Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - January 25, 2010
From: Valley Spring, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Growing live oaks from acorns
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What is the best way to grow Live Oaks from acorns?ANSWER:
You can find some of the information about propagating Quercus fusiformis (plateau live oak) on the species page, but you can find even more in Jill Noke's How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest. She recommends that the acorns be planted very soon after collecting for best results. They should be sown directlly in the ground or in a deep container to accommodate the long tap root. The acorns should be covered with 1-2 inches of firm soil and spaced 8-14 inches apart if sown directly in the ground. Covering them with mulch will help retain the moisture for germination. It is also recommended that you cover the plantings with a wiremesh framework to keep squirrels and other rodents from digging the acorns out.
If you are planting in a container, be sure that you use a deep container with a soil mix that drains properly. As you move the young oaks to larger containers, Nokes recommends air pruning the roots to ensure that they develop a good root system.
More Trees Questions
Native trees for small backyard in California
May 28, 2008 - I have a small backyard and very close to my neighbor. I want to plant trees that grow 15/20 high that can work as a screen although I have to be very careful with invasive roots. Also I have two sma...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Arizona Ash from Naco AZ
May 19, 2013 - Hi Mr. Smarty..
Live in southeast corner of Az.
My Az. Ash is diseased. Just noticed leaves are curled,
(still green) and when I open the leaf it has a zillion
little white, what look like mites ...
view the full question and answer
Problems with native palms in Austin
April 10, 2011 - We had a large variety of California fan palms and blue sabal palms in our yard that were damaged during the last freeze. We found that several of them now have "spear pull," which means we could p...
view the full question and answer
Shaping of native hawthorns
October 21, 2007 - I have three young hawthorns that were propagated from a nearby Blackland prairie stand. If I limb them up, will that encourage them to branch more near the top, or will it just ruin the form altoget...
view the full question and answer
Planting a Willow Close to a Water Line
March 18, 2016 - I have a postage stamp-sized front yard, with the water tap in the front 1/3. I believe the water line runs right through the middle of my pss-front yard. I REALLY wanted to plant a weeping willow t...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |