We are lucky to have several large oak trees on our property here. They are native emory oaks. We have tried to care for these oaks, especially a few of the smaller ones.

Despite the fact that we have read that they produce acorns every year, we have been told by locals that the ones here only produce every 4 or 5 years. Folks were hoping this would be the year, and indeed it is.

Last week, we collected a bunch of acorns with the hopes of planting some new trees. We’ve read up on how to do this and are optimistic.

Today we planted some. We planted two areas in a ravine where water collects when it rains and where our other oaks are growing. We’ve marked the planting areas with circles of rocks so we can watch how they go.

We also planted a few in washed out 5-gallon buckets. Once they sprout and are doing well, we’ll transplant.

Most of what I read seems to indicate that red oaks (which is the family the emories belong to) do not germinate until the following spring. Other things I’ve read say that the germination is tied to the rainy season, which we are definitely in. We’ll see.