Re: woodyplants DIGEST V1 #18

Re: speaking of acorns.

This autumn there appear to be few acorns on the red oaks; last year they
were plentiful; the same is true for Norway spruce in this area (the red
squirrel hoarded the cones by the pail-full in our wood shed). Oaks are
wind-pollinated (and so are Norway spruces). If it's a rainy season when
the oaks (and spruces) are in anthesis (shedding pollen) there is little
or no transfer of pollen, hence no fertilization of the female flowers,
hence no seed production.
fv

woodyplants DIGEST wrote:

  woodyplants DIGEST    Wednesday, November 10 2004    Volume 01 : Number 018

  In this issue:
  
          Speaking of acorns
          Re: Speaking of acorns
          Re: Speaking of acorns
          Re: Speaking of acorns and hickory nuts
  
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 07:03:33 -0500
  From: "Ruth Bogan"   <rbogan@mindspring.com>  Subject: Speaking of acorns
  
  I saw Doug's message about acorns and wanted to throw out another question.
  
  I live in New Jersey. The past two years our oak trees have produced acorns
  prodigiously. About this time of year they covered the walks, the deck, the
  ground. I would hear them hitting the roof constantly. This year there are
  not any, and I don't really see them in the trees. The biggest difference
  in the years has been the amount of rain--plenty of water this year; less
  water (even periodic drought) over the past few years. Can anybody give me
  a quick lesson in the relationship between acorns and weather--if, indeed,
  there's any connection at all.
  
  Thanks.
  
  Ruth B.

    [Original Message]
    From:     <woodyplants-owner@hort.net (woodyplants DIGEST)>    To:     <woodyplants-digest@hort.net>    Date: 11/9/2004 2:01:03 AM
    Subject: woodyplants DIGEST V1 #17

    woodyplants DIGEST      Tuesday, November 9 2004      Volume 01 : Number

  017

    In this issue:
    
            raining acorns
    
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 16:29:02 -0800
    From: "Doug Stone"     <dstone@res-q.com>    Subject: raining acorns
    
    Here in Pasadena, California, it's the time of the year when acorns, from
    the Oak trees which line our streets, are falling like rain, from some
    trees.  There is a species of bird, which looks like a dove or pigeon,

  that

    works the trees, causing the prodigious downfall. 
    Has anyone seen this phenomenon?  Do you know the species of bird and what
    they are after in the trees?  The activity of the birds seems directed at
    making the acorns fall, but they never seem to retrieve them.
    
    Regards,
    Doug
    
    ------------------------------
    
    End of woodyplants DIGEST V1 #17
    ********************************

  ------------------------------
  
  Date: Tue, 09 Nov 2004 12:54:20 -0500
  From: Pamela Weil   <ctgard@optonline.net>  Subject: Re: Speaking of acorns
  
  on 11/9/04 7:03 AM, Ruth Bogan at   rbogan@mindspring.com   wrote:

    I saw Doug's message about acorns and wanted to throw out another question.
    
    I live in New Jersey. The past two years our oak trees have produced acorns
    prodigiously. About this time of year they covered the walks, the deck, the
    ground. I would hear them hitting the roof constantly. This year there are
    not any, and I don't really see them in the trees. The biggest difference
    in the years has been the amount of rain--plenty of water this year; less
    water (even periodic drought) over the past few years. Can anybody give me
    a quick lesson in the relationship between acorns and weather--if, indeed,
    there's any connection at all.
    
    Thanks.
    
    Ruth B.

      [Original Message]
      From:       <woodyplants-owner@hort.net (woodyplants DIGEST)>      To:       <woodyplants-digest@hort.net>      Date: 11/9/2004 2:01:03 AM
      Subject: woodyplants DIGEST V1 #17

      woodyplants DIGEST      Tuesday, November 9 2004      Volume 01 : Number

    017

      In this issue:
      
      raining acorns
      
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------
      
      Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 16:29:02 -0800
      From: "Doug Stone"       <dstone@res-q.com>      Subject: raining acorns
      
      Here in Pasadena, California, it's the time of the year when acorns, from
      the Oak trees which line our streets, are falling like rain, from some
      trees.  There is a species of bird, which looks like a dove or pigeon,

    that

      works the trees, causing the prodigious downfall.
      Has anyone seen this phenomenon?  Do you know the species of bird and what
      they are after in the trees?  The activity of the birds seems directed at
      making the acorns fall, but they never seem to retrieve them.
      
      Regards,
      Doug
      
      ------------------------------
      
      End of woodyplants DIGEST V1 #17
      ********************************

  I am the owner of Connecticut Gardener and in 1999 we published these
  responses:
  
  "It's not consistent. There is an acorn abundance in Old Lyme and
  Bridgeport, where we're conducting our study, but not in Westchester County.
  Acorn production is high in New Jersey and Rhode Island this year. Last year
  the acorn production was high in Rhode Island and Bridgeport and the winter
  was very mild.
  I don't think that acorn production has anything to do with how severe a
  winter it's going to be. Trees store up reserves and produce many acorns at
  once to ensure the survival of their sspecies. By overwhelming the system,
  even though deer and squirrels gourge themselves with acorns, some will
  survive."
  Dr. Kirby C. Stafford III, Head Dept of Forestry and Horticulture
  The CT Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven
  
  "The environment determines how plentiful acorn production is going to be.
  The oak tree must be healthy and weather conditions must favor pollination.
  Oak trees must have a couple of good growing years so that they can build up
  their carbohydrate reserves to make acorns. Then weather conidtions must
  favor pollination. For esample, two years ago this spring (1997) we had a
  late spring freeze that destroyed the oak flowers and buds so that
  pollination could not occur. This contributed to a low acorn production that
  year."
  Jeff Ward, Station Forester
  The CT Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven
  
  Pamela Weil
  Connecticut Gardener
  CT Gardener is published four times a year and mailed to 2000+ subscribers
  in 6 states
  
  ------------------------------
  
  Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 11:24:02 -0500
  From: "Hal or Nancy Robinson"   <robyn82@bellsouth.net>  Subject: Re: Speaking of acorns
  
  I believe I read some where that the acorns on the ground this year (if
  which there are too many for me) were formed 2 years ago.  Late freezes kill
  the crop for the next year.  I believe the bears in the Smoky Mountains Park
  will be well fed this year.  But there are no hickory nuts on my two trees
  this year.  Next year we will have a bumper crop since we have had 2 years
  of more than abundant rain fall here in Tennessee.
  
  Nancy Robinson  Maryville, Tennessee just outside the park.

    The CT Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven
    
    "The environment determines how plentiful acorn production is going to be.
    The oak tree must be healthy and weather conditions must favor

  pollination.

    Oak trees must have a couple of good growing years so that they can build

  up

    their carbohydrate reserves to make acorns. Then weather conidtions must
    favor pollination. For esample, two years ago this spring (1997) we had a
    late spring freeze that destroyed the oak flowers and buds so that
    pollination could not occur. This contributed to a low acorn production

  that

    year."
    Jeff Ward, Station Forester
    The CT Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven
    
    Pamela Weil
    Connecticut Gardener
    CT Gardener is published four times a year and mailed to 2000+ subscribers
    in 6 states

  ------------------------------
  
  Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 11:32:12 EST
  From:   Blee811@aol.com  Subject: Re: Speaking of acorns and hickory nuts
  
  In a message dated 11/9/2004 11:26:18 AM Eastern Standard Time,   robyn82@bellsouth.net   writes:

    I believe I read some where that the acorns on the ground this year (if
    which there are too many for me) were formed 2 years ago.  Late freezes kill
    the crop for the next year.  I believe the bears in the Smoky Mountains Park
    will be well fed this year.  But there are no hickory nuts on my two trees
    this year.  Next year we will have a bumper crop since we have had 2 years
    of more than abundant rain fall here in Tennessee.

  And here in the Cincinnati area, Nancy, we had an abundance of hickory nuts, 
  but I see no acorns. And we had a bumper crop of black walnuts last year and 
  not a single one this year--the black walnut does tend to alternate years here. 
  Don't know if that is true for everyone.
  Bill Lee
  SW Ohio
  
  ------------------------------
  
  End of woodyplants DIGEST V1 #18
  ********************************

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