Now we have our acorns, we need to float them in water... if they float there are grubs & insects eating away inside, but if they part sink (submerge themselves) then they are "good" It only takes a few seconds to pour them into a jug of water & take off the floaters... Dry out the good acorns with a clean tea towel & put them aside in a cool place. Now we need ziplok / clipseal bags (one for each acorn) & a good amount of fresh nutrient rich peat based compost. We wet the peat with regular water grab a small handful & gently pop an acorn into the middle. Squeeze out most of the air close off the bag, seal it & add it to a pile. You do need to tell your parents or carers about what you plan to do because you will have to nab a small corner of your fridge, so everyone in your households co-operation will be required. (we are lucky we have a small spare beer fridge so will use that). Many tree seedlings can be started in this way, not just oaks, watch the videos below to see the next stages... Do make sure a grown up is helping you, especially if you need to use a knife, or move a heavy peat bag around. It took us about 10 minutes gathering to find 140 "good" acorns when floated. Lets see what they are like in spring! |
Grow an acorn into a mighty oak, for fun, ..or simply to help the environment (Autumn project)27/9/2014
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