AOH 2008 - Plant Health Care

At our Acorns of Hope Nursery- we are planting the very best acorns from quality parent plants. By collecting top quality seeds we hope to produce and plant nothing short of the finest live oaks. We choose to plant in harsh conditions without irrigation and fertilizers to imitate coastal conditions which are stringent and most times intolerable to many plants. Our live oaks receive eco-mulch from our own woodchips taken from tree and limb removal jobs sponsored by our affiliated company Bob's Tree Preservation. These chips are aged, processed and then applied-often blown, resulting in the formation of quality soil conditioners.

Many of the Live Oak trees planted at the farm come from the seeds of recognized Live Oaks in the Louisiana area. Bob, himself, has collected acorns from historical oaks such as the Jim Bowie Live Oak, Tree of Seven Sisters, Evangeline Live Oak, The Spider Live Oak, St. John Cathedral Live Oak, Calcasieu Manor Live Oak, Alamo Oaks, Majestic Live Oak and the Angel Oak (which is estimated to be approximately 1400 years old). Their provenance- or where they originated from is a key factor in what we believe separates the very best seedlings from the rest.

We prefer to plant smaller trees without staking them. It is our belief that by allowing the wind and natural processes of the environment to take effect on these young trees, the structure of the bark can break down and build itself again, each time creating new and stronger plant cells permitting the bark to strengthen and yield a more resilient plant. This process in tree biology is known as "reaction wood" and it is through this method, that our live oaks grow to become strong well rooted trees, increasing the longevity of the plant's life, making a perfect candidate to transplant and reforest our hurricane damaged part of the world.

We at AOH are working hard to preserve our eroding coastline. We look to research and development for a better understanding of biological progression and invite any thoughts on this matter as we can only learn through trial and error.

Jim Bowie Live Oak