The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree

[wwillson]

In 1981 when I was 10 years old I picked up three acorns from under my Grandfather's oak tree and put them in my pocket, because that's what boys do. I didn't intend on planting them, but when I got home to the farm where I grew up, I decided to see if they would grow. I picked a spot that looked like it would be a good place for a huge oak tree to provide shade and grace the landscape. All three acorns sprouted, but only one survived past the first couple years. I never thought the remaining tree would make it.

Every time I see the tree I think of my grandfather, the wonderful man he was. The parent tree is still alive, healthy and huge (probably 300 years old).

45 years later this is the result.

 

[Passport1]

Good story.

Fortunate are those which leave something to live on so long as a tribute to them after they are gone.

 

[4wd]

My best two oak trees self planted - one from my neighbor where zillions tried to come in that I’d cut down - then one day one of the sprouts was not twice - but maybe three times taller - ok - game on …
Very nice tree now …
The other - maybe a squirrel assisted …

 

[97prizm]

In 1981 when I was 10 years old I picked up three acorns from under my Grandfather's oak tree and put them in my pocket. I didn't intend on planting them, but when I got home to the farm where I grew up, I decided to see if they would grow. I picked a spot that looked like it would be a good place for a huge oak tree to provide shade and grace the landscape. All three acorns sprouted, but only one survived past the first couple years. I never thought the remaining tree would make it.

Every time I see the tree I think of my grandfather, the wonderful man he was. The parent tree is still alive, healthy and huge.

45 years later this is the result.

View attachment 350500
View attachment 350502

That's really cool.

 

[fantastic]

Great memory to have of your family. It just makes us feel like they're still with us & I'm sure they'd be proud of your life today. On a side note...you have some heavy machinery in the back 40.

 

[4wd]

Great memory to have of your family. It just makes us feel like they're still with us & I'm sure they'd be proud of your life today.

Same with pets. We just planted a fig tree - made a little monument - waiting for Autumn’s ashes to come back from the Vet …

 

[Kestas]

I shoved around 2000 acorns into the ground on my property some 5 years ago. I want to replace the weed trees with something more stately. I didn't just strew them in the forest, I pushed them into the soil with a specially made pole. Not one of them sprouted and grew. I'm sure the squirrels found them all.

 

[wwillson]

you have some heavy machinery in the back 40

That is one tractor of many machines. This one is in one of the buildings not quite visible in the tree picture.

 

[IndyIan]

I shoved around 2000 acorns into the ground on my property some 5 years ago. I want to replace the weed trees with something more stately. I didn't just strew them in the forest, I pushed them into the soil with a specially made pole. Not one of them sprouted and grew. I'm sure the squirrels found them all.

Oak's seem to be a bit picky on where they like to sprout, and lots of critters like to eat them! We have a few large red and white oaks that produce a lot of acorns during seed years, and thousands likely get buried by squirrels, in the woods and in the old fields, but the rate of survival to even a waist high sapling is very very low. If you have lots of deer, they can end up ripping the whole seedling out of ground browsing in the first year.

On the other hand, black walnuts planted by squirrels seem to do very well! I forgot about a sack of walnuts in the corner of a lean to, and it was picked clean by winter. But the next spring I had a couple dozen walnuts growing in the old field around the shed....