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Keep little acorns moist and from freezing if you plan on growing a mighty oak. photo Liz West
Plant a souvenir of your hike in the Missouri Ozarks. Pick up a few acorns on your walk, notice the tree, so you can identify the acorns. There are 21 different oaks growing wild in Missouri. In most years acorns are an abundant food source for wildlife.
Collecting a few acorns on your fall hike along Missouri Trails will give you a living memory of your trip. Pin oaks are susceptible to certain diseases, so avoid planting them. All oaks have deep tap roots, be careful not to break off this root when planting.
Hike in Katy Trail State Park along the Missouri River’s north shore. Is a colorful hiking and biking trail, especially in the fall. The Katy is over 200 miles of hiking and biking trails. The trail follows the rail bed of the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (the “Katy”), which follows Lewis and Clarks trail along the Missouri River.
Sources to plan your hike:
Guide - Missouri Hiking Trails and Biking Trails
Mark Twain National Forest
Get fall color updates.
How to plant your acorn souvenirs - Select acorns with no signs of disease or worm damage. As soon as you get home place the acorns in a heavy plastic bag with damp sawdust or peat mix. Refrigerate. Check the acorns through out the winter, making sure that the acorns do not freeze or dry out. Be sure to keep the acorns damp but not wet.
Immediate planting should be limited to the white oak acorns. Red oak acorns must be planted in the second season - the following spring. Missouri Conservation Trees can help identify what kind of tree will grow from your acorn. If you are not sure which acorns you have, you can refrigerate them and plant in the spring.
Red oak acorns need a 1000 hours of cold (about 42 days.) Plant theses acorns in late April of next year, 2010. Plant white oak acorns now or refrigerate for later planting.
You Might also like: Show Me 3 statewide fall foliage drives in Missouri
Three short fall drives in the Missouri Ozarks
More Information: Keep up on Ozarks travel. Get an Email when new articles are posted, the link is next to my photo. Your Email address will not be shared. Follow me on Twitter. Read Patsy’s gardening blog: Oh, Grow Up!
Comments
Although I do know there are many types of oak trees I never thought about collecting acorns from each kind. Right now my driveway is so carpeted with acorns that I don't think our many squirrels can collect them all. Guess I'll have to see if some are different from others.
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