Acorn to Oak Tree Contest Entries

[Gabler]

Post your entries in this thread (i.e. pictures of your acorns to signify that you're officially joining the contest).

1. Start with any number of acorns.
2. Spend five years developing them as pre-bonsai.
3. After five years, narrow it down to three trees.
4. After ten years, in December of 2033, Select one of those three trees to be your final entry.
5. I'll create a new thread where you'll each post pictures of your trees for all of the Bonsai Nut members to vote on a winner.

If you have any questions, please post them in the other thread. This thread is just to officially enter the contest.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Collected these while on vacation in north eastern Georgia (Dahlonega Area). Think they are Chinkapin oak. They are huge!! At least a handful sank and ive got a pretty good eye for viability. I threw them in squirrel proof trays today. 50% compost 50% perlite.

Consider me in. Might find some more locally here for further planting.

 

[karen82]

I ordered some white oak and northern red oak acorns from Sheffield's Seeds. From what I've read, red oaks are faster growing and better for bonsai, but the white oaks don't need stratification which means they get a head start. All of the white oaks were already sprouting, some of them had an inch long taproot already. I selected the 5 white oaks with the biggest taproots to pot up now and grow in the greenhouse over winter, the others I will just put outside to stratify naturally.

 

[sevan]

I started my q. virginiana and q. nigra acorns. We'll see if they survive the squirrels long enough to keep me in the contest.

 

[ERClover]

It’ll be Quercus phellos for me. I was at the park with my wife and daughter this afternoon and the playground was sheltered by a beautiful, massive mature Willow Oak that had spread thousands of acorns onto the ground (which my daughter was perhaps even more keen to pick up than I was and put in her mouth!). I wasn’t sure if I was going to participate in this but I took that as a sign and took several handfuls, what wound up as 42 acorns to get started for the acorn to oak contest. Quite a nice little acorn if I do say. It looks like the preferred method for those posting already is to validate good nuts via the submerge method and then sow outside for a natural stratification process. I will likely try that myself unless anyone has any better suggestions. I have not grown from seed, only transplanting volunteer saplings from the ground.

 

[Underdog]

I've a pin oak in the neighborhood. I'll have a look for some nutz.

 

[loteck2]

I’m going to try Southern Live Oak. Most years the squirrels are in charge of planting them. This year I will attempt to do the planting.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

On 10/13/23 I placed 12 Quercus suber acorns in some water to begin the germination process. Only 3 of the 12 sunk right away.



Now 48 hours later 6 are submerged 5 are still floating, and one is halfway submerged & bobbing up and down. All the smaller acorns sank and the bigger ones didn't, not sure if that means anything.

I'll put the sinkers in soil in the morning. Really new at this so bear with all the noobness. Do I plant them pointy side up or down?

 

[ERClover]

@Gabler I’ll pick on you as our organizer but all are welcome to respond. I currently have my 40 odd Willow Oak acorns in a plastic bag. I am out of town for work beginning tomorrow through Thursday, is there any harm in leaving them that way until I get back and then soaking for 24 hours and sowing sinkers? Also, that is generally the process correct, soak and ID viable seeds and then plant and allow winter to naturally stratify?

 

[Gabler]

@Gabler I’ll pick on you as our organizer but all are welcome to respond. I currently have my 40 odd Willow Oak acorns in a plastic bag. I am out of town for work beginning tomorrow through Thursday, is there any harm in leaving them that way until I get back and then soaking for 24 hours and sowing sinkers? Also, that is generally the process correct, soak and ID viable seeds and then plant and allow winter to naturally stratify?

If you have any questions, please post them in the other thread. This thread is just to officially enter the contest.

 

[sevan]

On 10/13/23 I placed 12 Quercus suber acorns in some water to begin the germination process. Only 3 of the 12 sunk right away.

View attachment 513414

Now 48 hours later 6 are submerged 5 are still floating, and one is halfway submerged & bobbing up and down. All the smaller acorns sank and the bigger ones didn't, not sure if that means anything.
View attachment 513417
I'll put the sinkers in soil in the morning. Really new at this so bear with all the noobness. Do I plant them pointy side up or down?

The tap root comes out from the pointy side, so either point down or on its side should work.

 

[Gabler]

On 10/13/23 I placed 12 Quercus suber acorns in some water to begin the germination process. Only 3 of the 12 sunk right away.

View attachment 513414

Now 48 hours later 6 are submerged 5 are still floating, and one is halfway submerged & bobbing up and down. All the smaller acorns sank and the bigger ones didn't, not sure if that means anything.
View attachment 513417
I'll put the sinkers in soil in the morning. Really new at this so bear with all the noobness. Do I plant them pointy side up or down?

If you have any questions, please post them in the other thread. This thread is just to officially enter the contest.

 

[Gabler]

The tap root comes out from the pointy side, so either point down or on its side should work.

If you have any questions [or answers], please post them in the other thread. This thread is just to officially enter the contest.

 

[Empty Mountain]

I collected 40 English Oak acorns this season:

Wishing all contestants good health, see you guys in 5 years!

 

[bluone23]

The 10 acorns poted in a textile pot with course recycled soil + compost from the garden.
Will stay outside over the winter

 

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Here’s my unknown, from the park oak entries. The deer were crushing them the night before. But they left me some.

 

[ERClover]

Here’s my unknown, from the park oak entries. The deer were crushing them the night before. But they left me some.View attachment 513460View attachment 513461

According to the picture ID app I use that there is Quercus rober, or the English Oak. A good variety from what I’ve seen!

 

[Gaitano]

Possibly a white oak? Planted last weekend with protection from them darn squirrels..

 

[IckyGuyBonsai]

Figured I'd throw up an entry since I got 4 acorns earlier that passed the water test. I'll most likely scavenge some more to add to em, because I'm thinking I'll need a good few to play around with

Most likely the native white oak round these parts

 

[JoB]

So, decided to join in on this one , I still have a lot to learn and tend to come here to read and pick up tips. Collected some American red oak ( quer cus  rubra ? ) from a tree at work, and some random acorns from near our village...if they sprout in the spring then I will make an effort to find out what sort of oak it is. I will go for a look around for some more at the weekend