Acorns and Oak Trees: Everything You Need to Know
Oaktreesareabeautifulpartofnature.Theyareeasilyrecognizablebytheirlarge, sturdybranchesandleavesthatturncolorinthefall.Butwhatmanypeopledon’t knowisthatoaktreesproduceacorns andtheselittlenutscanbeusedfora varietyofpurposes!Inthisblogpost,wewilldiscusseverythingyouneedtoknow aboutoaktreesandacorns.
Oak Trees in Texas
DidyouknowthatTexashasanabundanceofoaktrees?Thereareover50different speciesinTexasalonethatyoucanfindonyourpropertyoranybroadlandscapein theLoneStarstate.Oaktreesfallintotwoprimarycategories,redandwhite.Their
lobedleavescanidentifythemwitheitherpointedorroundtips,barkwithdeep fissuresandridgesresemblingascalylook,andthecoloringofthebarkranging fromwhitish graytoadark,almostblackcolor.
Interesting Fact: Thereareover500differentspeciesofoaktrees.
White Oak Trees
Whiteoaktreescomefromthewhitishcoloringunderneaththeleavesandtypically haveroundedtips.Ontopofthat,theyalsotendtodevelopacornsfasterthanred oaktrees.
Red Oak Trees
Redoaktreesgettheirnamefromthecoloringoftheirleaves,beingdeepredand havingpointedtips.
What are Acorns?
Acornsarethefruitofoaktrees.Peoplehavegrownaccustomedtoconsumingthem sincetheyareeasytoharvestandareproducedquicklybyoaktrees.Theyarean essentialfoodsourceformanyanimals,includingsquirrels,deer,andbirds.
Tannins
Beforedevouringjustanyacornofftheground,rememberthatacornshavetannins thattastebitter.Ifyouconsumetoomanyrawacornswithoutremovingthetannins, itcanleadtotoxinsblockingyourbody’sabilitytoabsorbnutrients.
Thebestmethodtoremovethetanninsfromanacornisbysoakingtheminboiling water.Thewaterwillturnbrownfromthetannicacid,andthisbrownwatershould bethrownoutandreplaced.Continuetorepeatthisprocesstillthewaternolonger turnsbrown.
Production
Asmentionedabove,oaktreestendtoproduceacornsquicklybutonlywhenthey fittherightage.Mostoaktreesgrowtostartmakingacornsaround20yearsold. Oaktree’speakproductioncomesintoplayfrom50to80years;thenacorn productionbeginstofalloffafter80years.Oaktreesthatproducethemostnuts thriveinhighcanopies,whichiswherethemostsunlightcanbereceived.Thoseoak treesthatresideintheforesttendtoreceivelesssunlight,resultinginloweracorn production.
Whiteoaktreesproducesmalleracornsthanredoaktrees,butthenutsthey producearelowintannins,whichbecomeafavoriteamongsttheanimalsthat consumetheacorns.
Did you Know:Anoaktreecanproduceupto10millionacornsduringitslifetime.
How Often Do Acorns Fall?
Oaktreeshaveanirregularcyclewhenitcomestoproducingacorns.Mastyears (consideredaboomyearofacornproduction)happenevery2to3yearswiththe productionofsmalleracorns.Autumnisthetypicalperiodwhenwestartseeing
endlessamountsofacornsfallingtotheground.Ifyou’regatheringacornsasearly asJune,itisadirectresultofcropfailures.
Acorncropfailurescanoccurifthereareextremeweatherconditionssuchasalack ofrainfallduringthespring,latefreezesafterthestartofflowering,orhotsummers.
Acorn Coloring
Notonlycancropfailurestellusaboutanoaktree’shealth,butsocanthecoloring oftheacornitproduces.Ifyoufindagreenacorn,itcanmeanthetreeishavinga problem,possiblystress,andiftheweatherconditionsmeetanextremefactor,it leadstoprematureacorns.
What
can Acorns be Used For?
Nowthatwehavedisgustedeverythingaboutanacorn,let’sseesomeotherways wecanutilizeanacorn:
AnimalFeed(Ibetyouwouldn’thaveguessedthat!)
Dye
Flour
Fertilizer
Asstatedabove,acornshavemanyuses.Ifyousmashupanacorn,youcannowuse ittodyefabricsandyarnduetothetanninswithintheacorn.Ifyou’reafoodie lookingtotrysomethingnew,mightwesuggestcookiesmadeoutofacornflour?
Sinceacornsaremadefromnature,wecanreusethemforfertilizerbymashing themupandaddingthemtohomemadecompost.
Ifyouneedadviceorassistancewithyouroaktreesandtheacornsthey produce,getintouchwiththeISA certifiedarboristsatTreeNewalandenjoy tailoredtreecareadvice.
To learn more about Acorns and Oak Trees: Everything You Need to Know, call our Argyle and Southlake-based teams at (817) 592-6846 or send us a message.
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