Acorns to germinate?

[buckmine]

Once my uncle brought buckets full of acorns to our farm for me to throw out for the trail camera. Some took root in the barrel. Do they normaly root in the fall or spring?
Last year I tried planting acorns in the ground but feild mice got to them. If I do that again I am going to put plastic containers around the planted acorns.

[RayC]

White oaks can germinate right away, red oaks need stratification before they germinate

[buckmine]

Thanks for the reply.

Whats the reason for oaks germinating right away?

What is stratification?

[Dan O.]

Some seeds germinate after they drop to get a head start in growth and to become less attractive to animals which will eat them. Stratification is the cold storage of seeds. It mimics what the seeds would experience if they spent the winter. Some chemical changes take place which prepare the seed for sprouting.

Dan O.