Believe it or not it’s acorn collecting time again
Collecting as many as we can for restoration projects
Drought has seriously hampered acorn production in California
Exudation is the sticky substance you find on damaged acorns. Leave them be.
Find an oak with grass underneath for a soft landing and better chance of survival.
Green acorns should be left on the tree to ripen a bit more.
Hoping to gather 2-3 thousand acorns, which will be directly planted on the OMP
If the acorn is cracked, damaged or has a hole in it don’t bother
Jays can collect and hide up to 5,000 acorns in a season.
Kids make great helpers, less bending over for us old folks
Lobata is the species for Valley oak, whose acorns are far larger than the Coast Live’s
Most oaks are bereft of acorns this year, making your help crucial
Never pull an acorn off an oak, a gentle twist should be enough
Oaks are homes to literally hundreds of animal species
Please store them in paper or plastic bags, indoors, out of the sun
Quercus is oak’s genus. Means oak tree in Latin, duh.
Remove the caps from the acorns please
Stratification of the cold variety in a refrigerator helps germination
Tap roots on oak trees can grow 2 feet before foliage even starts
Usually oaks are trimmed up and hard to reach so find them in the wild
Ventura River Preserve is a good place to look
Where to find Valley oaks? Downtown Ojai, Libbey Park, Arbolada
Xeriscaping is your friend, we live in a desert ya know?
Yellow acorns are OK to pick off a tree, just before they drop
Ziploc storage, open a bit, with some moist peat or sand. Drop it off at the sale 10/17.
The Ojai Rambler 
A neat and tidy reminder….
Thank you, Rambler, for making me smile this morning.
Hi Rambler, just wanting some further details on the sale on 10/17. What sale is it? Address, time, location… Also, are you only looking for Valley Oak acorns? Thanks.
Hi Lisa thanks for reading! I will be doing a blog post previous to the sale, but since you asked it is Saturday October 17th from 9-12 at the nursery, which is on Besant Road in Ojai around the corner from the Ranch House Restaurant. Most plants are 8 bucks and all proceeds go towards the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to help protect and preserve your local wild lands. As for the acorns I can use both Valley and Coast Live, as long as they are happy and healthy. Hope to see you on the 17th.