How to Plant a Live Oak Tree from Acorn

Live oak trees are a quintessential part of Southern landscapes, and you can even grow one in your backyard by planting an acorn! With the right materials and a little patience, you can watch your oak tree grow and thrive. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to plant a live oak tree from acorn.

Step 1: Gathering the Materials

To start, you will need a mature live oak tree to collect acorns from. Look for oak trees with acorns that are dark brown and fully developed. You will also need a small shovel, a container to store the acorns, high-quality soil, and a container or pot with drainage holes to plant the acorn in. You can also use a rooting hormone to increase your chances of success.

Step 2: Preparing the Acorn

Once you have your acorns, remove the caps and inspect them for any signs of insect damage or cracks. If they look good, place them in a jar of water and toss out any that float - they are likely rotting. Soak the remaining acorns for about 24 hours before removing them from the water and laying them out to dry on a paper towel. This soaking process will soften the shell and make it easier for the tree to sprout.

Step 3: Planting the Acorn

Choose a container or pot large enough to accommodate the oak seedling, as live oaks can grow to be quite large. Fill the container with high-quality soil, leaving enough room for the acorn to be planted about an inch-and-a-half below the surface. Place the acorn root-side down into the soil, then cover it with the remaining soil. Gently pat down the soil surface to firm it up and water the soil until it is damp but not too wet.

Step 4: Care and Maintenance

Now, you wait. Keep the soil moist by watering it when it feels dry to the touch, but don't overwater it as the acorn may rot. Place the container in a sunny spot that gets plenty of direct sunlight. The oak seedling will emerge from the soil in a couple of weeks if it's planted in the spring season, but it can take longer in other seasons. Once the oak tree has grown its first set of leaves, you can transplant it outside into its permanent location.

Step 5: Transplanting the Oak Tree

When transplanting the oak tree, choose a location with plenty of space for the tree to grow horizontally and vertically. Live oak trees can live for hundreds of years and grow to be very large, so keep that in mind when selecting the planting location. Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball and deep enough to ensure the tree is planted at the same depth as it was in the container. Backfill the hole and tamp down the soil around the root ball. Water the tree and add a layer of mulch around the base of the tree to help retain moisture.

With proper care and maintenance, your live oak tree from acorn will continue to grow and flourish for generations to come!