Acorns Driving me NUTS

[radios1]

Anybody else have an oak over their house? Dadgum acorns falling and rolling down the roof is getting old. Sure glad I don't have a metal roof.

Rumor has it that lots of acorns means we will have a severe winter. We have had lots of acorns every year but seems like more than ever.

I'd NEVER have a tree so close to my house that it could fall and damage my roof!. too many people in my neighborhood had that happen after a big rain, then a high windstorm, or hurricane!. I get acorns from my neighbors trees though, it really sucks, along with the fallen leaves, and dead branches that break off and present a life hazard!. get hit with one of those, and it's goodbye forever!..

 

[plowhog]

When we built the house we centered it between the back property line and the 50' easement across the front of our 2 acre lot.

What kind of antenna is that?

 

[MossRoad]

Oaks are split into two main groups. The Red Oaks take two years to produce acorns. So, you will have acorns every other year with the Red Oak group. Oaks in the White Oak group have acorns every year.

What I read is that while red oak acorns take two years to mature, the tree flowers every year, and can set fruit every year. So you can get red oak acorns off of a tree every single year, even though they take two years to mature. Does that make sense?

 

[TractorGuy]

What kind of antenna is that?

Antennas Direct 8 bay bow tie on an Eagle Aspen rotater. Rotater is no longer made but it's been a good one. Gets its power and signal direct through the coax so no extra wiring was required.

 

[TractorGuy]

Oh, and that little pine I stuck up by the snowman will get pulled up after Christmas. I just planted it for decoration. No way I'm gonna let a pine grow that close to the house.

 

[mcfarmall]

My mom is a tree hoarder. You can't see her house from Google Earth as it is concealed completely under a canopy of huge trees. She constantly complains about the giant carpenter ants crawling in her house, boxelder beetles, sticks, nuts, moss, and the leaves, leaves, leaves! I tell her every time, there is a solution to this problem but she will not hear of it...the trees are too precious to her. At age 93 she still rakes the entire yard (2 acres of yard..no joke) and picks up leaves with her bagger on the lawn tractor.

She won't even pull out the tiny cedar tree seedlings in her yard! Come on! A cedar tree?? Really?? Cedar trees are nothing but a woody weed that needs to be eradicated.

 

[Diggin It]

She won't even pull out the tiny cedar tree seedlings in her yard! Come on! A cedar tree?? Really?? Cedar trees are nothing but a woody weed that needs to be eradicated.

I dig Cedars! In more ways than one. I dig up the seedlings and transplant them so I can trim them into hedges. Perfect year 'round green hedge - nice, thick, lush. They end up thick enough that deer can't get through them. I've also used some bigger branches for firewood when I trim the larger trees as they give off a nice aroma in the wood stove. The ends of those branches work great for kindling in brush pile burns. And then there are the aromatic blocks in closets and drawers that people pay for in stores. I've used a few pieces in woodworking projects too.

 

[Redbug]

What I read is that while red oak acorns take two years to mature, the tree flowers every year, and can set fruit every year. So you can get red oak acorns off of a tree every single year, even though they take two years to mature. Does that make sense?

I believe you are right! I did not think of that angle.

I have some large oaks around my place. Give me oaks any day compared to pine trees. Pines belong in the woods and oaks are fine in the yard. I cut all my pines down except for four. A constant rain of pine straw, pine cones and debris. Don't park under the darn things. You guys must not have any pine trees in your yards. If you did, you would be welcoming the oaks. Pines are only good for pulp.

 

[newbury]

You think acorns are bad, try getting inundated by the fruit of Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum, star-leaved gum, alligator-wood, gumtree, redgum) or gumballs.
They are as heavy as walnuts but a carpet of them on concrete makes walking VERY difficult, I can easily wiggle my foot into a layer of walnuts but the gumballs hang together. Not only that but when you mill the tree the wood sometimes ties itself in knots.

At least most oaks are good for milling.

 

[TractorGuy]

Ahhhhhh, Sweetgums! Had a large one in my front yard. Took it down when I clear cut the pines. I think it was Jerry Clower that called the Sweetgum fruit porcupine eggs.

 

[radios1]

I believe you are right! I did not think of that angle.

I have some large oaks around my place. Give me oaks any day compared to pine trees. Pines belong in the woods and oaks are fine in the yard. I cut all my pines down except for four. A constant rain of pine straw, pine cones and debris. Don't park under the darn things. You guys must not have any pine trees in your yards. If you did, you would be welcoming the oaks. Pines are only good for pulp.

oaks are fine in the yard as long as they are far enough away that they can't fall on the house(big damage), but you still have to be very careful walking under them, if you get a dead branch, and it falls on you, goodbye!!..

 

[Ritothebull]

oaks are fine in the yard as long as they are far enough away that they can't fall on the house(big damage), but you still have to be very careful walking under them, if you get a dead branch, and it falls on you, goodbye!!..

I don't walk into my woods when the wind is blowing, I've already had a few close calls. Even my cows are smart enough to stay clear of those big oaks when when its blowing hard.

 

[TractorGuy]

Got knocked on the noggin with a water oak limb one day. Was disconnecting my car trailer when it happened. Lights went out briefly then came back so it didn't knock me out. The limb bounced off my head and landed on the other side of my truck.

 

[radios1]

I don't walk into my woods when the wind is blowing, I've already had a few close calls. Even my cows are smart enough to stay clear of those big oaks when when its blowing hard.

they fall regardless of the wind though!. I had that happen!. freezing cold weather is another factor for it to happen, but not necessary!..

 

[Diggin It]

I still have a couple of Widow Makers up there. High. These are branches that broke off in ice or wind storms, but got lodged above, across or between other branches. Every once in a while, one will eventually wiggle loose and fall. I found one standing straight up in the yard one morning, embedded about two feet into the dirt.

 

[radios1]

I still have a couple of Widow Makers up there. High. These are branches that broke off in ice or wind storms, but got lodged above, across or between other branches. Every once in a while, one will eventually wiggle loose and fall. I found one standing straight up in the yard one morning, embedded about two feet into the dirt.

yeah!. I have those!. not safe at all!..

 

[MossRoad]

they fall regardless of the wind though!. I had that happen!. freezing cold weather is another factor for it to happen, but not necessary!..

One nice sunny calm day I was out in my parent's carport working on something, and I heard a very loud crash! I went outside and looked around. Then I looked over at my grandma's house and saw half the top of an oak tree had come down, like a Y shape. One of the Y branches had pierced right through the porch roof and shattered against the concrete deck. So there's about 8' under the porch roof and 20' sticking out the top, and the other 30' Y branch speared into the ground aoutside the porch. It was about 8' from my grandma, who was sitting in a rocker on the porch!
:shocked:

 

[two_bit_score]

You think acorns are bad, try getting inundated by the fruit of Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum, star-leaved gum, alligator-wood, gumtree, redgum) or gumballs.
They are as heavy as walnuts but a carpet of them on concrete makes walking VERY difficult, I can easily wiggle my foot into a layer of walnuts but the gumballs hang together. Not only that but when you mill the tree the wood sometimes ties itself in knots.

At least most oaks are good for milling.

I hate sweet gum trees for those reasons. Never let a sweet gum tre grow in your yard.

 

[oosik]

I have a flowering cherry that drop thousands of tiny cherries and it would seem that they all sprout. The pine squirrels love to pull them and eat the sprouts. It can become a mess. But they seem to like them so much - I've never weed whacked them down. Besides the way they cavort and fight over the sprouts is quite entertaining. They remind me of four legged hummingbirds.

 

[Redbug]

It's good to have trees far enough away from the house so if they are blown over your house is not impacted. I see that all the time on the news after a thunderstorm where trees crash into houses. I know shade is great in summer, but sooner or later what is up there will come down. I don't have any trees near the house after a scare with an inland hurricane years ago. It's sorta like managing for forest fires around houses out west.