How to Grow Oak Trees from Acorns

Ever wanted to grow your own oak trees? Well now you can!

As acorns begin falling from oak trees in early Autumn (from late September) it’s a perfect opportunity to gather them from the ground and start growing your own oak trees.

We recently spent the morning with our Green Therapy group re-potting oak tree seedlings that were grown from acorns by germinating them in recycled yogurt pots and containers with peat-free compost. We next plan to take our group foraging to collect acorns to find the seeds for the future to begin growing the next lot of trees.  

In the winter we planted oak tree saplings at our 5-acre Field of Life and put up a barn owl box in one of the mature oak trees where a barn owl and her 7 chicks have made it their home.  

There’s never been a better time to start the growing process and contribute to a positive future impact on climate change. So, how do you grow oak trees from acorns?.…

Collecting your acorns:

When finding acorns, it’s important to check they are healthy, so choose fat, ripe acorns that are brown all over as any that are green are usually not ripe enough. Collect acorns that have fallen on softer ground like grass because those on harder surfaces may have damage or holes and therefore are unlikely to grow.

Sowing your acorns to germinate:

Fill up a plant pot, recycled yoghurt pot or small container with peat-free compost but make sure there are drainage holes. Push the acorn about 2-3cm into the compost with the pointed end facing upwards and cover the hole with compost.

For successful germination, it’s best to place the pots and containers in a cool place out of direct sun as the acorns won’t germinate if it’s too warm. 

Water lightly 1-2 times a week to prevent the compost becoming dry, as it’s always important to never let your pots dry out.

Be patient and keep checking to see if your seedlings start to appear.

Re-pot your seedlings:

Once your seedlings have reached a height of around 20-25cm then they will need to be transferred into a larger pot using more peat-free compost.

Plant your trees into the ground:

They will happily grow in a larger pot for 1-2 years, then the young trees will be ready to plant into their permanent home into the ground. Oak trees are a long-lived tree which can live more than 1000 years and when mature each tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 pounds per year.