Originally Posted by Augie
I put 60-some Burr Oak acorns in starter cells and in a wire cage in the greenhouse a few weeks back.
Last winter I skipped the wire cage part and the squirrels swiped every single nut.

I tried just the opposite.

The squirrels plant several hundred bur oak acorns in my yard in the city every year. I have tried to dig up the saplings and replant them at the farm. However, they typically have a tap root that goes straight down at least a foot.

I almost always break the tap root, which causes the replanted tree to die.

I suspect there is a perfect date to dig up the saplings, probably right when the leaves first erupt from the soil.

I love the 140-year-old bur oaks in our yard, but they take a loooong time to mature in Kansas. I have switched to planting hybrid white oak trees at our farm because they should be able to produce acorns at a much earlier age. I have two hybrids that have produced acorns during Year 3. (They were about 24" tall when planted.)

I have added several other types of hybrid oaks in recent years, and am hoping for similar good results so I can plant more of the varieties that are flourishing in our tough conditions.