What tree to plant??

[SectorB]

So my daughters want to grow a tree from a seed or small sapling. They have gathered acorns from an White Oak and planted them in a pot. They have also grabbed some Black walnuts with the husk on hoping to plant these also. What would be the best choice to go with. I live in Northern Illinois, in a newer subdivision and the soil has got a Higher pH. It is clay underneath the topsoil. My backyard retains moisture after a rain but never has standing water in it. It is a southwest exposure that will experience wind. I was also thinking of purchasing a swamp white or bald cypress instead of hoping a seed will grow. Any suggestions would help.

 

[geofore]

oak or walnut?

If they try to grow them in a pot, crack the walnut first to let moisture get to the seed otherwise it may not start. I put them in a vise and tighten up on them till I hear it crack then back off and plant it.

 

[S Mc]

What a fun project! I was getting excited about recommending a bald cypress however, their cultural needs might not be suited to your specific site. Whereas they like moisture, Dirr states in his book,Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, that they are best grown in deep, fine, sandy loams with plenty of moisture in the surface layers but with moderately good drainage; they like acid soil, so the higher pH you have may be an issue with chlorosis.

Dirr's comments on the Swamp White Oak, Quercus bicolor, is that they REQUIRE acid soil.

On the acorns collected from the White oak, Quercus alba, he states that the seed requires no special treatment; direct sow after collection. And that they "prefer" acid soil (5.5 to 6.5 pH).

The Black Walnut sounds like the best bet in that he says that these trees are abundantly found on clay or clay loam with an "apparently" higher pH. (Not sure what apparently higher...means). He states that dormancy of the seed can be broken by stratification at 41 deg F.

If you do plant the black walnut, remember that they are shade INTOLERANT. So be sure their situation is and will be in full sun.

Sylvia

 

[kyle1!]

Both will work

If you have the space plant both. A 1ftx1ft area should be large enough and full sun is needed. After the seed is collected float the seed in a bucket of water. The good seed will fall to the bottom and the culls will be on top. Plant the acorns ASAP because they are viable for about a couple of weeks after falling from the tree unless held in the fridge.

Since you are in a subdivision how much top soil do you have? If only 2 to 4 inches I would dig farther down maybe a foot and replace the clay with good soil. Planting depth for the seed is usually 2x the diameter of the seed. For me I go down an inch. Fill the area with acorns or walnuts and cover with soil. Pack the soil gently with your foot to increase soil to seed contact. Cover with mulch and water.

The winter will stratify your seed. With new seedlings you will probably need to fence it to keep the rabbits away and keep it weed free. You will probably have 5 to 15 trees growing out of that area next year.

Brian

 

[SectorB]

Thanks for the responses. The Acorns have been planted in a pot for the last 1 1/2 months and with the rain and cool nights hopefully something will occur. We are also going to plant the Black Walnuts. Great advice with cracking them first. How fast do the walnuts grow??

Thanks again.

 

[kyle1!]

I have never had good luck with pots because I'm lazy with the water or eventually have fungal problems. Oaks put down a pretty good size tap root. That is why they are hard to transplant when they get older.

I have plots (10ftx10ft) of oaks and walnuts that were planted from seed 5-7 years ago that are now over 6 ft tall. I had planted so many seeds that within the first year the trees shaded out all the weeds. Now it is survival of the fittest.

Brian

 

[SectorB]

Well we choose a spot in the front yard so the kids don't run it over in the back. He acorns we planted in the pot had already started a tap root. The girls planted about 10 acorns, so now we are off to the slow grow races. We didn't plant the black walnuts, non of them sank. We covered them with some shredded wood from sawing. Thanks for all the advice again. My kids really like this little project.