Litha
April 3rd, 2001, 02:32 PM
Do you have a reverence for trees, particularly oaks? You can grow these mighty trees yourself, from seed.
Start by gathering acorns. Let your favorite kids help or find acorns at the foot of an oak that has a special meaning for you. Make sure the tree is healthy. Use a fishing pole or other long pole to shake them from the tree. Your best chances of successful acorns are those picked directly from the oak.
Gently twist the acorn's "hat." If it comes off easily, you've got a candidate for your project. Toss out any cracked, rotten, or hole-y acorns as well as those that seem very light by comparison. As a final test, place the acorns in a bucket of water and get rid of the floaters.
Don't keep acorns too long before you plant them! Once they dry out, they probably won't germinate.
Using plastic bags, mix a handful of acorns with a handful of perlite. (Vermiculite can be added to the mix, if you like.) Seal the bag, date it, and place it in your refrigerator. It may take as much as 3 cycles of the moon for the acorns to germinate or as little as one cycle, depending on the type of oak. At the full moon and the new moon, check your acorns to see if they are starting to sprout. When several have sprouted, it's time to plant all the acorns in the bag.
To plant the acorns, use large plastic pots (this is one time I actually like plastic anything!). I tend to use the large black ones left over from the previous spring's azalea purchase. Use one-gallon size at a minimum. The little oaks will develop looooooong tap roots, so they'll need plenty of depth. Make sure the pots drain well, too, with holes in the bottom.
Fill the pots with potting soil almost to the top. Leave about one inch. Place a single acorn on its side and cover it with half an inch of potting soil. Then water, taking care not to wash the soil away from the acorn.
Place your pots in a protected area so the cold won't freeze them or dry them out. Water them whenever the soil dries on top.
Now sit back and wait! Hopefully in the spring, you'll see the first signs of growth. When the little oaks are growing nicely, you can move the pots to an Eastern sunny spot and fertilize them every Sabbat. At Mabon or Samhain when the little oaks are one to two years old, plant them in a permanent spot.
The thing I really like about having these small oaks in pots is that I can arrange the pots in a circle for special workings. In the side yard, on the back deck, or even in a pasture, I can let them grown (almost) naturally and feel the power of this magickal tree. As they grow, I can move them out, away from the center of the circle, to make room for their future growth. Once a lot of rituals have taken place in this circle of young trees, the place becomes sacred, and it's a good spot to plant the trees in a special ceremony.
Start by gathering acorns. Let your favorite kids help or find acorns at the foot of an oak that has a special meaning for you. Make sure the tree is healthy. Use a fishing pole or other long pole to shake them from the tree. Your best chances of successful acorns are those picked directly from the oak.
Gently twist the acorn's "hat." If it comes off easily, you've got a candidate for your project. Toss out any cracked, rotten, or hole-y acorns as well as those that seem very light by comparison. As a final test, place the acorns in a bucket of water and get rid of the floaters.
Don't keep acorns too long before you plant them! Once they dry out, they probably won't germinate.
Using plastic bags, mix a handful of acorns with a handful of perlite. (Vermiculite can be added to the mix, if you like.) Seal the bag, date it, and place it in your refrigerator. It may take as much as 3 cycles of the moon for the acorns to germinate or as little as one cycle, depending on the type of oak. At the full moon and the new moon, check your acorns to see if they are starting to sprout. When several have sprouted, it's time to plant all the acorns in the bag.
To plant the acorns, use large plastic pots (this is one time I actually like plastic anything!). I tend to use the large black ones left over from the previous spring's azalea purchase. Use one-gallon size at a minimum. The little oaks will develop looooooong tap roots, so they'll need plenty of depth. Make sure the pots drain well, too, with holes in the bottom.
Fill the pots with potting soil almost to the top. Leave about one inch. Place a single acorn on its side and cover it with half an inch of potting soil. Then water, taking care not to wash the soil away from the acorn.
Place your pots in a protected area so the cold won't freeze them or dry them out. Water them whenever the soil dries on top.
Now sit back and wait! Hopefully in the spring, you'll see the first signs of growth. When the little oaks are growing nicely, you can move the pots to an Eastern sunny spot and fertilize them every Sabbat. At Mabon or Samhain when the little oaks are one to two years old, plant them in a permanent spot.
The thing I really like about having these small oaks in pots is that I can arrange the pots in a circle for special workings. In the side yard, on the back deck, or even in a pasture, I can let them grown (almost) naturally and feel the power of this magickal tree. As they grow, I can move them out, away from the center of the circle, to make room for their future growth. Once a lot of rituals have taken place in this circle of young trees, the place becomes sacred, and it's a good spot to plant the trees in a special ceremony.