2016 NUT/ SEED EXCHANGE

Are you asking me how many trees contributed to the pile? 4 on one location, 2 at another location, and about 20 at another location. The location with 4 trees provided me with a 5 gallon bucket full. The 20 trees dropping at one location provide me with two 5 gallon buckets. The 2 tree location provide me about 2.5 gallons. I was back at that 2.5 gallon location today and collected 2 gallons early this morning. It rained between 2.5 and 3.0 inches in our area on Saturday and I visited that location thinking it would be ready to pick up a bunch - not so. I was disappointed in 2 gallons.

Now if I didn't answer the question correctly, please follow up with me.

How many trees would 6,100 chestnuts produce? Germination at 92% would be my estimate. I would take 80% of the germination to make viable trees. A top-notch growing operation could generate between 4,400 and 4,500 trees. Beginners would get about 45 to 50% viable trees. These are general numbers.

I have seen beginners do great with Chinese Chestnuts and I have seen experience growers kill them all. You get what you get. Experimenting is bad when growing chestnuts.

Just my 2 cents...

Others will have their opinion and I say they have just as much right as I do to their 2 cents...;)
Yup that pretty much answers it .....I thought I was doing good tonight when I picked up 35....lol

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To make you feel better I hit my two best trees that I have picked from in 2014 and 2015. I collected only 6 chestnuts off those trees last night. They are holding 100% of their burs with maybe 5 % of the burs showing any brown at the seams of the bur.

There are 30 trees at the Grove where I had 20 trees dropping chestnuts. The good news is that 30 tree grove has some trees that drop in October. I love those trees.

I find my new trees by talking to people and driving country roads in June with binos. The catkins make a Chinese Chestnut look like a green fuzz ball at that time. You can see them a mile away in the afternoon sun.

I collect to help people grow chestnut seedlings. I will cherry pick the best nuts for my stash. If you have 35 nuts - that is almost two rootmaker 18 express trays.

How many green burs on the tree where you collect 35 chestnuts? If the tree is loaded - watch for wind and rain occurrences. Business will pick up.
 
Certainly more than half left to fall ...although lot if burrs were open on the stem and nut falling out on its own .....I didn't think they did that

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They fall the way they fall. When you have 700 to 800 burs on a big tree it will happen all kinds of ways.

When you have chestnut that has three burs tightly together, they really fall in different ways. I don't do it, but some folks like to put a tarp down so they know what just fell and collection is simple. I use a nut wizard so I want nothing between me and the chestnuts. If you have half the burs in the tree, you will increase your total number of chestnuts.

Good luck and have fun.
 
What is a nut wizard

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A nut wizard is rolling basket at the end of handle like a broom handle or shovel handle. The wires separate enough to allow the chestnut to slip inside the cage. The company that makes them have different size cages for different applications. I bet most nut wizards were purchased for pecan collection.

I will post a photo. You can do a search on a web browser to see the company. I don't leave the house without mind at collection time. Think of using a paint roller only we ain't painting. I roll this on the ground and can collect nuts fast. I am a lefty - so I hold the handle in my left hand. I use the ends to turn a bur over - or I kick stuff with my feet.

A wonderful resource for someone doing what I am doing. The Frankenstein Walk is what my family called it the first day I collect before this tool was used. I walked stiff legged for 2 - 4 days when I collected by hand. Too old for that.

Nut Wizard.jpg
 
I collected a bunch of SWO this weekend, as well as what I think is an English Oak (I'll confirm later).....if anyone wants/needs some.
 
I will have a pretty decent quantity of an asian persimmon. I have been watching this grove of trees for several years now, they are always reliable and have a VERY long, steady dropping season. Last year they dropped fruit from bow season til thanksgiving. They are similar in size and shape to our native persimmon but they definitely have a sweeter taste. It seems that every tree in this grove produces fruit, even the volunteer trees around the edges, so I'm guessing this variety doesn't have male/females like our native persimmons. Our local persimmons seem to be very susceptible to a blight which kills them from the top down, this does not seem to be affecting any of these asian persimmons.

I will have.....
live oaks galore
white oaks
sawtooth (early and late drop)
shumard (becoming one of my favorites for deer b/c of the LONG drop times as well as large nut)

I'm looking for....
Swamp White Oak
Swamp Chestnut Oak
Chestnuts (chinese and hybrid/dunstan type)
Bur Oaks

I'm open for trades or outright purchase. I don't mind paying a little (reasonable fee) for the stuff I'm looking for. I'm planting on our place as well as a friends place, as well as some in pots this year so I really would like several hundred of each variety.
 
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What zone are you in? I've got some Burr acorns I'll trade for those Asian Persimmons if they are cold hardy enough...

I will have a pretty decent quantity of an asian persimmon. I have been watching this grove of trees for several years now, they are always reliable and have a VERY long, steady dropping season. Last year they dropped fruit from bow season til thanksgiving. They are similar in size and shape to our native persimmon but they definitely have a sweeter taste. It seems that every tree in this grove produces fruit, even the volunteer trees around the edges, so I'm guessing this variety doesn't have male/females like our native persimmons. Our local persimmons seem to be very susceptible to a blight which kills them from the top down, this does not seem to be affecting any of these asian persimmons.

I will also have live oaks galore and should have plenty of white oaks and sawtooth (early and late drop).

I'm looking for....
Swamp White Oak
Swamp Chestnut Oak
Chestnuts (chinese and hybrid/dunstan type)
Bur Oaks

I'm open for trades or outright purchase. I don't mind paying a little (reasonable fee) for the stuff I'm looking for. I'm planting on our place as well as a friends place, as well as some in pots this year so I really would like several hundred of each variety.
 
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What zone are you in? I've got some Burr acorns I'll trade for those Asian Persimmons if they are cold hardy enough...
I'm on the line of zone 8/9. Let me see if I can get a better id on the persimmons....
 
I'm on the line of zone 8/9. Let me see if I can get a better id on the persimmons....

Thanks. I'm quite a bit colder in zone 6. Don't know a whole lot about Asians and how much cold they can handle.
 
Thanks. I'm quite a bit colder in zone 6. Don't know a whole lot about Asians and how much cold they can handle.
Having a hard time getting a direct id, but it seems like almost all of them are hardy zones 4-9, so you should be good no matter what they are.
 
Having a hard time getting a direct id, but it seems like almost all of them are hardy zones 4-9, so you should be good no matter what they are.
Ok, Sounds good.
pm me your address and I'll send you some Burr when they start to drop.
 
Picked up some sawtooth acorns today at a local city park. Rinsed, and mild bleach washed them, and laid them out to dry.

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There were a few Burr oaks covered in burrs that look to be a few weeks from dropping, and several Chinkapins that look like they could drop in the next week or two. I hope to be able to collect some of those soon.


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Not to kill the party but most asians I have tried are zone 7 and I have yet to get one to survive more than a couple yrs. It seems like they slowly die from winter kill and I am in North Central Oklahoma (zone 7). If these will survive I would like some seed though. Maybe this is the one that will make it. How much for 30 asian seeds?
 
Not to kill the party but most asians I have tried are zone 7 and I have yet to get one to survive more than a couple yrs. It seems like they slowly die from winter kill and I am in North Central Oklahoma (zone 7). If these will survive I would like some seed though. Maybe this is the one that will make it. How much for 30 asian seeds?

South Central Kansas. We probably aren't far from each other but you will certainly have milder winters (you probably get more ice storms though) and hotter summers than I do. I have a few friends in OK and it's amazing how much difference an hour drive south makes in climate.
 
I went ahead and ordered some flat rate boxes, if anyone wants a small usps box full of those sawtooth, I'll send it to you for $7 to cover shipping.
I should have Chinkapin dropping soon as well, and at least enough burr oak for a few people in a few weeks too.


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How do y'all clean persimmon seeds to ship? Just wondering if there is a trick some one can share.


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I collected a bunch of SWO this weekend, as well as what I think is an English Oak (I'll confirm later).....if anyone wants/needs some.

Would like to get some SWO from ya. I can swap or pay for them.


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I will have a pretty decent quantity of an asian persimmon. I have been watching this grove of trees for several years now, they are always reliable and have a VERY long, steady dropping season. Last year they dropped fruit from bow season til thanksgiving. They are similar in size and shape to our native persimmon but they definitely have a sweeter taste. It seems that every tree in this grove produces fruit, even the volunteer trees around the edges, so I'm guessing this variety doesn't have male/females like our native persimmons. Our local persimmons seem to be very susceptible to a blight which kills them from the top down, this does not seem to be affecting any of these asian persimmons.

I will have.....
live oaks galore
white oaks
sawtooth (early and late drop)
shumard (becoming one of my favorites for deer b/c of the LONG drop times as well as large nut)

I'm looking for....
Swamp White Oak
Swamp Chestnut Oak
Chestnuts (chinese and hybrid/dunstan type)
Bur Oaks

I'm open for trades or outright purchase. I don't mind paying a little (reasonable fee) for the stuff I'm looking for. I'm planting on our place as well as a friends place, as well as some in pots this year so I really would like several hundred of each variety.

This is very unusual. What variety of Kaki persimmon are they? Typically Asian persimmons don't fall from the tree when they ripen and are eaten by climbing and flying creatures. Most Asian persimmons are larger than American persimmons. I'd like to learn more about what you have.

Thanks,

jack
 
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