Cheatnut trees

[JERRED GRACEY]

I know with fruit trees u prune to get a single leader. Do u guys do the same with chestnut and oak trees

 

[j-bird]

I know with fruit trees u prune to get a single leader. Do u guys do the same with chestnut and oak trees

I do. The damage that can be caused to a fruit tree from improper from is the same for any mast tree. Now that doesn't mean I kill off any poorly formed tree. But it means that IF I can correct the form early in it's establishment I try to. I have a chestnut that is getting a decent hair cut once dormant because of a low fork in it's form.

 

[Catscratch]

You might check some chestnut threads. It seems like I remember some avid growers stating that they let them take the form they choose. My chestnuts have grown very slowly so I can't say much about their patterns other than to me it appears they tend towards bushy rather than a single vertical trunk.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I let the chestnuts go

I go after waterspouts/rootsuckers /deviant branches ,etc of fruit trees,oaks when dormant

bill

 

[The Fishman]

I would prune a chestnut and an oak tree. Here is an article on pruning chestnuts.

 

[yoderjac]

I know with fruit trees u prune to get a single leader. Do u guys do the same with chestnut and oak trees

My sense is it is not a 1st order driver when it comes to chestnut or oak trees for wildlife. If you have a few tree for attraction and have the time and nothing better to do you can prune them. It will let you shape the tree. I've seen nothing indicating that it really improves nut production in any meaningful way like apples. I have way too many trees to fool with it. I have pruned dunstan seedlings I've started indoors in rootmakers to get more of an American phenotype than Chinese but once they hit the field, I'm done. The exception is dead or diseased branches. Pruning to reduce disease spread is always a good idea.

Thanks,

Jack