12 replies to this topic

[UnHeisenbug]

Hey I have a couple of chestnuts I found in November ready to plant. I wrapped them in a most cloth and kept them in a fridge for three months.

I've read they need to be planted in peat moss and newspaper cones for maximum root aeration? Is this true? Does anyone have any advice or experience to share?

Cheers!

[Sicshroom]

Have the sprouted?

[PJammer24]

Where are you located? The chestnut blight killed off most of the chestnut trees in the united states... There are very few groves remaining. You can purchase chestnut trees that are modified and spliced with the blight resistant asian chestnut tree... There are also some trees to be sold from the few remaining groves that seem to have a natural resistance to the blight but I don't know how common they are...

 

Are you 100% sure they are chestnuts and not something like a buckeye or walnut which is much more common? It would be very surprising to find chestnuts anywhere in north america

[UnHeisenbug]

I'm in the UK, mate. Although I'm not 100% sure they are chestnuts they do look like the same nuts you buy and roast (yum!). Although I've heard they are likely inedible.

I heard they need very aerated soil. I'm thinking Perlite mixed with potting soil. I'll just try a few in a couple inches of soil and see if they sprout.

Edited by UnHeisenbug, 10 March 2020 - 01:29 PM.

[PJammer24]

Looks like they could be horse chestnuts or potentially sweet chestnuts... The horse chestnuts are toxic... Horse chestnuts grow with one per pod, shiny, and have fewer spikes on the pods. Sweet chestnuts grow with 2-3 per pod with less sheen and more spikes,...

[Skywatcher]

Chestnut trees are rare in So California, But I have admired one that is over 100 year old that grows in an apple orchard at about 6000 ft elevation. It is a sweet chestnut, and bears tons of nuts every year. It sounds like you are off to a good start on the seed care.

I found this DIY on how to germinate and grow these trees. Hoping you have success. Keep us updated if you would not mind.....

https://www.doityour...-tree-from-seed

[UnHeisenbug]

They started sprouting in the fridge. There taproots have some serious length and girth. I did the newspaper cone thing for a few and did e heavy perlite/potting soil mix. The cones are nice because the roots appear to grow really deep.

I think I'll try to rogue plant these on the green belt or something once there a bit older. I don't know if they should be potted for very long since they have such deep roots?

[Skywatcher]

Looking pretty good !

I have grown bonsai for 40+ years, many from seed or acorn. In a restricted area like a pot, trees that have long taproots pretty much circle around the pot sides. Once you do this you need to root prune every year if you want to keep it potted. It would be stunted if put into the ground after a long time in a pot.

 

The nuts you have done in cones look like they will be easy transplants. Any you do in pots will need to be potted up regularly if you want to put them in the ground, so they don't develope a strangling root, encircling the main tap.

 

You seem to be doing fine. Thanks for the update. I am inspired to obtain some chestnuts the next time I hit the apple orchards up the mountain.....

[Alder Logs]

My neighbor planted chestnuts from stores and now we have many trees on the land here.  The stellar jays take all the nuts from those trees and a bunch of Persian walnut trees as well.  The birds never stop raiding the trees while there are nuts to be had.  I have no idea where they go with them, but it is inconceivable that they could be eating all those nuts.   I have never been able to figure out where they cache them all. 

 

But back to the trees, we started with one old American chestnut tree (over a hundred years old) with no pollinator.  The neighbor hoped the Asian chestnuts would pollinate it, but they never have bloomed at the same time.  The trees he planted are up to about two feet through now.  The American chestnuts west of the Rockies avoided the blight that swept the eastern part of the continent. 

 

 

 

Here is the original tree in flower:

 

 

Here it is, up close:

 

Edited by Alder Logs, 19 March 2020 - 11:48 AM.

[Skywatcher]

What a beautiful huge old timer !

Your little piece of the world is gorgeous Alder............

[Alder Logs]

What a beautiful huge old timer !

Your little piece of the world is gorgeous Alder............

 

Yeah, it's the shits being on lock-down here. 

 

BTW, I made the swing out of a board that came from a limb that broke off it.

Edited by Alder Logs, 19 March 2020 - 01:34 PM.

[UnHeisenbug]

That American Chestnut tree is a beast of a tree! I've been keeping my eye out for a tree that large around my neighborhood and they all seem to fall short (Not Chestnuts nexcessarily).

Thanks for the wisdom Skywatcher, it is much appreciated. I think I'll keep up potting two of the chestnuts then leave the rest in smaller pots for now and/or plant them later.

They grow quite large quickly. The last picture is my potted tree collection, with two volunteer maples and a coniferous tree.

Any advice on tree keeping in general?

Cheers!

[UnHeisenbug]

It's quite obvious how ubiquitous chestnut trees are here in England now that they are in the Spring fever!