Region-Specific Tree Information
— Southwest Ohio —

Please share your experiences so we can add them here. Thanks!

Catalpa:

• Germination: Easy
• When to gather seeds: Late winter, when the long pods break open easily.
• Approximate growing seasons required before giveaway: 1
• Transplant survival rate: High
• Growth rate: Fast
• Vulnerability to critters: Critters don’t eat the seeds, but will root
around in the soil, disturbing the seeds, so cover with cage wire.

Notes:
1. The seeds are paper-thin and lie right inside the shell of the pod.

Ginkgo:

• Germination: Easy
• When to gather seeds: mid-Sept.
through late winter, basically as
long there is fruit on the ground
with seeds inside.
• Approximate growing seasons
required before giveaway: 2 - 3
• Transplant survival rate: High
• Growth rate: Medium
• Vulnerability to critters: High, cover with 1/2”x 1/2’ cage wire.

Note:
1. No need to remove the nut from the fruit, just plant the whole thing.
2. If the seedling appears to have died, it will usually send up a new, strong shoot
the next spring.

Oak:

• Germination: Easy
• When to gather seeds:
mid-Sept. through early Oct.
(Chinkipins drop earlier than
Bur, Red, or White oaks.)
• Approximate growing seasons
required before giveaway: Varies
by type. For instance:
Bur oak: 1 season
     Red and white oaks: usually 2 seasons
Chinkipin ; needs about 3 seasons in the buckets.
• Transplant survival rate: High
• Growth rate: Varies
• Vulnerability to critters: High, cover with 1/2”x 1/2’ cage wire.

Notes:
1. Acorn sizes vary:
Chinkipin - very small
                Red and White - medium
Bur - large, like a buckeye

2. Acorns with a small hole were infested with weevils, and won't sprout. The acorn weevil is a brown beetle that deposits its eggs inside the acorn mid-summer. The larvae eat the developing acorn during the summer, emerging in the fall to burrow into the earth. They remain underground for one to two years, before digging out to repeat the cycle. Critters know exactly which acorns are infested (not good for eating or sprouting), so be sure to harvest early or you’ll be left with their rejects. 

Invariably, some weevils will emerge from the acorns after you've gathered them. You'll see them in the bottom of your bag, or - if you collected the acorns in a wicker basket - wiggling across on your floor . FYI: Goldfish love the weevils, just toss them in.   

Persimmon:

• Germination: Easy
• When to gather seeds: Late fall
• Approximate growing seasons
required before giveaway: 2 - 3
• Transplant survival rate: High
• Growth rate: Medium
• Vulnerability to critters: High,
cover with 1/2”x 1/2’ cage wire.

Note:
1. Separate seeds from fruit (saving
the pulp for the kitchen!)

Sycamore:

• Germination: Tedious, see below.
• When to gather seeds: Late
winter, when the seed balls crumble
easily.
• Approximate growing seasons
required before giveaway: 2 - 3
• Transplant survival rate: High
• Growth rate: Fast
• Vulnerability to critters: Critters
don’t eat the seeds, but will root
around in the soil, disturbing the
seeds, so cover with cage wire.

Note: Germinating Sycamore Seeds is Tedious:
1. Sycamore seeds are so tiny that you
can only cover them with a very
thin layer of soil, yet they must stay
moist but not wet. You cannot
mulch to keep the seeds moist, so
you have to water them, every day unless it
rains. (The tiny sprouts can’t push their way through a good layer of mulch.)
2. Germination is poor, so you have to sow a lot of seeds, and re-seed bare spots. 3. Many of the tiny sprouts die off for no apparent reason, probably due to
fungus and other diseases in the soil. Some people have reported good survival
rates if they germinate the seeds in a 2 - 3” layer of store-bought potting soil
put on top of the sand/soil mixture. It might be that you could sterilize the
soil/sand mixture in an oven to achieve the same results. Let us know what
your results are if you do that.
4. Some people germinate the seeds indoors, since the seeds need so much
attention, moving the buckets outside once the weather warms up.

On a positive note, sycamores are magnificent trees that transplant well and grow fast. They are very worth the extra effort.

Tulip Poplar:

• Germination: Poor, sow thickly.
They are slow to germinate.
• When to gather seeds: Fall through
late winter, when the seed heads
break apart easily. If you have access
to trees near pavement, wait for the
wind to blow them off the tree and
you can simply sweep them up.
• Approximate growing seasons
required before giveaway: 2 - 3
• Transplant survival rate: High
• Growth rate: Fast
• Vulnerability to critters: Critters don’t eat the seeds, but will root around in
the soil, disturbing the seeds, so cover with cage wire.