Saturday, December 11, 2010

Acorns!

This time of year becomes a dangerous time for people who walk under our trees.  The oak trees have started dropping their acorns all over the courtyard.  Acorns, or bellotas in Spanish, can be made into several food dishes, but I have not tried ours yet and am not sure I would because I am not a squirrel.  However, I have heard that they are very good.  I just hate cleaning them up and pulling out the babies when they start to sprout.  They get everywhere!!!  The worst part is that when you clean them up, more fall and so it looks like you never cleaned in the first place. 

These trees are becoming more and more popular in Tucson.  They are slow growing here, but once they get to mature size, they make a beautiful addition to the landscape.  I would consider them a VERY messy tree and you can see previous posts on this plants from back in March about the leaf drop.  But if you are interested in a large and attractive tree that can withstand the cold, drought, and heat, this is your tree that will provide hundreds of years of shade.  Just be patient as they grow slow and be patient with the mess they leave on your grounds:)  I will be honest....these trees convinced me to purchase our place as I had never seen these guys grow in the desert.  They are incredible trees to have around the property and will provide you with more shade than you can handle.

6 comments:

  1. Now, just focus on pulling the seedlings, NOT your hair, ok? :) And if there are kids around who likes to eat acorns or just collect them to play, why not invite them over to pick them? That may make their day, your day, as well your keep your hair intact.

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  2. Are they Escarpment Live Oak, or Heritage Live Oak, or ---? Those do well in Abq, but grow more moderately - 18-24" / year. I find that deep, infrequent watering is really ideal for oaks.

    There are many nice oaks from the desert margins and grasslands of the SW and SC USA.

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  3. Native Americans in Florida would make a flour of acorns too, but only after leaching the tannins out several times... too much is not only bitter, but toxic!

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  4. Funny to have to purchase oaks to have them in your yard. Here they grow everywhere, bet we have 5-6 different kinds on our 4 acres. Last year we swept up 20 gallons of acorns on the main deck. Good thing red oaks have acorns every other year, as they take two years to produce acorns.

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  5. I have them and they are so beautiful when they reach maturity!
    lovely blog by the way!

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