During certain times of the year, homeowners may want to hire a professional service for Landscape Maintenance in Spokane because there simply is too much work for them to handle. Maple trees drop large numbers of seeds in spring. In fall, all the deciduous trees drop their leaves, creating a carpet that can be several inches tall. In some years, oak trees produce thousands of acorns, with the nuts eventually raining down on buildings, cars and the land.
Bewilderment
One large oak tree can produce up to 10,000 acorns during one of those years when massive amounts fall to the ground. They are like marbles in the driveway and they sound like hailstones on the roof. People feel bewildered as to what causes this ridiculous amount of nut production and wonder why it happens seemingly at random. They call for Landscape Maintenance in Spokane so they can have all those acorns raked up and hauled away.
Weather Factors
The reason these events seem random is that they are connected more with weather than with tree cycles. Weather isn’t the only key, however, and scientists still haven’t figured out why oaks grow so many acorns on occasion. Companies like Spokane ProCare are available to deal with the mess. Contact us for assistance.
The optimum weather pattern begins the previous year, with plentiful rain during autumn. That helps oak trees to have a large number of flowers in spring. A second factor is there must not be a late frost in the spring, as that kills female flowers connected with acorn production.
A Balanced Ecosystem
The lean and fruitful years are part of a balanced ecosystem. Many animals rely on acorns as a large part of their diets. During leaner years, those animal populations are kept at lower levels. As the tree builds up a reserve of energy, it eventually can produce thousands of nuts. Now, with a smaller number of squirrels and other acorn-eating critters around, the tree has a better chance of there being oak offspring from the acorns. But oak trees also rely on squirrels to bury the nuts and forget where some of them are, which allows a new tree to spring up from the earth.
