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auburnperson

Growing a Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana) from a germinating acorn.

auburnperson
13 years ago

You have probably heard about the poisoning of Toomer's Oaks at Auburn University. As an Auburn student, I believe in Auburn and love it and I want to do my part in ensuring the propagation of those glorious old oaks.

Today I visited the trees with a mission to find a source of propagation. I was able to recover about 65 viable acorns from the cracks between the bricks under the trees; about 57 of those have already sprung healthy tap-roots.

I am inexperienced in nursing acorns, so I was hoping someone could tell me if my methods need revising. I mixed a 12 dry-quart bag of Jiffy organic seed starter with a 10 dry-quart bag of Miracle Grow potting soil (I have been warned that the Miracle Grow is not good for germination because nitrogen/fertilizer content promotes shoot growth instead of root establishment-which I know nothing about-so now I'm worried). The M.G. claims 21% total nitrogen content, and if that measurement has anything to do with mass or volume (???), I blindly guesstimate that mix of the two bags has about 10% total nitrogen content. Is this mix suitable for promoting proper growth of these germinating live oak acorns?

Also, the acorns are planted horizontally, with about half acorn beneath the soil, and existing tap-roots are submerged in the soil (as the were when I found them). I have provided a fairly healthy initial dose of water to dampen the soil, and I plan to water them every 2-3 days as needed. I have the pots (seven 8" pots each holding eight acorns at the moment) lined up on the floor beside a southern window which will provide about 12 hours of sunlight/day (about 8 hours of direct light). The temperature in the room is a steady 70 degrees.

Thanks for your time and future help,

Chris

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