Planting acorns to grow Oak trees
As acorns began falling from the mature Oak tree at our five-acre nature reserve this month, it was the perfect opportunity to gather them from the ground and start growing our own Oak trees again.
After hundreds of acorns were collected, we enjoyed a productive ‘Planting for the Future’ session with our Green Therapy group as we planted them in pots with peat-free compost ready to germinate and grow.
Once our seedlings have reached a height of around 20-25cm we will transfer them into larger pots using more peat-free compost and after 1-2 years in pots, the young trees will then be ready to plant into their permanent home in the ground at our nature reserve.
Oak trees hold a special place at the site as the mature trees have been home to our Barn Owl chicks after we installed a barn owl box back in 2021.
Acorn Planting Tip:
Put your acorns in water before planting. If the acorn is damaged it will float and won't germinate. A good, healthy acorn will sink.
Oak tree fact:
Oak trees are a long-lived tree which can live more than 1000 years and when mature each tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 pounds per year.