Oak – No Acorns This Year

Q: There is a massive oak in my neighbor’s yard. Typically it drops huge numbers of acorns in our yard, but this year: nothing. Is that a sign of its health (or lack thereof)?

A: If the oak had lots of green leaves during the growing season, it is healthy. It’s typical for nut-bearing trees like oak, hickory and pecan to bear in an “on year – off year” pattern. We had a huge acorn crop last year, so the neighboring oak is simply recovering from the effort.