When do oaks pollinate

David Rodriguez, AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Bexar County, said he would be curious to see if there will be a record acorn crop as a result of the amount of pollination this spring. Catkins can serve a useful purpose when integrated into the lawn, flower beds or the compost pile. It can also be added to your compost pile.

Unfortunately, Richards added, there will be additional plant allergens from grasses and other flowering plants through the spring and beyond, so she suggests waiting a while before putting the handkerchief back in the drawer. But more of the population is allergic to pollen from wind-pollinated plants, and that pollen is most prolific in the spring. Experts say pollen counts significantly higher than average Writer: Paul Schattenberg, , paschattenberg ag.

All Events. Phone: As the days grow longer and warmer, and winter snows turn to spring showers, oak trees wake up and experience a surge of new growth.

Leaf and flower buds open; and once fertilization has taken place, acorns will emerge from the female flowers that are found primarily near the top of the tree. Unlike the female flowers, which are small and nondescript, male oak flowers are very visible as long yellow-green fronds, called catkins oak , hang from the tips of some of the tree's branches.

The flowers themselves are small and run along the catkin's middle stem, and they release their supply of pollen in about two weeks. The oak tree pollen drop lasts about four days. It is this yellowish dust that is seen on car hoods and deck floors, and causes problems for people with seasonal allergies. Heavy rains and humid conditions may delay the release of pollen and affect the number of acorns produced on a single tree.

Other weather conditions, such as a late-spring frost, can also severely impact a season's acorn crop, which in part explains why backyards are littered with fallen acorns some years and not others.

If all the conditions for germination are met, a fallen acorn will sprout where it landed. It first sends a taproot into the soil, and not long after that, a single stem emerges from the end and opens into the cotyledon, which looks like a small pair of leaves but is actually an external extension of the acorn's embryo.

If you pull an acorn from the ground at this stage and split it carefully in half, you will see the remains of the embryo still curled up with one tip of it forming the initial root and another forming the stem.