This type of oak can live over 1,000 years and has a mighty crown that is home to many animals and insects. It is very robust, tolerates drought as well as cold and frost and is represented throughout Europe. In general, oaks are deciduous trees and can grow up to 40 meters high. While their fruits are a source of food for many animals, the oaks are an important source of wood for humans. However, the hobby gardener will not concern himself with growing a tree that he can then harvest and sell.
Sowing the small acorns
If you still want to grow a small oak tree, you should be prepared for some difficulties if you have no experience in this regard. But if you have decided to grow a small tree yourself, then you should know that the fruit must first receive frost in order to germinate. The collected acorns should be placed vertically in flower pots. However, the cupula must first be removed and the glans should then be covered with a two to five centimeter thick layer of earth. But be careful: the soil should not be pressed and should only be moderately moist. Then you let them overwinter outdoors.
If the acorns have found optimal conditions, then hobby gardeners will be surprised with sprouted fruits in spring. If that is not the case, you still have the option of looking for pre-germinated acorns in the spring after the snow melts. It would be best to look for them in their natural environment, because this has the advantage that the acorns have already come into contact with the mycorrhizal fungi. In their natural environment, mushrooms and acorns form a symbiosis. The fungi provide the small plant with the nutrients and water the plant needs to live. In return, the fungi receive assimilates that are produced during plant photosynthesis. And the small plant has another advantage. If the area becomes very dry, the plant benefits from the water from the mushrooms.
A little plant is growing
In spring the gardening lover will see whether his effort was worth it and whether a tiny plant will appear. What happens in the fruit when the shell bursts?
- First a root grows from the acorn and finds its way. It is about a centimeter long and runs horizontally, only to suddenly bend downwards and find its way straight down.
- Since the oak is a taproot, it will always drive its roots deep into the ground. And while the root finds its way, the acorn sprouts above its shoot and the first delicate leaves appear at the base.
- After about three weeks, gardening enthusiasts can admire their first real leaves.
- If the gardening friend was able to care for his little oak plant so far, then he should continue to ensure a good climate. The young plants don't like sun because they could easily burn. But watering too much can also be harmful to the plant.
- It would be best if you could offer the small plants a shady place in a mini greenhouse. If the weather permits, you can also place the planter in the garden under trees.
- But it must be ensured that neither the sun nor a downpour can harm the small plants.
Care
And then the time has finally come. The next autumn has come and the hobby gardener is almost there. The small plant can be repotted if the substrate in which the plant grew is permeated with tender roots. The gardener can now decide whether he wants to plant the small oak tree in a larger pot and let it grow there a little longer or whether he wants to plant the plant out on the spot. His decision should also depend on how strong the roots are. Only when they are long and strong enough can they be planted out safely. They are then able to absorb enough water and nutrients because the young oak must not suffer from a lack of water. Regular, but not excessive, watering should therefore not be forgotten. The small oak tree does not need to be fertilized as it draws its nutrients from the soil and the mycelium.
Suitable locations
If the oak is to be planted outside, then you should choose the perfect location. It is best to plant the small oak tree under trees. The soil should be nutrient-rich and well-drained so that no waterlogging can form. During the new planting period, the small oak tree needs enough water so that it can grow well and the roots can continue to develop. When the oak tree has grown larger, you can assume that it has found its place and is coping well. The oak does not need any care or maintenance pruning, nor does it need frost protection, as oaks are frost-resistant. It takes a few years before the first flowers appear. The young oak trees bear their first flowers in May or June, which then grow into new acorns in the fall. When that happens, then the little oak tree has found the center of its life.
Conclusion: It takes quite some time from sowing to the development of a small tree. But this time can be exciting because you can't say when the little plant will appear. Were you lucky at all or did the attempt fail? You can only answer this question once you have tried to grow a tree yourself.
What you should know in brief
- Oaks are among the trees that are very common. In gardens, parks, in isolated positions, but also in our forests.
- They grow to around 20-50 meters high, depending on the species. Their gnarled branches are very characteristic. Oak trees grow best in clay soil.
- Well-known species are the sessile oak, the red oak, the downy oak, the bog oak and the distorted oak. Oak trees can get very old.
- The oak itself is not a poisonous plant, but it is deeply poisonous - this means that its leaves and fruits are poisonous to horses, cattle and cows. Other animals, such as squirrels, collect the fruits and use them as food.
Active ingredients from oak bark are used several times in medicine because they are rich in tannins. That is why they are used for some diseases. Of course in the form of medicinal preparations. Such diseases are diseases in the intestines, where you can use the preparations to strengthen the intestines, or for inflammations in the mouth and throat. The tannins strengthen the mucous membranes and can then be excreted from the body. This means they don't give bacteria a chance to multiply in the intestines or mucous membranes.
- Oaks provide industry with a particularly hard and strong wood that is often used in furniture production.
- Oak furniture is usually relatively expensive, but is also of very high quality. Their lifespan is very long, which justifies the high price.
- Carpenters who work with oak wood must definitely wear face masks, as the dust from oak wood is highly carcinogenic.
