| Chestnuts |
|
||
|
By:
JSW
Date:01-Dec-18
|
Does anyone have any chestnuts they would be willing to sell. I've been starting trees in small containers and then replanting them and I would like to start some chestnuts. Can anyone help me with this?
Jim
|
By:
t-roy
Date:01-Dec-18
|
My trees have produced some nuts the past couple of years that, I believe, were viable. They were filled out, vs some others that produced seed pods, but were shriveled when I opened them up. I sent some to another bowsiter last year, but I never got any feedback as to whether they sprouted or not. I didn’t save any from this year.
My trees are just starting to produce a few more seed pods, so I’m hoping to have some more next year. If you would like some next year, I would be more than happy to try and save you some, Jim! Sorry I didn’t pick any up this fall. They are Dunstans.
|
By:
ben h
Date:01-Dec-18
|
I have a horse chestnut tree on a rental property I have in Salt Lake. I haven't been there in a while, but if it's anything like years past, I only have about 10,000 of seeds on the lawn. If you want some, I can have some sent. They've probably been down a while would be my guess.
|
By:
JSW
Date:01-Dec-18
|
I'll try whatever anyone wants to send me. I'll pay postage. I don't need 10,000 but a couple dozen would be great. Thanks,
|
By:
CAS_HNTR
Date:01-Dec-18
|
I can get you in touch with someone more than likely. Send me a PM
|
By:
t-roy
Date:01-Dec-18
|
Jim.....maybe we can work out some kind of a swap ;-)
|
By:
longbeard
Date:01-Dec-18
|
Jim I’ve read that Chinese Chestnut trees mature earlier than American Chestnut tree. Thus producing fruit much sooner. Sometimes NWTF has a promotion on them
|
By:
Catscratch
Date:01-Dec-18
|
Just personal curiosity, are you wanting American Chestnuts or Chinese Chestnut? I've planted quite a few Chinese just because I don't have the stomach to loose trees to blight. There are guys out there though that have the fortitude and perseverance to continue to try to save the American Chestnut... I just want to grow a tree that produces nuts without being a pain in the ass.
|
By:
t-roy
Date:01-Dec-18
|
The Dunstan is an American Chestnut that is a blight resistant variety.
|
By:
Catscratch
Date:01-Dec-18
|
I thought the Dunstan was a hybrid with the Chinese.?. Maybe I'm wrong, just going off memory here. I know there are breeding programs out there trying to isolate American chestnuts that are naturally genetically resistant. I didn't know that there are any that are 100% resistant or even readily available to the general population. I do know I would hate to invest a lot of time and energy into growing a tree for a bunch of years just to watch it die back to roots just before bearing age.
|
By:
t-roy
Date:01-Dec-18
|
You are correct, Catscratch. Your memory is better than mine! They are a hybrid of American and 3 different Chinese varieties. Interesting article about their development on Chestnut Hill Nursery’s website.
|
By:
Catscratch
Date:01-Dec-18
|
Thanks t-roy, I'll read up on that when I get a little time. I'm always interested in the advancement of the American Chestnut. It's history with this country and it's downfall is an interesting tale. I would love to see a comeback!
|
By:
Old School
Date:01-Dec-18
|
Chestnuthilltreefarm.com has a lot of information on the Dunstan chestnuts. They sell them and they are pricey.
--Mitch
|
By:
WV Mountaineer
Date:01-Dec-18
|
JSW, contact your state forestry department. Most offer sales late winter/every spring of year old seedlings. You can get them CHEAPl. And forgo the year wait time. I bought 25 last year and put them in planters. They are ready for transplant this spring.
|
By:
BOHUNTER09
Date:02-Dec-18
|
I have 8 Chinese chestnut trees producing their first crop this year. Matured a full month ahead of my dunstans
|
By:
Almost Retired
Date:03-Dec-18
|
chestnutridgeofpikecounty.com
Chestnut Ridge sells Dunstan seeds for planting. I have ordered from them for several years. Near 95% germination.
Good Luck.
|
By:
BullBuster
Date:04-Dec-18
|
Washington Chestnut Co for out west.
|
By:
JSW
Date:05-Dec-18
|
Thanks for all the good advice. I buy quite a few trees from the Kansas State Forestry in Manhattan but they don't have chestnuts. I also purchased about $400 worth of Dunstan chestnuts about 5 years ago and they all died. One made it a year but tall the others died within months. During the same period, I had about 90% survival of all the other trees I planted. I want to have some chestnut trees but I'm not willing to risk hundreds of dollars. I will risk my time and effort and maybe learn something along the way.
|
By:
ACB
Date:05-Dec-18
|
The American Chestnut my very well be on the verge of a comeback. The SUNY-ESF campus with the help of Monsanto and others has transplanted a gene from wheat into American Chestnut trees that makes them blight tolerant.The trees are 99.99% American Chestnut. They have 10,000 trees planted now waiting on federal approval to release them and more of these trees . They are in the 3 ed or 4 th year of what could be a 10 year process to release these trees . I have been following this last few years . It is very promising. I may not see it , but hopefully my kids will see the American Chestnut tree come back to the US. It is a GMO so they have to go through the approval process.
|
By:
t-roy
Date:05-Dec-18
|
Any thoughts in particular as to why you think your chestnuts might have all died and your other trees made it, Jim? Was it a dry year? Were your trees caged/tubed? Did they die during the growing season, or did they not regenerate the following spring? What were the other varieties of trees that you planted that survived? Rodents?
If I remember correctly what you posted on your monster whitetail thread, you don’t live near your property, but do get to it fairly regularly. If dry weather was possibly the culprit, one thing that I’ve done on some newly planted trees is, I’ll drill a small hole in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket, setting the bucket next to the tree that I’ve mulched heavily. I’ll saturate the ground, then fill the bucket. It seems to help my trees gain some additional days with moisture during dry periods. They also make some tree watering drip irrigation bags that you kind of wrap around the base of the tree and fill. Ive not tried these, but they look like they would work great, (other than possibly rodents chewing holes in them) probably lots better than the buckets. I believe you can zip bags together for more volume, up to 20 gallons I think.
ACB.....Very interesting info. Thanks
|
By:
Catscratch
Date:05-Dec-18
|
Wow ACB, that is great! I'm with t-roy, why did they die? I've known several people who lost tree's in the winter because they failed to water them. Dormant trees need water too. Could this be an issue? I doubt it is because of the high success rate of the other trees you planted but maybe chestnuts just need more... Just throwing out ideas. My strategy is currently to plant fewer trees but take really good care of the one's I do plant. I would rather plant and successfully grow 5 trees, than let 500 trees die due to neglect.
|
By:
JSW
Date:05-Dec-18
|
ACB, I've thought about it for years and I don't know why. I called the nursery where I bought them hoping they had an answer and they didn't. It was a fairly dry year but my brother was able to water them about once a week unless it rained. I planted apple, pear can crab apple the same year and they did fairly well. About 90% survival on those. I don't recall if I planted 10 or 12 but by midsummer all of them but one was dead. I used plastic tree tubes so rodents were not an issue. 1 survived through the next year but was dead 2 years after I planted it. Maybe they require more water than we could get to them. I'm going to try some different things when I plant more of them and hopefully I'll have some success.
|
By:
JSW
Date:05-Dec-18
|
ACB Thanks for sharing the information about the genetic research. We live in interesting times.
|
By:
kyrob
Date:05-Dec-18
|
JSW. PM me your address and I’ll send you some chestnuts from KY. I started 26 from seed this past April and they were about 18” when I put them out on my farm a month ago.
|
By:
Catscratch
Date:05-Dec-18
|
The trees that died, were they container grown? When you planted them did they have taproots circled around the bottom of the pot? Did you slice the rootball any before planting? The trees that you said survived are all have a fibrous type root system while chestnuts have a taproot. If the taproot isn't addressed properly then you could have had issues that your other trees didn't.
|
By:
JSW
Date:05-Dec-18
|
They were container grown but I don't recall much about how I planted them. I'm certain I followed the instructions that they sent with them. Many of my other trees have come from Morse Nursery. I follow their instructions and have had very good luck with them. I have also planted thousands of cedars and shrubs from Kansas forestry, both container and bare root. I've head pretty good luck with those as well except for one severe drought year. I learn a little every year.
|
By:
Habitat
Date:05-Dec-18
|
I have been emailing Dunstans today before I saw this thread to look at getting some.I have a couple now and they seem to be growing except the deer nip off the top.They only ship to 1 location in Kansas so i will watch OK also,these are not susceptible to blight like others from what i understand
|
By:
ACB
Date:05-Dec-18
|
I have a friend in VA that has planted 70+ Dunstan Chestnut trees and he had a awful time with voles eating the roots on his trees before he started treating around them with a granulated pellet.
|
By:
JSW
Date:05-Dec-18
|
Voles??? I really have no idea about that. How do you even know if they are around?
|
By:
ACB
Date:05-Dec-18
|
You can see there tunnels leading to the tree . When a tree dies you can dig or pull it up and see where the voles have eaten the outer layer off the roots if it died from voles . Some trees will put out from the roots next year , but it will be several shoots like a bush , so I have always replanted vole damage trees.
|
By:
t-roy
Date:05-Dec-18
|
Good point, ACB. You can get the poison pellets to control the voles at orchard supply stores. My dad would put the pellets out in his apple orchard until the trees got bigger.
|
By:
kyrob
Date:05-Dec-18
|
JSW. PM me your address and I’ll send you some chestnuts from KY. I started 26 from seed this past April and they were about 18” when I put them out on my farm a month ago.
|
By:
stealthycat
Date:05-Dec-18
|
https://ozarkchinquapinmembership.org/
most people don't know what they are anymore :(
|
By:
JSW
Date:06-Dec-18
|
Stealthycat, That is interesting. I'll do some research on the chinquapin tree and see if they will work in Kansas. Thanks.
|
By:
APauls
Date:06-Dec-18
|
I've heard of throwing a pile of those little beads that are in diapers in when you plant trees. Idea being they soak up moisture when there is lots and hang onto it for a while and the roots pull it out a little at a time. Anyone ever done this? Urban Legend?
|
By:
flyingbrass
Date:06-Dec-18
|
I am a member of the ozark chinquapin foundation. They sent chinquapins to me and more than half of the produced a seedling. I plan on planting them late February.
|
By:
t-roy
Date:06-Dec-18
|
APauls....None other than TBM himself, suggested doing basically the same thing, except he suggested burying the entire diaper. I asked him if he thought throwing in a used one (#2) would be even better, by covering the fertilization aspect as well.
He never got back to me.
They make moisture retaining crystals that are specifically made for the application that you suggested. I’ve never tried them, but I couldn’t imagine it doing anything but help.
