Chestnuts and QDM

[yoderjac]

In summary. .......they are not the end all. They are a PIECE of the puzzle. Form that reason I am planting oaks, persimmon, apple, pear, etc

Diversity of offerings helps promote year long draw and year long health........think of the food pyramid!

Spot on! My permaculture program started with grafting my native male persimmons with female scions, it moved to Dunstan Chestnuts in volume next. I also experimented with Jujube but the jury is still out on them. We planted a few Keiffer pears but for some reason they are huge but have never fruited. Last year I started growing crabapples from seed and this year I started grafting a few DR domestic apples. I'm adding a couple more pears this year. I'm adding DCO and Hazelnuts as well this year. I tried to add seguins but I've had zero luck starting them. I got the nuts from Schumacher and others who also got the nuts from them have also been unsuccessful as far as I know. And all this permaculture is only one small aspect of our overall management plan.

Well chosen variety helps provide food across a broad spectrum of the year.

Thanks,

jack

 

[kabic]

How far north are you? Giving them a go this year, planning to baby them through this winter.


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I think you may be farther north than me. I am south of Eau Claire. I have not planted them on the scale as some others have and some of my failure may be my method. First time I tried 12 at home and tried to over winter them in my garage. Only about half of them survived the winter. I put the surviving half on the south side of the house in the spring...and I think I left them there too long and fried them. The two that did live didn't survive the second winter. I also think I may have watered them too much.

This year I planted about 12 again...not all of them sprouted and a squirrel did some damage to 2 or 3 and stole the nuts that didn't sprout. Some of the others died for unknown reasons and I am down to 2 trees that are looking pretty good. This year I am watering them much less (really rain is doing most of it) and am keep them in a shadier spot instead of full sun. My plan is to plant in the fall, cage and insulate with leaves. I believe NH Mountains does this and I will be picking his brain with the time comes.

 

[broom_JM]

In locations where chestnuts will grow well, and in particular if a true, blight resistant American Chestnut is available in the next few years, I think they are quite possibly the best hard mast producing tree you can plant. See the attributes mentioned above.

They are certainly not the only tree to plant, but can be considered an integral part of a broader hard/soft mast permaculture plan.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Some chestnuts made it 4 years now for us!

 

[Redonthehead]

Thanks for posting that MBC.

So far mice damage inside tubes has not been a serious issue for me - but yes I have had some damage. Mainly on oaks as I have a lot more tubes on those.

Have you ever held a mature Chestnut bur in your hand? The wife and I stopped by a Chinese chestnut here in town. After picking up a bur she said NO WAY ARE YOU PLANTING ONE OF THOSE IN THE YARD. I had to agree with her - those things are nasty sharp!

 

[yoderjac]

I know organic mulch can encourage mice and voles to nest making the tree more vulnerable to them. I've started using landscape fabric covered with #57 quarry stone as my mulch. No mice problems with my tubes yet....fingers crossed...

 

[j-bird]

I tend to be able to get 3 gallon container trees I. The late summer on clearance for like $10 each. I planted 3 last year and 3 the year before that. No nuts yet and only one death - my fault. It drowned I think! I cage mine just like my apples and actually plant them in the same locations. Mine are dunstan brand for what it's worth. I wonder how long it will take the deer to figure out the nuts are wood since chestnuts have been gone for so long?

 

[yoderjac]

I tend to be able to get 3 gallon container trees I. The late summer on clearance for like $10 each. I planted 3 last year and 3 the year before that. No nuts yet and only one death - my fault. It drowned I think! I cage mine just like my apples and actually plant them in the same locations. Mine are dunstan brand for what it's worth. I wonder how long it will take the deer to figure out the nuts are wood since chestnuts have been gone for so long?

It won't take them long in my area. I have native Allegheny Chinquapins which taste just like chestnuts to me.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Thanks for posting that MBC.

So far mice damage inside tubes has not been a serious issue for me - but yes I have had some damage. Mainly on oaks as I have a lot more tubes on those.

Have you ever held a mature Chestnut bur in your hand? The wife and I stopped by a Chinese chestnut here in town. After picking up a bur she said NO WAY ARE YOU PLANTING ONE OF THOSE IN THE YARD. I had to agree with her - those things are nasty sharp!

With 100 or more dpsm in my area, I don't think I will have to worry about the cleanup of chestnuts with or without burs for a long time.

 

[Redonthehead]

The nuts aren't the issue - its the carpet of spiny burs left. Deer won't eat those.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

The nuts aren't the issue - its the carpet of spiny burs left. Deer won't eat those.

I will bet huge money I will never clean up one chestnut bur as long as I live!

Whether they eat them or not! LOL

 

[chickenlittle]

I wouldn't plant a chestnut where I wanted to lounge on the yard. But I've picked up plenty of burrs by hand without ending up a pin cushion. In fact, kids can figure out how to throw them at each other if they want to. They can also be raked up with a lawn rake and scooped up with a shovel.

 

[H20fwler]

They are kind of a fad but I'm on board, I put some out last year, have some in pots to plant and will be ordering more to plant. I've got Dunstan's, Empire and straight Chinese along with chinkapin. Mine haven't been out long enough to get nuts yet, I look at them as another link in the food chain for the wildlife formula...and it gives me one more thing to mess with.

 

[Bc4abc]

I have 15 Dunstan's planted and 20 Chinese ready to go in .....From what I've been told DEER will walk past a white oak to get to them...we shall see .....
other than that .....the good news is they start producing 15 years before oak trees and I believe they are very regular with their crops AND easy to grow.

 

[yoderjac]

I have 15 Dunstan's planted and 20 Chinese ready to go in .....From what I've been told DEER will walk past a white oak to get to them...we shall see .....
other than that .....the good news is they start producing 15 years before oak trees and I believe they are very regular with their crops AND easy to grow.

Personally I think folks put much to fine of a point on deer food preferences. Sure, there are some broad generalizations you can make, but other factors influence deer use more then food preference. Also, food preference is not static. For example when winter rye first germinates, it is too close to the ground for them to eat it. As soon as it gets and inch or two tall, it is young, succulent, and very palatable. As it ages, it gets older an fibrous and loses some attraction. Probably an even larger factor is the risk/reward algorithm that constantly runs in a deer's brain. A more preferred food source may be ignored for a less preferred food source because access to it is perceived as a higher risk. For example, my success with soybeans depends on the weather. If the soil is warm enough early in the spring to plant and get good germination, my beans get a browsing break during establishment because does are fawning. They have plenty of quality native foods in the spring that are in the heavy cover where they want to stay. Once fawns drop and are mobile, they hammer the beans. If the beans are well established, no problem, but if weather makes me plant later, they get heavier browse pressure during establishment.

So, in my opinion, broad generalizations about deer food preferences are valid, but there are so many factors involved that fine distinctions really don't hold.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Personally I think folks put much to fine of a point on deer food preferences. Sure, there are some broad generalizations you can make, but other factors influence deer use more then food preference. Also, food preference is not static. For example when winter rye first germinates, it is too close to the ground for them to eat it. As soon as it gets and inch or two tall, it is young, succulent, and very palatable. As it ages, it gets older an fibrous and loses some attraction. Probably an even larger factor is the risk/reward algorithm that constantly runs in a deer's brain. A more preferred food source may be ignored for a less preferred food source because access to it is perceived as a higher risk. For example, my success with soybeans depends on the weather. If the soil is warm enough early in the spring to plant and get good germination, my beans get a browsing break during establishment because does are fawning. They have plenty of quality native foods in the spring that are in the heavy cover where they want to stay. Once fawns drop and are mobile, they hammer the beans. If the beans are well established, no problem, but if weather makes me plant later, they get heavier browse pressure during establishment.

So, in my opinion, broad generalizations about deer food preferences are valid, but there are so many factors involved that fine distinctions really don't hold.

Thanks,

Jack

You must be high as a giraffe's ass when you post!

 

[BradB]

I have been planting them because I am old and would like to actually see some return on my investment. Chestnuts are one of the things I can plant and maybe have some results in 5 years or so. I also got the AU Chestnuts from WG so I should have diferrent varieties dropping for months, including into season hopefully. I did plant mine in full sun so hopefully that helps.

 

[tooln]

For example when winter rye first germinates, it is too close to the ground for them to eat it.

Thanks,

Jack

Seriously How could you make a statement like this?

 

[Bc4abc]

The reason i plant them besides being attractive food for wildlife is ...the history of the chestnut tree in the blueridge mountains....12o years ago it was the predominant tree in the mountains and provided billions of ton s of nuts every year . The idea of planting trees that could one day be a part of the reforestation of the chestnut seems kinda cool .....

i know mine are Dunstans and not exactly pure american trees but still cool never the less.......

 

[yoderjac]

Seriously How could you make a statement like this?

Pretty easy. Deer have a pretty interesting feeding setup that is largely based on smell and feel since their eyes are positioned such that they don't actually see their food as they bite. Another thing I learned is that mixing sparse corn with soybeans has a protective effect on the beans. There is something about the corn leaves that interfere with their sensory system and my beans next to corn stalks get less browsing. The value of food compared to the effort to acquire it also plays into the equation. Once the WR hits an inch or so, it is like someone flipped a switch. I've found the same to be true with clover. When it first germinates, deer leave it until it puts on a little top growth and becomes easier to eat and a more efficient food source.

Thanks,

Jack