If you have an oak tree in your yard or place of business, or take a walk in the woods or a park, you’ll likely notice acorns falling from oak trees right about now.  This year’s crop of acorns is very abundant, as evidence of all the ones lying along the ground.  That’s good for animals that like to eat acorns, but possibly bad for those people who don’t like the extra yard debris.  However, acorn drop is part of fall and is the initial step in the natural process of reproducing new oak trees.  Plus, this gives you a chance to collect acorns and grow your very own oak tree.  

Fellow colleague Chuck Browne, County Extension Coordinator for Lee County, shared his weekly article about acorns with me and this is what he had to say: 

As acorns and nuts fall this time of year, they provide high-energy, nutritious food for the deer, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and numerous other animals. It is amazing that with as many creatures that eat acorns in the forests that we ever get natural regeneration.  However, there are always one or two seeds that escape predation and grow to become new young trees.  
Most acorns need a cold, wet period called stratification in order to germinate. Mother Nature usually provides this by dropping acorns in the fall, covering them with six to eight inches of leaves, and then raining on them for two to three months during the winter.  Cool, wet temperatures in the 40s usually satisfy the stratification requirement.  Then, a young tree grows. That is, if the hungry creatures don’t get to them get first.

Here’s how we can help outsmart hungry acorn eaters.  Collect your acorns now.  Pack them in plastic bags full of moist sawdust or moist pine bark and put them in the bottom of the refrigerator.  Do not allow them to freeze.  Store them until late winter or early spring when you can then plant them outdoors. 

You can direct seed them into the ground at a depth of 2½ times the diameter of the acorn.  I prefer to plant them in landscape containers and get a year’s growth before moving them to their permanent destination. Not necessary, but that’s just the horticulturist in me coming out.

If trees are being planted to attract the deer, the young seedlings need to be protected until the top of the tree is higher than the deer browse line.  A five foot wire tomato cage works well.  

Any care the young seedling can get for its first few growing seasons will enhance its growth and better its chances for success.  Supplemental water during the growing season, mulching, and weed suppression around the trees will pay off in the long run.  

Fertilizing is desirable but be careful. Use a slow release or organic material such as manure or compost. If you do choose to fertilize, always follow with a good watering.

Most first frosts occur from a strong cold spell that followed many days of warm weather.  Our long growing season and mild fall temperatures allows many plants to continue to grow until true cold weather arrives. When this occurs, many of our tender plants, especially houseplants and bedding plants, are caught off guard by the changes in temperature and may get damaged or killed.  Woody plants that are adapted for our area typically survive without problems. 

If you temporary protect these tender plants from the frost, you may get a few more weeks of growth and enjoyment out of them.  Covering them up before dusk with cloth, plastic, or paper is the simplest way to accomplish this.  The radiated heat from the ground will keep them warm. Be sure to not let the plastic covering touch the leaves; the cold can cause damage on the leaves. Small plants can be covered up and protected with plastic jugs, glass jars, or paper cups.  If you have tropical plants or citrus, you can build a small frame around them, sort of like a tent.  Plastic tarps, cardboard, bed sheets, or even bales of hay work well. 

Regardless of what protective covering you use, be sure to take off the covering in the morning when the frost is gone and the temperature has warmed up.  This lets the light and fresh air in and prevents any overheating by the sun. 

Another way to help protect plants is to water the garden before nightfall. When the soil releases moisture at night into the air, the air will actually be a little warmer. Plants with plenty of moisture in the soil will also be less likely to suffer damage because they can easily replace the moisture that transpires through its leaves.

Applying mulch around plants also helps keep moisture in the soil and serves as a warm blanket.  

Potted or containerized plants are very susceptible to frost damage because their roots are less insulated. Move them indoors or relocated them to a place such as a basement or shed where it will be warmer.   Wrapping the containers with bubble wrap or burlap, or burying them in the soil will add some protection if they cannot be moved.   

For more information, contact the Tallapoosa County Extension Office at 256-825-1050.