You settled for Oak trees because of their impeccable ability to accentuate the appearance of your house. Oak trees also offer shade and sometimes even harbor birds.
However, the acorns that drop from the tree could be tiring to deal with-wondering how to pick up acorns? Read on to understand why you need to pick up acorns.
We will also discuss in detail various ways to pick up acorns from your lawn. Also, we will give you ideas on what to do with these fallen acorns.
How To Pick Up Acorns:
You now understand why it is necessary to pick acorns, but how do you do it? Here is how to pick up a acorns before they fall;
Tarp them
They say prevention is better than cure. The best way to pick up acorns is by gathering them before they begin falling. Collecting them is more suitable if your trees are still small. However, it can also work for large trees.
To collect the acorns, you will need to lay some taps on the ground around the tree. Next, throw a rope and hook the tree branches. Then shake the branches to remove the acorns.
After you are sure, you have gathered all the acorns, cover them in the tarp and dispose of them, if possible, in a composite pit.’
It is an easy and convenient way to handle acorns before they become scattered on the lawn. However, you need to do it when the acorns are mature and almost falling off.
Removing them too early could make it difficult for them to fall, and being late means they will be on your lawn.
If the acorns have already fallen, you will need to use some tools to collect them. Some of the tools you can use are;
Leaf vacuum
Also known as a lawn vacuum, a leaf vacuum sucks up both leaves and acorns from the ground. Luckily, they can be rented out or bought. So, if you rarely have to worry about acorns in your yard, consider renting a lawn vacuum from a seller.
It operates like any other vacuums, and you will need to empty it if it gets full, or after the job. Depending on the specifications of the product, some leaf vacuums tend to be more robust-powerful the motor, the stronger the vacuum.
Therefore, when renting out, consider the power of the engine, and find out if it will be effective on your lawn.
When using a leaf vacuum, consider trimming your grass to be as low as it can be. Lower grass makes it easy for the vacuum to suck the debris.
Nut gatherer
Referred to as a weasel, began picker, or nut roller, a nut gatherer picks up any objects on the lawn, including acorns. It has a manual tool with an extensive pole saw that rolls across your garden as you use it.
After collecting, it deposits them in a basket which you will need to empty once you are through. It is convenient because it neither uses gas nor electricity. However, it is more effective for use on small-sized lawns.
Lawn sweeper
It is attached to the lawnmower to collect any debris which could be challenging to handle. You will attach the sweeper behind the mower. A lawn sweeper can pick up leaves, twigs, and acorns.
It works similarly to a vacuum by collecting them and depositing them in a collection bin. Since the lawn sweeper is attached to a lawnmower, you need to have a mower or any other equipment it can be attached to. If you have a lawnmower, a sweeper will be a great and easy addition for you.
Rakes
It is the most used tool for collecting acorns because it offers a cost-effective solution. Using a rake to pick up acorns will help you gather all the leaves, twigs, and acorns into one pile. You can then easily scoop the debris and dispose of it.
Nonetheless, there are rakes specifically used to pick up acorns. You cannot use the same rake you use to tidy our driveway to collect acorns. Suitable rakes for collecting acorns must be strong and long enough to go deep in the grass.
The efficiency of using a rake depends on the size of your lawn. Rakes are ideal for use on small lawns. However, they are at the end of our list on how to pick up vacuum acorns because they aren’t an ideal solution. Furthermore, the rake will also pick up grass and other materials.
FAQs:
Why Should You Pick Up Acorns?
What more can acorns do besides cluttering your yard? Here is why you need to pick up acorns;
- Similar to other seeds, acorns can sprout and produce seedlings. Their sprouting will be hectic to handle if you ignore picking them up in a short period. You wouldn’t want to end up with more unwanted trees, would you?
- Acorns can damage your lawn and also prevent the growth of grass on your lawn. When they fall and remain on the grass, the yard will not have adequate exposure to sunlight, which is essential for the grass to grow. As a result, your grass could die. Also, if they remain in one spot for long, your lawn may become bald at that spot.
- If there are too many acorns when mowing your lawn, your mower may spit them and cause injury. These injuries could be severe, especially for small children.
- They can damage your lawnmower since their presence will make the surface uneven. Furthermore, their hardness could cause damage to the mower’s blades.
- Falls could be fatal, especially when someone falls on concrete. Besides, if you have young ones who enjoy walking around barefoot, any acorns on the lawn could hurt their feet.
- Some pests, such as squirrels and mice, use acorns as food. Therefore, having acorns lying on your lawn could invite these pests to your compound and home.
What should you consider when picking up acorns?
We have discussed options that you can use to pick up acorns from your lawn. However, the best tool for you depends on the size of your yard. If you have a relatively big yard, using a rake will be inefficient since it will be time-consuming.
Therefore, a lawn vacuum or any other robust removal tool will be ideal. On the other hand, if you have a small yard, buying a lawn vacuum could be expensive since you can use a rake.
You have collected your acorns, what next?
What do you do after collecting acorns? Most people dispose of acorns after collecting them without much thought.
If you have a composite pit, it would be great to dispose of them there. If not, you can dispose of them as green waste. However, there is more you can do with acorns.
First, you can make a meal off acorns. Nutritionists made it clear that acorns are safe to eat, and they were a significant source of food for our ancestors. However, raw acorns could be unsafe for consumption since they contain extremely high levels of tannins.
To make it safe to eat acorns if you are unsure of how ripe they are, consider soaking them in water. We recommend soaking them overnight.
You should then boil them, and cook them to your liking. Note that they may not be as sweet, but you could enhance their taste by dipping them in honey.
Second, you can send the acorns you have collected to a bird feeder. If you have mallards, you probably get birds in your compound.
Birds like chickadees enjoy eating acorns. Consider smashing them before feeding the birds since some birds may find the shell hard to crack.
Third, if you are artistic, there is so much you can do with acorns. For example, you can make a flower vase from them. You can check out some YouTube videos on how to make vases from acorns.
Lastly, you can donate the acorns to a zoo. If you leave near a zoo or any other animal organization, they would appreciate your acorns since they are part of animal feed.
Conclusion
You no longer have to worry about how to pick up acorns. We have discussed tools you can use to pick up acorns.
Remember, it is best to collect the acorns from the trees right before they fall off. However, you must have accurate timing since harvesting them too early could make it difficult.
Picking up acorns will help you achieve a healthy, safe lawn without any unwanted seedlings sprouting.
The size of your yard is a significant determinant of the tool you choose. We have also concentrated on answering questions you may have had on fallen acorns.
From our guide above, there are so many ways through which you can use the collected acorns. Find one which works for you. You can add picking up acorns to your to-do list over the fall.
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