A couple of years back I planted an acorn in a little flower pot on my not-very-sunny window sill. The little guy sprouted, grew to about 6 inches tall and popped out 5 or 6 leaves.
But he eventually stopped growing and his leaves started turning slightly brown and dry at the edges. Someone had once told me that little elms need a cycle of seasonal temperature change to grow properly, so I thought maybe the little guy wanted to experience the winter climes. Besides he could get more sun out on the fire escape. So that’s where he went.
Trouble is, we had the coldest friggin winter in decades, so he froze his buds off, figuratively speaking. Well, when I took him inside a few weeks ago he didn’t look too good. No leaves, no new buds.
I decided to take action again. I transplanted him into a taller pot (the root had reached the bottom of the old pot) and set him on the sunny, sunny roof. My hope was that the bright sunshine and new, deep pot would rejuvinate the little guy. But it’s been about a week and he looks as hopeless as ever.
Any advice?
If you kept it in the pot and the soil froze solid, there’s a good chance it might be dead. Easiest way to tell is to scratch the bark. If there’s green tissue under the top layer, the plant is still alive. If it’s dry underneath, your stick is firewood.
Oaks aren’t elms (I imagine you knew that) but yeah, decidious trees need a cycle of “rest” and growth throughout the year.
My experience is that it takes alot of moist dark soil and just the right conditions to sprout an oak.
I would think that it’d be better outside, allowed to go through a seasonal cycle that includes it being sensitive to the changing light from season to season as well as the changing soil temps.
My oaks drop a bajillion acorns, and only the most lucky and perfect ones get to sprout. It’s usually in the darkest, wettest soil.
When my wife and I first bought our home here in Connecticut we wanted desparately to have a keepsake that would last our lifetimes. But we wanted one that would encompass both of our emotions. Strong, sturdy, everlasting. What better way than to germinate an oak tree from acorn. We went out and picked several large white oak acorns. Then when we had what we thought were enough we went to school.
I am an instructor at a college so I have access to all the nice little fringe benefits that come with workin at a college. One such benefit is being able to talk to botanists and biologists about our endeavor.
We were told to buy a big cask (half barrel) and fill it with acidic soil. Similar to the soil found on the forest floor. (when leaves fall they create an acidic based soil in the forest). So with barrel in hand and acorns layed on their side, half in half out of the soil we waited. In two weeks 4 out of 15 acrons had sprouted and started digging their roots into our new germinator. We kept the said germinator in the garage for the first winter. In the spring two had remained healthy and they were both about 2 feet tall. Fledgelings. Then we were told to immediately plant them when they were two to three foot tall in the soil. We did this in the summer of 98. Five years later they are roughly my height 6’2" and doing just fine. the both of them. Each year the deer eat the leaves they can get to, so miraculously the tree started growing leaves only towards the top…Smart ol’ trees huh? Hopefully they’ll be around long after we are here.