I grew some oak trees from some acorns I found, and planted them some years
back, and they are doing really well (very dry, very windy farmlet, rocky
shale soil). I'd like to grow some more, and hoped for acorns as it's the
right time of year, but after a careful rummage around in the leaves,
nothing.

Do oaks have to be a certain age or size before they generate acorns, or are
these trees holding out on me so I don't get any more free trees?

--
ant

In article , "ant"
wrote:

Do oaks have to be a certain age or size before they generate acorns, or are
these trees holding out on me so I don't get any more free trees?

Most trees don't fruit for the first however-many years-- the energy goes into
growing a good root system. With some fruit trees, you're told to strip the
fruit for the first few years, to encourage a sturdier tree.

My guess is that oaks, being long-lived, take longer to hit silvan puberty!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

Chookie wrote:
In article , "ant"
wrote:

Do oaks have to be a certain age or size before they generate
acorns, or are these trees holding out on me so I don't get any more
free trees?

Most trees don't fruit for the first however-many years-- the energy
goes into growing a good root system. With some fruit trees, you're
told to strip the fruit for the first few years, to encourage a
sturdier tree.

My guess is that oaks, being long-lived, take longer to hit silvan
puberty!

Makes sense. I'm amazed at how they thrive at my place, they really like the
awful conditions. You know what other non-native tree likes it? Chinese
Elms! I haven't had any of those little flying seeds from them, either, come
to think of it.

I appreciate any tree that'll grow well in the dry, the rocks and the wind.

I might go prowl around Braddon after work, that's where I got the original
acorns from.


--
ant

ant wrote:
Chookie wrote:
In article , "ant"
wrote:

Do oaks have to be a certain age or size before they generate
acorns, or are these trees holding out on me so I don't get any more
free trees?

Most trees don't fruit for the first however-many years-- the energy
goes into growing a good root system. With some fruit trees, you're
told to strip the fruit for the first few years, to encourage a
sturdier tree.

My guess is that oaks, being long-lived, take longer to hit silvan
puberty!

Makes sense. I'm amazed at how they thrive at my place, they really like the
awful conditions. You know what other non-native tree likes it? Chinese
Elms! I haven't had any of those little flying seeds from them, either, come
to think of it.

I appreciate any tree that'll grow well in the dry, the rocks and the wind.

I might go prowl around Braddon after work, that's where I got the original
acorns from.


--
ant

Olives spring to mind. You state that you are near Braddon so I guess
you are in or near the ACT, if that is the case then olives should do
well, there is apparently a massive olive tree near Cooma on the old
Hamilton Hume (I think) estate, saw it on the TV the other night.

If Oaks are doing well then you could also consider Walnuts, Chesnuts,
Almonds as well as differnt varieties of Oak such as Cork and Pin Oaks.

"Chookie" wrote in message
...
In article , "ant"
wrote:

Do oaks have to be a certain age or size before they generate acorns, or
are
these trees holding out on me so I don't get any more free trees?

Most trees don't fruit for the first however-many years-- the energy goes
into
growing a good root system. With some fruit trees, you're told to strip
the
fruit for the first few years, to encourage a sturdier tree.

My guess is that oaks, being long-lived, take longer to hit silvan
puberty!


Yep - this is true of a lot of trees. Flowering and fruiting is delayed
until they are more mature.
Amanda

"ant" wrote in message
...
I grew some oak trees from some acorns I found, and planted them
some years
back, and they are doing really well (very dry, very windy farmlet,
rocky
shale soil). I'd like to grow some more, and hoped for acorns as
it's the
right time of year, but after a careful rummage around in the
leaves,
nothing.

Probably been eaten by foragers as your now a bit too late to be
looking - a couple of months ago was the right time. We've had acorns
on our 3 year old oak trees but they disappear quickly.

Do oaks have to be a certain age or size before they generate
acorns, or are
these trees holding out on me so I don't get any more free trees?

Just look in the local parks - we collect them everywhere we go when
it's about the right time of year
I've go two polystyrene containers pottee up and waiting for spring
now

"ant" wrote in message

Makes sense. I'm amazed at how they thrive at my place, they really
like the
awful conditions.

If yu really want tos ee the go like stink then give them some water -
15 ft in 3 years with a bit of water.

I might go prowl around Braddon after work, that's where I got the
original
acorns from.

There are some nice red oaks in Braddon but look around there are
heaps in your locale - they will do better than the red oaks - there
is also a local street tree book which you can get from the library
service and that willt ell you which streets have which oaks but look
next year or get any acorns into the ground VERY quickly - a bit too
late now as they've dried out.

"GreenieLeBrun" wrote in message

Olives spring to mind.

Slow in this region but do well with water and a good care regime.

If Oaks are doing well then you could also consider Walnuts,

Needs good,regular water.

Almonds

Hate theh cold but OK in suburbia if there is no late frost.

GreenieLeBrun wrote:

Olives spring to mind. You state that you are near Braddon so I guess
you are in or near the ACT, if that is the case then olives should do
well, there is apparently a massive olive tree near Cooma on the old
Hamilton Hume (I think) estate, saw it on the TV the other night.

Yes, this is a good environment for olives. I notice the people down the
hill have put in some olives, and they are surviving. The birds might enjoy
them too.

If Oaks are doing well then you could also consider Walnuts, Chesnuts,
Almonds as well as differnt varieties of Oak such as Cork and Pin
Oaks.

Planted some walnuts years ago (and everything's irrigated), they just
shrivelled and died. The constant wind and dryness did for them. Maples HATE
it too. Mannifera gums grow well, but few others do (some of the
macarthurii survived, a few pauciflora did too, but mannifera seem to like
it).

Seems trees with tough hard leaves, like oaks and chinese elms, can handle
it better. Mind you the silver birches struggle a bit and form very thick
stubby trunks.



--
ant

Farm1 wrote:
"GreenieLeBrun" wrote in message

Olives spring to mind.

Slow in this region but do well with water and a good care regime.

If Oaks are doing well then you could also consider Walnuts,

Needs good,regular water.

Almonds

Hate theh cold but OK in suburbia if there is no late frost.

Not in suburbia! I've never noticed much wind down in Canberra. This wind
makes the water in my loo slosh around. It's a bit warmer than canberra up
here though, so I might investigate almonds, could be interesting.

--
ant

Farm1 wrote:
"ant" wrote in message

Makes sense. I'm amazed at how they thrive at my place, they really
like the awful conditions.

If yu really want tos ee the go like stink then give them some water -
15 ft in 3 years with a bit of water.

All my trees are on irrigation. It's just too dry and extreme here. High
winds, rain shadow, fast draining shale and the soil is hydrophobic.
However, the first oak survived (and thrived) for a few years before we
extended the irrigation to it. Very impressive. It's been there a lot
longer than 3 years though, and I'm pleased that it's bigger than me now.
It's a very tough environment.

I might go prowl around Braddon after work, that's where I got the
original acorns from.

There are some nice red oaks in Braddon but look around there are
heaps in your locale - they will do better than the red oaks - there
is also a local street tree book which you can get from the library
service and that willt ell you which streets have which oaks but look
next year or get any acorns into the ground VERY quickly - a bit too
late now as they've dried out.



--
ant

In article , "ant"
wrote:

Planted some walnuts years ago (and everything's irrigated), they just
shrivelled and died. The constant wind and dryness did for them. Maples HATE
it too. Mannifera gums grow well, but few others do (some of the
macarthurii survived, a few pauciflora did too, but mannifera seem to like
it).

Where are you again? If you try local species, they usually do very well,
even on quite degraded land (my back yard was probably an abbatoirs paddock
for years before WW2, but the local species are doing well, even on bits of my
back yard where I haven't done anything about the drainage.)

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

Chookie wrote:
In article , "ant"
wrote:

Planted some walnuts years ago (and everything's irrigated), they
just shrivelled and died. The constant wind and dryness did for
them. Maples HATE it too. Mannifera gums grow well, but few others
do (some of the macarthurii survived, a few pauciflora did too, but
mannifera seem to like it).

Where are you again? If you try local species, they usually do very
well, even on quite degraded land (my back yard was probably an
abbatoirs paddock for years before WW2, but the local species are
doing well, even on bits of my back yard where I haven't done
anything about the drainage.)

A highish mountain where the Monaro starts. Very windy, and it appears to be
in a rain shadow.
We did collect some seed from the local gums some years back and propagated
them. They are some rough-barked thing, possibly a type of yellow box. They
are quite susceptible to the sticky scale that seems to come with ants. We
have done the same with the local casuarinas too, and some are growing well,
but the younger ones we planted last year succumbed to the horrible hoppers
that have appeared in plague numbers the past 2 summers. They eat
everything.

--
ant

"ant" wrote in message
Chookie wrote:
In article , "ant"
wrote:

Planted some walnuts years ago (and everything's irrigated), they
just shrivelled and died. The constant wind and dryness did for
them. Maples HATE it too. Mannifera gums grow well, but few
others
do (some of the macarthurii survived, a few pauciflora did too,
but
mannifera seem to like it).

Where are you again? If you try local species, they usually do
very
well, even on quite degraded land (my back yard was probably an
abbatoirs paddock for years before WW2, but the local species are
doing well, even on bits of my back yard where I haven't done
anything about the drainage.)

A highish mountain where the Monaro starts. Very windy, and it
appears to be
in a rain shadow.
We did collect some seed from the local gums some years back and
propagated
them. They are some rough-barked thing, possibly a type of yellow
box. They
are quite susceptible to the sticky scale that seems to come with
ants. We
have done the same with the local casuarinas too, and some are
growing well,
but the younger ones we planted last year succumbed to the horrible
hoppers
that have appeared in plague numbers the past 2 summers. They eat
everything.

And the trouble with most of the indigenous Monaro species is that
they are stunted ghastly bloody things to begin with. No wonder there
are so many Pinus radiata everywhere. At elast they grow in the bad
conditions and provide some shelter for stock and humans.

Farm1 wrote:
And the trouble with most of the indigenous Monaro species is that
they are stunted ghastly bloody things to begin with. No wonder there
are so many Pinus radiata everywhere. At elast they grow in the bad
conditions and provide some shelter for stock and humans.

Yep! Exactly. I'm looking for some pines now, actually, just to beef up the
windbreak (Lleylandii Cypress) a bit. They actually grow here. I've tried
some allegedly indigenous gums, they grow on alpine mountain tops
apparently, and are endangered (euc. Baeuerlenii). Well I know why they're
endangered, they're hopeless. A few are struggling on, meanwhile some argyle
apples (my least-favourite gum) are shooting up. And the mannifera are OK
too.

--
ant