For centuries the beautiful expansive great oak tree has delivered shade and lush green foliage to our yards and has been a long-standing symbol of strength, stability, and power, however, the acorn droppings can drive you nuts!
Acorns are the result of Mother Nature trying to perpetuate the oak’s life cycle. An oak tree does not start to produce acorns until it is around 20 years old, but it can produce over 10,000 acorns in a masting year. Have you ever been woken up late at night from the pounding of acorns on your roof? Sometimes it seems they are playing pool on your house. The next morning you find squirrels digging up your yard gathering nuts or even worse, burying them in a hole to dig them up later in winter or next spring for food. Acorn droppings can also attract deer, chipmunks, and other cute but pesky critters to your yard. Some animals may try to find a place to store their stash of acorns in a nearby garage or shed for food or nesting. You may need to hire a pest control professional if you find squirrels, skunks, or raccoons in your shed.
Acorns can build up on the lawn taking up valuable space and create many small holes in your lawn which can kill the grass. Acorns make it very difficult and uncomfortable to walk on your lawn unless you want a foot massage! You can try to mow then into shreds so they decompose into the soil or rake them out vigorously. If your mower does not chop up the acorns, you may see a few seedlings develop in the lawn the next spring. There are lawn vacuums and shredder-grinders on the market you could use if you get tired of raking. Ever considered using your Shop-Vac or a shredder-grinder called the Nut Wizard? This clean-up can become a very daunting task along with removing fall leaves and perhaps for larger areas you may want to hire a professional. You can collect then on your driveway, run the car over them a few times to crush them so they break down quicker and add them to your compost pile. Next spring this would produce a nice organic fertilizer for your garden. Or collect them to use as food to attract wildlife to your yard if you wish.
Large oak trees produce a lot of acorns and cast shadows on your lawn making growing grass in the shade a difficult task. You can trim these oak trees to allow more sunlight into the grass areas and reduce the amounts of acorns or remove the tree completely. Over time, acorns can start to acidify your soil lowering the soil pH value. If your soil pH goes below 6.0 you will have a difficult time growing grass in those areas. An application of Jonathan Green Mag-I-Cal can help keep the soil in balance.
There are some positive things you can do with all of your acorns. Instead of getting rid of them, have you considered harvesting them for their meat? Acorns are high in fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. They are relatively low in fat compared to other nuts, but rather bitter if eaten raw because they contain tannins. Acorns can be unsafe if eaten raw, so we recommend first boiling the acorns a few times until the water runs clear. Acorns can be roasted or turned into flour. We are sure an internet search will show you how to turn an acorn meal into a healthy and tasty delicacy such as pancakes or bread.
You can offer your acorns to local gardening or 4H clubs to grow new seedlings for habitat restoration service projects. They also are great for making crafts, wreaths, or home accent decorations. We just hope you keep your wits about you, don’t let the acorns drive you nuts!
Thanks, my neighbors tree is dropping tons of Acorns on my side and yes, I have hundreds of small trees. I think I will use them this year as mulch and then put down tarps and catch them for what ? not sure how I will use them. Indians used them for flower and in their cooking. Thanks again
My acorns fall from the tree to the deck and then get blown off the deck into the flower bed. I probably pluck out 50 seedlings a week–they drive me crazy! Is there something I can spray on the acorns to render them impotent before they fall into the beds?
Ann,
No, I am sorry. You’re best bet is to get them up before they germinate.
If you put out pesticide, you might wind up murdering innocent critters. If your healthy enough, just bend over & drop somewhere away from your yard, or if you can, have neighborhood kids play who can pick up,the most acorns. If you maybe could throw a couple of bucks. Please don’t take offense.???
Deal with it or cut it down. Most people on the planet have real problems, or at least enough intelligence to deal with petty matters. Collect them (the acorns) and put them to use, or sell them…
why are we finding piles of chewed up acorn shells on our pavement
Squirrels love acorns!
Our neighbors huge oak tree is driving us to dis pare. first its soft furry black stuff, now this year for the first time we have been plagued with acorns and usual leaves, Neither of us are that fit, i have M.E. and hubby has rheumatoid arthritis and last 2 weeks a bad back hips, probably due to the continuous sweeping, bending and the bagging them all up, having to carry the bags up to the car park then lift each one into the car and a drive to the tip, Both if us are in our 60s, had enough we really have. Last count was 18 bags.
Is their nothing we can do about this, will costs £100s to get it trimmed down and them being a protected species are limited to the amount that can be taken off. Why build houses near trees anyway. This tree is going to force us to sale up and move in the end. Rant over!
Susan,
I am sorry you are having such troubles with the acorns. We have had a homeowner or two tell us they use a shop vac to vacuum them off the lawn. Perhaps that would be easier?
Susan Ripley,
I understand your frustration! We just moved into a house where our neighbors have two GIANT oak trees that drop acorns in our yard. I raked for hours today and will have many more hours to go. The bags get so heavy I don’t know what to do with them. Not sure the city will remove them if I set them out. I did buy an acorn roller from the hardware store and it works wonderfully but because we have SO many it may be best to use it next year when I get a head start on them. Therefore the rake is my best friend for now. Sigh.
Tell me more about the acorn roller. Does it crush the acorns? Can one person us it?
It is not our product but I believe the flexible wires bend around the acorns and collect them. I do believe it is for one person to use at a time.
It is even worse if you neighbor (like mine) has a fence-row of white pine. Needles cover all of the shrubs and the earth 20 feet into my yard from the fence, as well as constantly raining down on decks and patios, so they never look clean, regardless of the season. In addition, at the time when the acorns are falling, the pines’ much larger pine cones are also carpeting my lawn. While the trees were stupidly planted for a visual barrier, all the lower branches died long ago, so they now provide no privacy, just the litter.
Maybe you should try yoga in the middle of the acorns. Please don’t let nature’s original feed for the critters be taken away. Just think if someone took your food/treats away from you. Take ❤ care
Hi, Please don’t cut your ? tree down. We need more oxygen, not less. Thank you??
Then you come and pick them up. Unless you deal with them, you don’t get it.
Animals eat acorns. Figure it out. Pigs, deer, etc…some of these are kept as pets. People May take the nuts in exchange for just picking them up. Theyare used as food for humans also. Someone surely would come take them…give it a try.
What you do not mention is the acorn threat to your cars. The acorns off a tall tree will chip the paint resulting in a heartbreaking discovery requiring a very expensive repaint. If you have any friends come over to show you their new car – warn them and keep an old truck under the tree.
I have 3 large red oak trees. 2 in the back yard and 1 in the front. I have lost most grass underneath them. I’m having a hard time coming up with what I can put underneath them. Even pavers would be great….but I still need to pick up the acorns. And I don’t mind that–that is a good source of exercise for me. I would just love some ideas of how to design something underneath these trees. Even a ground cover that I can rake….I already have mondo grass….just don’t want my whole yard in mondo grass! Thanks for any ideas : )
Jane,
We suggest contacting your local university cooperative extension office. They can suggest ground covers that are right for your geographical area. This link should lead you to the correct extension for your area. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search/
Maybe just lots of mulch as the skirt of the tree.
We have a large oak tree in our backyard. We have many acorns from it, so many it is difficult to keep up with the flow. The shade and acorns has killed the grass and makes it difficult to walk on especially for our dogs feet. I love the shade value of this very large tree, but the bald yard and acorns are a real problem. Suggestions?
Matt,
Unless you can thin out the branches to let in more light, grass will not grow. Perhaps a ground cover under the very shady areas? We suggest contacting your local university cooperative extension service for a recommendation for a ground cover that will do well in your geographical area. As for the acorns, the only thing to do is to keep gathering them up.
Hey Matt, Came across this article, it discusses the different ways and tools you can use to pick acorns. Hope it helps https://growtheherbs.com/best-way-pick-up-acorns-rake/
Any one have a recommendation for a ground covering under a messy oak tree? We currently have grass but we will remove soon. Need something rakeable.
We suggest asking your local university cooperative extension service for a recommendation that is good for your geographical area.
My neighbors Oak tree and his acorns are falling into my yard and in ground pool. My grandchildren and company including myself can’t walk on the pavers since they are covered with acorn. There are 100 in the pool. I am so sick of them and exhausted picking them up. I’m close to 70 and my health isn’t that great. What can I do. My neighbor doesn’t care.
Many hardware stores carry nut gatherers that would work on the pavers. I am sorry I do not have an answer about the pool.
Hi, are you able to afford a winter. IN GROUND pool cover.
If I had a chain saw I would make history in Hampton, Ga. Ha ha! Really I would attempt it in a minute. Make the local news paper too. Three beautiful oak trees. I love trees. I do not like acorns in any form fashion, craft, picture, NOTHING!!! It’s a lot of work and my husband can no longer do yard chores. I guess I’m going to have to have an acorn party. Have to really think this one out good. Got to have treats and prizes. Sounds like a lot of work, but no one is going to come and remove them and get the seedlings going. Then my neighbour has pine trees, don’t like them, allergies to them plus pine straw, pine cones, big limbs falling, all of them. It is an endless race against nature and critters, plus the ph levels. All just fun in humid Georgia. Hope we have a cold, cold winter. Love your blog. Thanks for all you give back, it’s great
Susan in Hampton, Ga. 🙂
I have 5 extremely healthy oak trees in my backyard. I dutifully hands and knees pick those thousand and thousand of acorns week after week, hard on my back and knees. However, they are magnificent trees created to provide shade during the hot summer days and my grass would have been burned from the hot sun without these trees. Now that I get older, I am hoping someone can create a net (similar to those we see at the ball parks but with a much small holes in between) it would address 80% of the problem. Once a week I can lift the ends of the net and harvest the acorns into a compost bins for our curbside collections. Would this be nice!!
So I have two large red oaks in my tiny yard – front and back. They are an absolute plague in the fall. Acorns galore, squirrels, about 20-30 bags of leaves each fall.
Here’s my take on it. These two trees are the best thing I do for the environment. My fanatic recycling, not using chemicals on my lawn, driving a hybrid – none of those things come anywhere close to what these two trees are doing for clean air and the environment. I don’t have to do a thing to them, just maintain the artificial neatness that our modern lives demand and be nice to my neighbors who deal with their overflow of abundance each fall.
Here’s this for thought – “A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year.” ” A 100-ft tree, 18″ diameter at its base, produces 6,000 pounds of oxygen.” “On average, one tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year. Two mature trees can provide enough oxygen for a family of four.”
My behemoths are well over 18″ diameter and I would rather pick up acorns, step on them barefoot, and cajole my children into helping me rake every fall than have them removed. Besides the environmental impact, my heating bills are lower and my broiling texas back yard is always shady. Birds flock to the tree and we have had annual nests (with accompanied droppings and seedlings) but I’d rather live with nature than spend my life fighting against it.
Thank you for the article, I heard the amount of acorns is in direct proportion to the amount of rain and we had the wetness July in New Orleans history! So I am planning on tons of acorns. I appreicate the info regarding Oak trees and oxygen. I will encourage my hubby. Also, we have one neighbor that just allows nature to do its thing. He doesn’t try to pick up the acorns and he has a ground cover and fern planted around the tree. It seems to work for him. I don’t see baby oak trees coming up, perhaps the oak leaves keep the acorns from reaching the dirt.
This post is old but I just wanted to tell you how much I love it. Mankind is just getting to big for there britches. I’m m old I have acorn trees that are masting. I’ll make the best of it. Going to try boiling some for the first time. Making acorn people with my great grandson and I deal with the other 2 million as I can . There are so many it’s almost like ice skating to walk. I’m live in the country and glad all the critters have such an abundance this year. My flowers well best of luck to them. We’ll deal one day at a time. Blessing’s people and thankful for nature . Much Love
I have a beautiful oak tree and this year it had dropped way more nuts than usual…..i enjoy walking around the yard and picking them up………i have saved 2 basket full so far. I would like to save them to feed the animals during the winter…..problem is my first basket is already molding. How can I keep this from happening so I can save them
According to the Wildlife Center of Virginia:Acorns for Wildlife!Collect acorns and separate from twigs, leaves, and other debris.Cover them in a container of water for five minutes. Throw away the ones that float.Remove acorns from water and dry with a towel, or allow to air dry.When fully dry, place acorns in a one-gallon Ziploc-type baggie and freeze.
Thank you for sharing with us.
I have several oak trees and love to walk in the grass barefoot. But, it’s like walking on pebbles if I don’t remove the acorns. I’ve had good luck with a leaf blower, as long as I’m patient and willing to half dig them out with the blower tube.
But, my favorite way to get rid of them is to pay a couple of young (under 5) visitors a penny a piece for all they pick up!
Excellent idea!
My father used to pay us kids 25 cents for picking up 500 acorns….paid for our penny candy!
Last Fall my Rotary Club planted a memorial grove of 86 one gallon CA live oak trees for a beloved deceased member. We planted acorns as back ups. Doing great but losing some to ground squirrels and gophers despite fencing and gopher root protectors. QUESTION: If we plant more acorn back ups this month but also spray pre emergent around the mulched trees for extra weed abatement, will the pre emergent prevent acorn germination? Steve
Please contact your state university cooperative extension service for the answer to this question.
Thanks for all the acorn info. Great read. I am in MA raking up the tons of acorns from two giant trees. Love the trees but not liking all the acorns this year. I have a large trash barrel filled with acorns. I was planning on putting them out for the deer this winter. I have so many i don’t think i can float and dry the acorns. Any reason to not hang on to them and put them out in December/January?
I now have 19,924,825,298 ,264 acorns. Please don’t tell me about animals eating them. I have never seen a deer near our lot. One squirrel (same guy) and no other animals ever sighted. So what do I do? Property is 1/2 acre so I could be “shop vacing” for the next six years……..
That is how many acorns I have. My yard is a carpet of acorns covering all the new grass that had previously started growing. I need a plan. The tarp idea sounds like a possibilty.
Our neighbor has an old giant oak tree. The branches are now spreading out over our back yard and another neighbors yard. So here comes the acorns and all the mess with it. Is their anything that can be done about this? Can the county request them to cut branches back? I do not want this mess in my yard. Thank you
Check with your local municipality to see what the rules are. If the tree branches are over your fence, you may be able to cut them back to your fence line.
I loved reading these comments but not of them answered my question of what is the best month to pick up the acorns. The past two years I started in the month of October only to go out work in the yard and discover that it was full of acorns again! This year I waited until after the first of November. Same problem. Did read one article that said some of the acorns will stay on through the winter. So maybe spring is the best time, but then there is time for them to be forced into the ground by walking on them or just by the effects of nature making it difficult to rake them up. My other question was the best method of getting them off the ground. I’ve been raking them. Time consuming and tough job but can be done. Came up with idea of blowing them into a pile with a good strong leaf blower. Surprisingly that is the best method and easiest way I have found to do it. After blowing them in to small piles, I use a metal tined regular lawn rake and a large dust pan to pick them up..I have found that the blower does a more thorough job and eve gets some of the nutts that are stuck in the ground – not all of them so I just kick those that are stuck with my shoe. I’m thinking I could invent an attachment to attach to the leaf blower to dig those out with one quick sweep. Maybe it already exists?
Hi Atley! You can use a Garden Weasel Nut Gatherer to get the acorns off your lawn in one step. There is no “best time” to get the acorns off your lawn, however we do recommend removing them in fall so they don’t go to seed and germinate in spring. Hope this helps!