August 18, 2017
CapitalPress.com
13
Nursery grows from tiny acorns
For the Capital Press
POCATELLO, Idaho —
Envisioning a stunning oak
tree in his yard, Dave Luker
stopped by a greenhouse in
Pocatello decades ago and
was told oak trees cannot
grow in southeastern Idaho.
“I grew up in Filer, and
oak trees are everywhere be-
cause settlers from Missouri
planted them,” Luker says.
That incident in 1983
compelled Luker to develop
oak hybrids at his home nurs-
ery.
Working as a landscaper
at a local hospital and later
at nurseries, he planted oak
trees throughout Pocatello
that are thriving today.
After wild turkeys were
introduced to the region, he
partnered with conservation-
ists to plant oak trees for the
birds.
Since opening his busi-
ness, WestWood Growers
Conservation Nursery, Luker,
57, has become the only
wholesale or retail nursery
in Idaho offering more than
60 varieties of oak trees. He
sells about 5,000 a year.
He is not only an expert at
growing oak trees, but other
deciduous hardwoods.
“I did a mission for my
church in Ohio and saw an
amazing variety of trees.
Other hardwoods that do
well here are buckeye, beech,
yellowwood, red-flowering
chestnut and Turkish hazel.
To stimulate seedling
growth, Luker plants acorns
and other trees in reusable
plastic containers with per-
forated holes that encourage
lateral root growth.
He also uses mycorrhizal
fungi in a liquid to stimulate
nutrient absorption in a tree.
“To plant a tree, ideal-
ly you should colonize the
planting site with wood chips
for up to a year. You can put
down cardboard and pour a
free 25-gallon pot of chips
on it that we have here. When
you plant a tree in a well pre-
pared site like that, it will re-
ally take off.”
Besides providing oak
trees of all sizes to landscape
companies and consum-
ers, Luker gathers 5 tons of
acorns from mid-September
to early November to sell to
nurseries every year.
“Idaho is the only place
in the country without wee-
vil,” he says. “The acorns I
pick up in Utah are heated
in 120-degree water in a big
pot for 30 minutes to kill the
weevil without harming the
acorn.”
For several years, Luker
has partnered with local
members of the National Tur-
key Federation to plant thou-
sands of oak trees.
“Turkeys eat acorns in the
fall and the male catkins in
spring,” says Luker. “Flocks
do well when oak trees are
around.”
Many of his trees are also
ideal for shelterbelts on ag
land.
“Shelterbelts are a worth-
while investment,” he says.
“Livestock does better with
shade and shelter, and certain
crop yields improve with a
windbreak. You need at least
three rows with a dense shrub,
evergreen and hardwood.”
One of the most eye-catch-
ing oaks Luker has planted is
a cross of a big bur oak and
Dianna Troyer/For the Capital Press
Acorns and other trees are planted in reusable plastic containers
with perforated holes that encourage lateral root growth. West-
Wood Growers Conservation Nursery offers 60 types of oak trees.
a little live oak, bred by Wal-
ter Cottam at the University
of Utah. It grows near the
former Bannock Memorial
Hospital.
“Most people think it’s
a holly bush because it has
leathery leaves that stay green
through December,” he says.
“It grows as a small shrub
without irrigation but can
reach 35 feet tall with irriga-
tion. It’s beautiful.”
Luker advocates planting
trees that are less common.
“It ultimately increases the
diversity of our plant commu-
nities and limits the risk of
major pest attacks,” he says.
Online
www.westwoodgrowers.com
Dianna Troyer/For the Capital Press
Deciduous tree expert Dave Luker sells thousands of oaks for
landscaping and wild turkey habitat.
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