How to Collect Acorns

Acorns ripen in the early Fall, usually in late September or October, so wait for the appropriate time to collect the ripe acorns.

1. Select old specimen trees with a lot of character. If necessary, ask the property owner for permission to collect the acorns. It is good to let them know about the special tree they have and the nature of our project.

2. Try to pick the acorns off the branches when they are ripe and mature, but it's fine to collect them from the ground. The more acorns the better, unless they are crushed or bug- or bird-damaged.



3. Put the acorns in a separate plastic bag for each tree with a sprig containing a leaf from that tree and a note telling where the tree is located.

4. When you get home, wash the acorns in a bucket of water with a bit of bleach in it. (The bleach will kill fungus). Throw away any acorns that float.

5. Let the acorns dry thoroughly and then put them back in their plastic bags with id.

6. Put the plastic bags in a dark bag (paper or plastic) to block light and store them in your refrigerator until we can get them to the nursery. The refrigeration helps their "wintering" experience, a prelude to germination.

   7. Send an email to engelmann@arroyoseco.org so we can arrange to transfer them to the nursery when appropriate.