hey dani ...

did you find them sprouted???

if so ... arent they on ma natures schedule???

where did you plant them.. mother earth.. or pots????

and where are you ...

late fall is root growing time.. and roots will grow until the ground freezes.. ambient air temps should not matter if they are fully zone appropriate ...

pots are more of an issue of repeatedly freezing and thawing all winter long.. and are a different problem ...

so you might want to give us some more facts.. so as to get a useful answer ...

ken

Hello Ken,
Always enjoy your posts on conifer and hostas forums, but didn't expect your reply here:)
The acorns found sprouted in south New Jersey, but I planted them at my mom's place (into the ground) in upstate NY, so the acorns moved from zone 7 to zone 5. Do you think they will survive the cold temperatures if they have just started to grow?
Thank you

yeah.. i am just slummin.. lol ...

first i guess i am relying on your ID ... if correct.. white oak should be fully zone appropriate ... mine is anyway in z5 ...

second.. again.. if ma nature sprouted them.. she ought to know best ...

third .. in my z5 ann arbor area [actually adrian] ... they would have about another 60 days ... to grow that tap root before soil freeze ... before suspended animation occurs ...

besides worrying.. i dont know what more you can do ..

perhaps you should have tried a few in pots.. just to experiment ...

ken

White oaks have evolved along with the gray squirrel. The acorn will sprout in the fall and send all it's energy to the root. The acorn halves will shrivel a little but the squirrels may eat them anyway, but not the root which will send up a shoot in spring.