How to get a magnificent specimen of oak without spending a lot of money? That is a very interesting question, because normally the seedlings that are sold in nurseries tend to have a high price ... for good reason, since the growth rate of this tree is quite slow.
However, he has a wonderful answer that the whole family may like: sowing its seeds. To do this, you only need a tupperware, a flowerpot, vermiculite and, of course, the acorns.
How to germinate the fruit of the oak?
Vermiculite, the ideal substrate for sowing seeds.
The oak fruit, the acorn, begins to ripen in late summer and is ready to be harvested in winter. For this reason, it is very important to acquire it in the winter season, because in order for them to germinate they need to be a little cold. And, what better time to sow it than between the months of December-March (in the northern hemisphere)? During these weeks, the temperatures are ideal for the acorn, so that if we want to obtain an oak we have to do the following:
- The first thing to do is remove the "cap" from the acorn. Failure to do so as it decomposes could be a source of fungi, which would spoil the seed.
- Next, a clear plastic tupperware is filled with vermiculite, more or less halfway.
- Then the acorn is introduced and covered with vermiculite. This time, you have to finish refilling the tupperware.
- Afterwards, it is watered using a sprayer and lime-free water.
- Once this is done, add a little copper or sulfur, which are very effective natural fungicides, and spray the vermiculite again with a little water.
- Finally, the tupperware is covered and placed in the refrigerator, where it will remain for 2 months at about 6ºC.
To make sure that everything is going well, once a week you have to remove the tupperware from the fridge and leave it open for a few minutes to allow the air to renew.
Two months later, it will be time to pot them using vermiculite as a substrate. And now it will only be a matter of keeping it moist (but not puddled). In 1-2 months they will germinate 🙂.
To finish, we leave you with a beautiful video of an oak germinating in its natural habitat: