into soil, they will do fine enough, I think.

 

[Gabler]

For whatever it is worth, I grew acorns (Quercus Robur) indoors in 2020.

I gathered them in October/November and put some of them in bottles with water in a south-facing window, changing the water every second day. A few I put in moist sand in a plastic container out in the shed, and later moved them into water and light when they had started roots. All of them (seven, with a later straggler, making it a total of eight) grew and spent about three months indoors, growing leaves. Some a bit reluctant and anemic, like gruffy rudely awakened dormice, and others like sprightly blackbirds getting on with business early. I pruned all of them, shortening the tap root. Now all of them are out in the sunshine, having survived a soggy May. Long story short: if they get outdoors after having gotten into soil, they will do fine enough, I think.

I put them outside, and they sprouted normally for a week or so in late April, until a wild turkey came along and ate them. I ate the turkey, though, so I got my revenge.