h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I once heard that a sapling oak won't produce acorns. How old does an oak have to be to produce acorns?

Thanks
SW, mother/teacher to a preschooler

When I helped plant some one year old oak saplings at a local conservation site, I was told they probably wouldn't start producing acorns until I was ready to retire - when the trees are about 30 to 40 years old.

Wow.

Yes, I heard that the tree had to be fifty years old. But I heard that when I was eight, and memories that old are hard to trust! Thanks for the confirmation!

Makes me respect trees and nature...

SW, tree-hugger

http://www.paulkelly.com.au/lyrics/from-little-things.html

RF

Well that shows me about oak trees. If they have the patience for a fifty-year adolescence, then an eight-year long story (thanks RF) of power and pride is nothing...

SW

Here is an odd one! http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/acorn/assembl.html

I'm all set, just need to pick up some acorn-cups! Autumn, hear I come (geddit?)

SW

Not if the pigs get there first. Pannage - the right to let pigs loose in the autumn to clear the acorns which aren't so good for other livestock.

An interesting tree the Oak, UK wise. It was used a lot for the timbers and frames of sailing ships in past, and still is but a lot less these days in wooden boats. The Oak is also much favoured for its acorns by my favourite bird, the Jay. The Jay buries acorns in ground for winter and can carry as many as six in its mouth!
Birds, squirrels and wildlife in general seem to like Oaks as lots of room inside as branches are fairly widely spaced.

Jays are responsible for a good number of oaks from acorns, but they remember, in the main, where they hid them, unlike squirrels who forget.

Then there is tannin and cork though there are very few cork oaks in the UK - a couple of beauties a Kingston Lacy in Dorset.

Precious few pigs in the local woods, hereabouts. I'll watch out for them, though - I hear it's a bit uncomfortable to get mistaken for an acorn.

That's great to hear about the jay's abilities, the child will love to get those details. Thanks!

Might try planting one and whistling through its eggcup. Got lots of things going on in the coming months... Also planning to germinate a sycamore seed. Any other botanic suggestions? The munchkin is a definite challenger for Alan Titchmarsh, green fingers and enthusiastic interest in all nature-related stuff.

Silvia, perhaps you'd like to google "sycamore trees as weeds" before planting it out - it'll need a big garden?

Sycamore trees are fine in the right place, they a fast growing initially, some people regard them as 'dirty' trees as they tend to make a mess.

Germination - best if you fool it into thinking it is spring. Put it in a jar in a layer of damp sharp sand, horitcultural grade, place in fridge for one month and that should do the trick.

Ah, trees..

"For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years. If this performance is devoid of all egoism, if its guiding motive is unparalleled generosity, if it is absolutely certain that there is no thought of recompense and that, in addition, it has left its visible mark upon the earth, then there can be no mistake."


http://www.shelwin.com/e/treeman_files/treeman.htm

While looking through a DVD of birds and their songs I watched a section where a Jay did a perfect imitation of a Crow!
Apparantly they are very good mimics of other birds as if identifying bird song wasn't difficult enough...