Acorn to Oak Tree Contest Rules Discussion

Gabler

Gabler

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With the Japanese black pine contest coming to a close, it seems like a good time to start another tree-from-seed contest, and what seed-to-tree transformation is more iconic than the humble acorn growing into a mighty oak? I'd want to keep the contest open to any species in the genus Quercus, since there's an oak species for just about every climate.

What do you think? Is anyone interested?
 
Maybe? What time frame would you consider? I guess in the end the prize is always the experience so the contest continues regardless.
 
I will forever be sad that my holm oak died and it’s impossible to get those acorns here

I do however have some 1 year old North American red oak seedlings
 
I've got 3rd, 2nd, and 1st year oaks of differing varieties growing now and I'll likely be planting more this fall. Count me in.

My 3rd year oaks are nowhere near being bonsai, so I'm wondering how long a contest like this might take.
 
Hack Yeah! said:
Maybe? What time frame would you consider? I guess in the end the prize is always the experience so the contest continues regardless.
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Wulfskaar said:
My 3rd year oaks are nowhere near being bonsai, so I'm wondering how long a contest like this might take.
Click to expand...

It would need to be a longer time frame than the JBP contest. I was thinking ten years—five for growing a pre-bonsai and five to develop a tree. Think that'll be enough time?
 
ShimpakuBonsai said:
It would be a long run before you have anything to play with if you start from seed and even 10 years will be short IMO.
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We would have to build/develop small trees if we're working within a ten-year timeframe, and they'll still have some wounds in need of further healing at the end of the contest, but a fifteen- to twenty-year timeframe just seems too long for a contest (although I am doing a twenty-seven-year nebari challenge as a bit). It should be doable to develop a tree in ten years, even if it isn't highly refined and ready for the National Show.

Like the six-year JBP contest, I think the idea would be to push to see what we can accomplish in a timeframe that's very short for deciduous trees. Ten years from seed seems like the shortest plausible timeframe.

I plan to sow about five pounds of acorns this fall. Healthy acorns have a very high germination rate, so I hope to have an enormous number of oak trees. I'll select the ones I like best for this contest and develop them for a few years into pre-bonsai. From there, I'll whittle it down to a couple of trees to be likely final contest submissions, and I'll work on developing them from pre-bonsai into bonsai. I'll probably continue growing the other choice trees into larger pre-bonsai for my own enjoyment outside the contest.
 
ShimpakuBonsai said:
So it is allowed to grow a large amount of trees and only select the best during (or at the end of) the timeframe of the contest?
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When you're growing from seed, that's the only way to do it. That said, I'm thinking at the five year mark, it would be wise to narrow it down to maybe three finalists to document closely until the tenth year, when you pick your best tree to submit for a vote on the winner.
 
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