- 1). Rake the acorns out from under your oak tree as soon as they start dropping. Notice that the squirrels will be trying to get them at the same time, but don't worry since the squirrels eat the acorns and therefore they will not grow. Repeat the raking process every few days until the acorns have stopped dropping, keeping them from taking root under the tree.
- 2). Collect the acorns and use them to fuel your fire pit on chilly afternoons. Save the good ones for decorations on fall wreaths or for a nice display on your dining room table. Throw the rest of the unused acorns in a trash bag but don't compost them since they will sprout in the fertile environment.
- 3). Encourage the wildlife to eat them by not chasing them away. On average crop years the scroungers will include deer, mice, woodrats, pigs, jays and woodpeckers who thrive on acorns, according to the University of California at Berkeley's Hastings Biological Field Station. Set out a tray of the raked acorns where the wildlife can come and dine without you worrying about the seeds germinating.
- 4). Spray the area in your lawn where the acorns have sprouted into little baby oak trees with a broad-leaf herbicide. It will not damage your lawn but will be absorbed into the leaf of the oak seedling, killing the whole plant. Make sure that the spray does not get onto any other flowers or plants nearby that have wide leaves.
- 5). Pull the baby oaks up by hand if you don't want to spray herbicides. Grab them while they are young as they tend to get a strong root quickly. Mowing over them will also kill them eventually since they will not be able to sprout any leaves and therefore not be able to grow.
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