Acorn/Chestnut/Other indoor growing

[John-W-WI]

Is anyone starting anything indoors this winter?

We've been selling a lot of Roomaker Express 18's for the last few weeks, so someone is growing some trees!

Jake and I are going to start some trees indoors soon so we can document their progress. I'll post pictures/videos when we do.

-John

 

[chickenlittle]

I will do some chestnut, paw paw, and apple. Most of the chestnuts I want to direct seed in the spring but the earliest germinators will go into rootmakers and start inside.

 

[scott44]

Doing chestnuts and a feww oaks.

 

[John-W-WI]

Lets see some pictures! (really got the itch lately to see something coming to life rather than going to sleep for the season)

-John

 

[NorthPotter]

Although I promised myself I would not do anymore, I have another round of Chestnuts going in. I have some nuts from hybrids that have a very strong American phenotype plus I also have some nuts from wild Americans. From putting many, many miles on the boots, I have located a few wild americans that have battle scars from wrestling the blight for years but somehow live and still produce burrs every year. Been planting these in hopes that whatever is keeping the parent tree alive will transfer to the nuts I have collected...so far good results. Hybrid drawer with overflow bags of wild American:

Also starting some Hazelnuts that have specific qualities for which I was looking, some Kerr, and some wild crab I found that I like. Last year I successfully stratified some Calycanthus and I have some more this year. Almost time to remove and get them going.

 

[homegrownbucks]

Yes hybrid chestnut, hazel and some chinkapin. Gonna need some more 18 cell trays soon.

 

[chickenlittle]

I went through all my seeds today. I had picked up 20+ pounds of chinese chestnuts last fall from 4 different mature trees. That is way more than I want to plant so I'll probably give some away. I had washed and stored them in ziplock bags with the tops open. I wasn't really trying to stratify them, just hold them for a while and hoping to direct seed most in May. I got them out today and float tested them. Probably 75% still good. A dozen had germinated and I put those in express 18s. The rest got rebagged to finish stratifying with long fiber sphagnum moss.

I have a couple dozen hybrids some mostly american chestnut that had been stored with moss. I checked those and found one had just started to germinate. I repacked those and put back into storage. Those will go into a larger rootmaker 2 (about 8" tall by 3" diameter). It was neat last year to see the tap root hit the bottom of that containtere in just a few days before I got them up off the floor.

I had 3 small bags of paw paw seeds that I collected near Ithaca, NY. One bag was stored just with seeds and those were moldy. I got them out and washed with dish soap. None floated but I'm not sure if that means non-viable for those. I put them in a new bag with some moss.

I have seeds from two columnar apples varieties. One appeared to have 4 seeds beginning to germinate. The first bag had some seeds cut in half and I threw those away. Before I realized some were germinating, I think I trashed several more thinking they had been cut. I put those in express 18s and the rest went back into storage with fresh bags and moss.

 

[jaximus]

i have 4 express 18 trays with chinese chestnuts from wpndeer. ALL of those have nice taproots so far, and i have 6 with top growth emerging. i have 32 cell trays with bur oaks started and most are putting out taproots, but no top growth yet.

i just ordered a few more trays from John @ Big Rock, cuz i have another 70 chestnuts in the fridge that are splitting and about to put out a radical. Hes a great guy with great service.

Also! he now has RBII's in the one gallon size! im sure i will be ordering a bunch as the summer goes on!

 

[PackerBacker]

Just ordered a case of rootmaker express cells and trays. Need to work on the shelving and enclosure next.

 

[chickenlittle]

Of the 12 I put into rootmaker 18s, a couple started to send down a tap root but have died. The rest look good still with 1-3" top growth on most. I'll have to go through my bags in the fridge again soon and see what else has germinated.

 

[Spiider]

Time hasn't been on my side the last year, hoping to start up again next winter.

 

[Rally1148]

I've got some switchgrass that I'll be doing making plugs out of. Some Elderberry from seed, hopefully some cliquefoil, and ~12 American Chestnuts.

 

[John-W-WI]

I've got some switchgrass that I'll be doing making plugs out of. Some Elderberry from seed, hopefully some cliquefoil, and ~12 American Chestnuts.

Have you successfully grown Elderberry from seed before?

I'm wondering about the cold stratification they need?

-John

 

[mthompson]

Both RM-18s are full now, as of last night. This first pic is just the nuts that had germinated in my fridge until last week. All Burr oak on the left; then the right has (4) Yellow Buckeye, (11) Am. Chestnut, (2) Shagbark Hickory, and 1 mystery acorn that I found in one of the Puffballs I picked last fall (likely a Red Oak). There is also an Eastern White Oak in the round pot in the center, that one had already germinated in the Fall when I found it.

The Yellow Buckeyes have sent shoots up.

And this is the first Burr to come up just yesterday.

I have a bunch of other nuts, but I put them all in the freezer to stop the rest from germinating. I'll direct sow those in April some time.

 

[NorthPotter]

Started these about two weeks from collected seed. Hope this helps with seeing something coming to life rather than going to sleep for the season. ;)
Who is going to guess this one?:

Hints: Very cold tolerant, legume, prefers alpine meadow type summers. Reseeds itself very well. I place them here and there up North. Who knows it?..

 

[Rally1148]

Have you successfully grown Elderberry from seed before?

I'm wondering about the cold stratification they need?

-John

This is the first time I've attempted them from seed.
I collected A TON (300ish?) of seeds this summer/fall. As of now I've only had 2 sprout. I did ~3 months of stratification. I scarified roughly half of them using sand paper, but I'm not exactly sure how successfully I did that. I was kind of afraid of hurting the embryo.

 

[chummer]

I've got some switchgrass that I'll be doing making plugs out of. Some Elderberry from seed, hopefully some cliquefoil, and ~12 American Chestnuts.

What is your plan with the switchgrass? Is the plan to transplant clumps? I am very intrigued.

 

[Rally1148]

What is your plan with the switchgrass? Is the plan to transplant clumps? I am very intrigued.

Yup. There are some places, like specific points or along trails that I need some extra screening. I want to make sure that I don't get something that is so wide that deer will bed in it. It's just easier for me to do a transplant than it is to prep+plant. I have some spruce planted in areas, but this will just help increase diversity and add some more covering. I'm also using shrubs. Hopefully I'll be doing this with some big bluestem as well.

 

[chummer]

Yup. There are some places, like specific points or along trails that I need some extra screening. I want to make sure that I don't get something that is so wide that deer will bed in it. It's just easier for me to do a transplant than it is to prep+plant. I have some spruce planted in areas, but this will just help increase diversity and add some more covering. I'm also using shrubs. Hopefully I'll be doing this with some big bluestem as well.

That is brilliant. I have never heard of that before. Keep us posted. I assume this is a perennial grass that will need no maintenance once transplanted.

 

[tinytim]

I have 500 persimmon seeds in the fridge that will be coming out and be getting planted up in the next couple weeks. Anyone ever grow these from seed? this is my first try, any tips appreciated. I am on the border of zone 5-6 so I hope they will grow here.