The majestic oak is one of Tennessee’s most beautiful native trees. It’s also an extremely useful tree for our local wildlife as it can host over 200 species of insects and animals. You can see why you would want to cultivate more oak trees! Recently I gathered some acorns from a nearby tree on our property. The oak tree is right on the line where half of the tree drops seeds onto our property. I believe it may be a black oak tree but I’ll be doing some more investigation to positively identify it.
What is a Float Test?
In order to determine if the acorns are viable we can do a float test. Float tests are often done with larger seeds to help determine viability. If the seeds float in water then they may not be viable. Either the seeds have been partially eaten by a borer or other insect or maybe the seeds have dried out too much and air pockets have been formed within the seed.
Acorns are fairly large seeds and vary in size depending on the variety of the tree. It’s very easy to do gather acorns and do a float test.
How do You Do a Float Test on Acorns?
What do You Need for a Float Test?
All you need for the float test is a container or bucket of water and the acorns!
To perform the float test just put the acorns in a bucket of water. Then give them 24 hours to soak up what water they can. The viable acorns will sink while the one’s that aren’t should float.
After waiting 24 hours discard the floaters and plant the sinkers. It’s that simple!
Is this perfect? It’s probably not 100% perfect but the float test does give you a general idea of the good vs bad seeds. You can check through the sinkers and make sure there aren’t any that have sunk with holes in them.
In my case I had a lot of acorns and I didn’t want to sort through them individual. I would also be happy with a good germination rate and I’m not expecting all of them to grow.
After the Float Test
After the float test I immediately planted the acorns in a large pot and put a mesh cover over it. The cover is to prevent squirrels and chipmunks from digging in the pot. After all there are plenty of acorns for them all over the place, I only took a small portion and ultimately this is for their benefit!
I’ll keep an eye on the container and hopefully when spring comes they will begin to sprout through the soil. Then I’ll repot them individually in containers depending on how much germination we get.
A number of factors can impact germination including the type of tree, the weather conditions we have, and animals or insect damage. We’ll just have to wait and see what we get! That’s why gardening is so fun, experimentation!
Float Testing Acorns Video
Check out the video below to see more on how I did the float test on these acorns.
How to Save Coleus Over The Winter
Coleus (Solenostemon now Plectranthus scutellarioides) is one of those lucky annuals that can be saved from a merciless death by frost and freeze. Coleus, which is actually a tropical perennial, can be kept indoors as a house plant then replanted outside in the spring once all…
Oak Leaf Hydrangea Propagation (Cuttings) the Results
Oak leaf hydrangeas are an awesome landscape shrub to add to the garden. They get big and need room and enjoy part shade/part sun locations but if you have the right spot for one by all means add one! I’m always trying to propagate a…
Rooting ‘Powis Castle’ Artemisia
‘Powis Castle’ artemisia has quickly become my favorite plant of the year. A little pot I purchased this spring has quickly grown into this lush silver foliaged beauty in the picture below. I really didn’t expect this much this soon otherwise my ‘Mystic Spires’ salvia…
Crape Myrtle Propagation by Cuttings
One of the great flowering summer trees of the south is the crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). They typically grow well in zones 6-9 (Tennessee generally falls in the zone 6 area with a few areas in the 7). One of the growing traits of a…
How to Propagate Grape Vines through Greenwood Cuttings
Last week I made some cuttings of my ‘Concord’ grape vine in an attempt to make a few more vines. Grapes are great edible plants to have in the garden whether you like eating them at the table, making juice, or even making wine. Grapes…
Growing More Plants Through Plant Propagation: Variegated Hydrangeas, and Perennials
Even though the summer is upon us it’s still a good time to propagate plants. The key is to keep cuttings moist and at a steady temperature until roots have formed. Then they can be easily acclimated to outdoor temperatures. I do all of my…
Discover more from Growing The Home Garden
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.