15/16 chestnut spource

[Jordan Selsor]

Anyone know how a guy could get his hands on some of these 15/16 American to Chinese chestnuts? Anyone a member of the ACF?

 

[kabic]

Maybe I'm incorrect but I thought that was what Dunstan Chestnuts were...

 

[j-bird]

The Dunstan Chestnut website doesn't list their "% parentage" as they put it.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Wow just noticed my spelling error above. That's what I get for making a post while driving. A paramedic should know better

Dunstans are no way near 15/16 American. They may be closer to 40%.

Jordan,

Some members that make large sponsor donations can get some seeds. But, your cost for that would be way more than the $30 Dunstans. Try $1000

http://acf.donorshops.com/product/C60EB68GIFT/annualsponsormembershipsilverleaf.php

In the next 10 years they hopefully will be available at a way lower cost.

Thanks NH
I was hoping their were some black market 15/16. I have a couple places that I would love to grow some towering Americans. May just have to settle on dunstans in these timber settings

 

[chickenlittle]

I think Dunstans have too much chinese for a timber location but if you start enough from seed you can get some that have a more timber form. Empire Chestnut sells hybrids that are more likely to be timber type but no guarantees on the form or blight resistance. For that matter, you can plant pure American. They will get blight but you'll have a tall tree before it dies.

 

[Lot2Learn]

Some members that make large sponsor donations can get some seeds. But, your cost for that would be way more than the $30 Dunstans. Try $1000

http://acf.donorshops.com/product/C60EB68GIFT/annualsponsormembershipsilverleaf.php

In the next 10 years they hopefully will be available at a way lower cost.

According to the ACF website, you might get seeds at the lower levels of membership: http://acf.donorshops.com/product/C60EB65/annualsponsormembershipchestnutleaf.php

Still pricey for sure, but I object to any suggestion that our habitat decisions have to make sense <grin>

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Letemgrow over on QDMA forum was pretty involved with ACF maybe he may have an insight

I think Dunstans have too much chinese for a timber location but if you start enough from seed you can get some that have a more timber form. Empire Chestnut sells hybrids that are more likely to be timber type but no guarantees on the form or blight resistance. For that matter, you can plant pure American. They will get blight but you'll have a tall tree before it dies.

Not a bad idea I could plant a bunch and as they mature thin the trees with more Chinese characteristics and keep the taller stature trees

 

[homegrownbucks]

Do you have to live in NY to join and get access?

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Wish I could get some feedback on the Mo ACF chapter. May have to buck up an join to see for myself I guess

 

[Native Hunter]

Jordan, either tomorrow or Friday I will see a guy who has a friend that supposedly got some 15/16 nuts off the Internet last year. I bought 8 seedlings from him last fall. Whether or not they are the real McCoy, I don't know. I didn't pay any more for them than the typical Chinese seedling, so I wasn't too worried if they ended up being some other chestnut. The leaves do look different from my Chinese trees. They are smaller and have a different shade of green.

I will ask him to call his friend and we will see if he can give us the source. If we come up with anything, I will let you know.

 

[chickenlittle]

I bet you could make some decent money selling "15/16" American chestnuts on ebay. Even if they were just plain old little chinese chestnuts...

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Jordan, either tomorrow or Friday I will see a guy who has a friend that supposedly got some 15/16 nuts off the Internet last year. I bought 8 seedlings from him last fall. Whether or not they are the real McCoy, I don't know. I didn't pay any more for them than the typical Chinese seedling, so I wasn't too worried if they ended up being some other chestnut. The leaves do look different from my Chinese trees. They are smaller and have a different shade of green.

I will ask him to call his friend and we will see if he can give us the source. If we come up with anything, I will let you know.

Boy I would sure be interested in hearing what he has to say NH! Tks for looking into it for us sir.. I would pay a fair price and then some for some legit 15/16 seed. You would think the ACF would capitalize on the ability to sell them but then again that may ruin what they got going

 

[Native Hunter]

Jordan, I actually had lunch today with the guy who grew the chestnut trees from nuts last year. He said he bought them off Ebay, but doesn't still have the name of the seller. He thinks that the same seller will show up there again this year by sometime in October. So you might want to just watch for it.

He showed me pictures of some of his trees recently, and many are over 6 feet tall. He fertilized and used tubes and mats. I only used mats on mine, and none of them have put on much height this year. But they are healthy.

The ones that really grew for me was the Chinese seedlings that I dug up with a good root ball. Some of those are over 5 feet this year for me.

 

[Native Hunter]

Jordan,

I think this may be the guy that NH is referring too. No guarantees though.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Hybrid-American-Chestnut-Tree-Seeds-Lot-Of-15-Can-Not-Ship-To-California-/361394591877?nav=SEARCH

I don't think that is the guy. His was advertised as Dunstan nuts.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Thanks NH. I will watch eBay an see if anyone pops up selling them.
I sent the above eBay seller a question but I don't think I would buck up for these unless their was some legitimacy to them coming from ACF seed stock

 

[Native Hunter]

Not to be a downer but, I don't think you'll see any ACF 15/16 produced nuts advertised on the web or eBay until they are readily available and authorized by the ACF. If they are I'm sure that the ACF would be pressing charges against that seller. They are not authorizing any for sale yet so any nuts for sale would have either been stolen or maybe a few were given away.

They have volunteers putting in a lot of hours each year planting nuts and seedlings in their orchards, hand pollinating and bagging blossoms, then removing bags and burs in the fall. Mowing, transplanting, inoculating, looking for American trees , all takes time put in by volunteers. They may get a few nuts for their time but, not enough to sell on eBay.

Like Chickenlittle said anything can be sold on eBay but, what you get in 5-7 years may not be what you thought you were buying.

The link I gave if you believe them is about as close as you're going to get. But, I'd be worried they'd get to 10 years old and then get the blight.

I don't think there is a state ACF chapter for Missouri but, there is this group. They may be able to help you find some or confirm what's been said.

THE OZARK INITIATIVE
Susan or Gerry Cormier
501-605-0387, gcormier@att.net
477 Old Country Lane
Cabot, AR 72023

When I bought those 8 seedlings last year I had many of the same reservations you mentioned. But, I only gave $5 each for them, and was willing to take a chance on 8 trees at that price. My friend bought 4 of them, and I remember telling him that I had reservations that we were actually getting true Dunstan seedlings.

One thing I don't know and maybe someone here could answer: Dunstans have been sold by Wal Marts for several years now. I would assume that some of those trees are far enough along to be producing nuts. Could someone who bought those trees be getting nuts for them and selling those nuts?

Even if that is the case, a guy couldn't be sure that a Chinese or some other chestnut nearby didn't do the pollinating, so there would still be a chance of mixed heritage.

Thanks - Steve

 

[chickenlittle]

At $5 a seedling, it is a fair price whether pure chinese or a hybrid like a Dunstan. Dunstans are already an unknown mix so no worries about what did the pollination.

 

[Native Hunter]

Steve,

There's a big difference between the 15/16 American and Dunstan chestnuts. Dunstans have a mixture of American and others. I'm not sure on the percentage but I'd say less than 50%. The Dunstan were bred for anti blight and nice nuts. Height was not a factor. The Americans are being bred for all the characteristics of the original trees with added blight resistance.

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I think there is a misconception out there that Dunstans are also 15/16 and I had thought that myself for a long time. When Jordan asked his question I made the assumption he just wanted Dunstans, but now understand what he really wanted.

The seed that my trees came from were advertised as Dunstans. So even if that same seller shows back up, he won't have what Jordan wants.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Native Hunter]

Steve,

No worries. There's definitely a lot of confusion on the subject. Dunstan certainly has people talking chestnuts so I think that's a good thing. The bottom line is if you can get chestnuts to grow and produce nuts you're doing something good for habitat.

Thanks NH,

My oldest Chinese have been growing about 10 years now, and the crops are beginning to become significant. I think at the farm I have about 25 and a few at home as well. We are losing the best 3 we have at home to a new road coming through.

I've never really researched all the things going on and the progress that's being made with bringing back the American, but it's definitely a worthy cause. Actually, I've not done a lot of study on Dunstans either. Before last fall, I only had 2 of those that a friend picked up for me somewhere about 4 years ago. The price tag always seemed a little steep when I could buy several Chinese for what one Dunstan would cost.

Great information about the 15/16. I'm 20 minutes away from what they say is the oldest surviving American Chestnut in the southeast.

 

[Native Hunter]

Steve

We are all learning. That's what I love about this forum. I learn several things each day. ( Thanks John!!)

Can you take a look at the other chestnut thread and tell me if your unpollinated Chinese nuts look like those. They have a long thingy from being unpollinated. I know the pollinated American nuts have that too but, are full when pollinated. I wasn't sure if the unpollinated Chinese had that stem thingy or not?

I'm hoping that tree got some pollination from the small Dunstan and there'll be some seed nuts. Do you find unpollinated burs drop first?

NH,

I actually don't see many nuts that aren't pollinated. I do recall that two years ago when one of my trees at home made its first burs that none were pollinated. This was the only grafted tree that I have - an Eaton River. That was 2 years ago, and last year it had just a handful of nuts. This year the burs haven't opened yet.

The ones I do remember seeing this year on Chinese that hadn't pollinated looked flatter and smaller than the ones in your picture. I do recall seeing the little strings, but I don't remember them branching out on the ends. If I gather any more this year, I will look closer and let you know. Actually I remember very few unpollinated ones this year, so I don't know about the timing of the burs opening versus pollinated.

Today I noticed one tree at my farm that didn't show any signs of opening yet. This year I have been trying to notice the variation in drop times between different trees.