How To Grow Red Oak Trees From Planting Acorns Part 1 - Float Test

Today red oak acorns were gathered and tested using the float method. Which ever acorns sunk are considered to be healthy and ready for stratification. Some of the floating acorns still might be ok, but odds are significantly better using the non-floating acorns. Floating acorns either have mold, bugs eaten through, larva, dried up from last year, and chances are they are not healthy enough to be planted.

Red oak acorns need to be stratified in order to germinate and sprout. This process takes about 5 months in cooler temperature.

You could always take a shovel, wedge the ground where you want the tree to grow, through a few acorns in and cover back up to allow them to sit through the winter months.

We are trying 2 different methods to achieve this.

8 acorns will be put into damp tree and shrub soil and left outside on the screened in porch through the Michigan winter.

Squirrels can’t get them there!

The rest (about 45) will be divided up into 3 ziplock freezer bags full of damp tree and shrub soil and left in the refrigerator until March 2022 (5 months from now).

Squirrels can’t get them there either!

Good luck with your red oak acorn stratification process and see you back in the spring for planting!