Quercus virginiana (Live Oak?)

I was just given a baggy of Live Oak acorns and I reside in Illinois.

I've tried to confirm the scientific name of Quercus virginiana. Can they survive in a Zone 5 and 6 environment?
Are there any specific details I need to know about prepping, or stratifying the acorns for germination?
Anyone using Live Oak as bonsai?

Thanks,

Jay

Jay, they don't need stratification. Go ahead and get them into some moist soil now and keep them warmish. You can actually just lay them on the surface. My tree buried us in acorns this year and they are already germinating, let me know if you need more!

Q. virginiana, "coast live oak", is just that - coastal, Gulf and Atlantic. They aren't too happy very far inland. There was one planted at Mississippi State, about 2/3's the way up the state from the coast and it was miserable. It was also planted on a chalk hill, so a lot was working against it. My guess is that you'd have to treat these as almost tropical.

My tree...

Wow...that tree is in your backyard Russell? That is a beautiful sight to see at a glance. That swing makes me wish I could spend a lazy summer afternoon in that nicely shaded backyard reading a book or something.

Looks a little like Rochester!

Jesse wrote:Wow...that tree is in your backyard Russell? That is a beautiful sight to see at a glance. That swing makes me wish I could spend a lazy summer afternoon in that nicely shaded backyard reading a book or something.

Yes Jesse. That was taken a couple of years ago after a really hard freeze. We bought a tree, thank god there was a house on the property too! There are more pictures on my facebook page.

R

I grow coast live oak out here in California and would have one word of advice for you. The seedlings grow a tap root out one end of the acorn and a stem out the other. The acorn itself stays attached for some time. The squirrels in my area seem to know this and will dig up any seedlings they can get their hands on. This stops after a few months, but I've taken to sprouting my seedlings in a box with some chicken wire over the top. I don't know if this is relevant to your area, but thought I'd mention it.

Russell Coker wrote:We bought a tree, thank god there was a house on the property too!

LOLed on this.

Russell Coker wrote:We bought a tree, thank god there was a house on the property too! There are more pictures on my facebook page.
R

Can always modify a house or even build a new one in a year or so - but a tree like that takes a lifetime to grow. It's beautiful.

Chris