Chestnut drop time

[Native Hunter]

1. What kind of chestnuts do you have?
2. Where are you located?
3. When do they drop?

I'm in South Central KY and have mostly Chinese, with only a few Dunstans. I also have one grafted tree (Eaton River). My nuts mostly drop from September 15th to October 15th, but I do have a couple of trees that are a little earlier and one or two that might go into November. I picked up some early nuts today.

 

[Kdog]

Dunstan's grown from seed
Zone 8A north/central GA
Last year was the first production and they did not drop (will update this years drop time)

 

[TreeDaddy]

Chinese
zone 8A east texas
Mine are loaded this year and the burs are turning green to brown now
They usually start around 9/15 to oct 1

bill

 

[H20fwler]

NW Ohio
Zone 6A

Dunstans- Mid October-Late Oct
Chinese-Late Sept-Mid Oct

As early as everything seems this year won't be surprised if they start dropping two weeks earlier this fall. Good year for chestnuts they are loaded.

 

[Native Hunter]

I’m doing some trial and error tests of how long to put nuts in a dehydrator to kill weevil eggs but not get so hot as to affect the taste.

In a preheated oven they say 120 degrees for 30 minutes. My test is to use a cold start from a dehydrator.

 

[chickenlittle]

I collected seed from Chinese trees in a local park in NY, about 10 miles north of the PA border in zone 5B/6A. These drop late September/early October.

I planted seedlings from the NY trees 75 miles south in PA in zone 6B. Have been getting nuts for several years but haven’t tracked ripening times yet. Avg last frost is 10 days earlier so the PA nuts should ripen earlier but I hope some seedlings will drop into October. These were planted close enough that I’ll need to remove trees and can keep any productive trees that drop later for archery season.

 

[chickenlittle]

For killing weevils, I’d consider a Sous Vide water bath at 120F.

 

[RGrizzzz]

For killing weevils, I’d consider a Sous Vide water bath at 120F.

This. A dehydrator might damage the nuts.

You could also spray your trees with Sevin late August/earlier September. There is also generic of "Warrior 2" that people spray for chestnut weevils.

 

[Baker]

My Dunstans are starting to drop now. 20+ yr old trees loaded .Zone 9a. Think I'm going to pick a few buckets and start new saplings. Will need a little help on this

 

[Native Hunter]

My Dunstans are starting to drop now. 20+ yr old trees loaded .Zone 9a. Think I'm going to pick a few buckets and start new saplings. Will need a little help on this

One way to do this would be direct seeding - planting them at the spot you want them to grow. Most people who do this put a tube over the nut. This gives it a little protection and also marks the spot so you don’t mow them down. I find a lot of chestnut seedlings that the squirrels plant in my plots. Look for them in mid spring and transplant them to where you want the trees.

PS - if you did the tube thing, I would put 3 nuts per tube and thin later if necessary.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

One way to do this would be direct seeding - planting them at the spot you want them to grow. Most people who do this put a tube over the nut. This gives it a little protection and also marks the spot so you don’t mow them down. I find a lot of chestnut seedlings that the squirrels plant in my plots. Look for them in mid spring and transplant them to where you want the trees.

PS - if you did the tube thing, I would put 3 nuts per tube and thin later if necessary.

And be sure to bury the tube 1-2 inches.

It is insane how much better direct seeding does than growing them in containers first. I only do it because I live in Minnesota, my land is in Missouri, and I start getting cabin fever in January.

 

[TreeDaddy]

And be sure to bury the tube 1-2 inches.

It is insane how much better direct seeding does than growing them in containers first. I only do it because I live in Minnesota, my land is in Missouri, and I start getting cabin fever in January.

Clearly , you have not experienced the joy of feral hogs

bill

 

[Baker]

One way to do this would be direct seeding - planting them at the spot you want them to grow. Most people who do this put a tube over the nut. This gives it a little protection and also marks the spot so you don’t mow them down. I find a lot of chestnut seedlings that the squirrels plant in my plots. Look for them in mid spring and transplant them to where you want the trees.

PS - if you did the tube thing, I would put 3 nuts per tube and thin later if necessary.

Great suggestion for a lazy guy like me. That will be my fall project. I have a perfect spot.

 

[Gmule82]

Anyone have any Bluehill chestnuts producing? I’m interested because I got a ton of his coming this spring. He says his Chinese hybrids go all around in October with some into November.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Anyone have any Bluehill chestnuts producing? I’m interested because I got a ton of his coming this spring. He says his Chinese hybrids go all around in October with some into November.

I have a few Fall Draw and Woodland chestnuts in Northern MO. They are not dropping yet and frankly don't even look close to dropping. I was there last weekend and both were still swelling. To be fair, it has only rained about 0.25" in the last four weeks, so that might be affecting it too.

 

[Teeder]

I have 6-8 dunstans in NWPA, 5b-6a. They are on the younger side and have only been producing for a couple of years. Light crops of about 2 dozen nuts per tree. Mine drop mid September to mid October on average. Like others have said, it looks like everything is early this year, so we'll see. I know my English x white cross oak is already on the edge of dropping which is way early.

 

[fingers]

Southeast Indiana Zone 6a/b soon to be re-zoned as the desert. It has not rained in 2 months and mine are dropping early. Allegheny Chinkapin is done. Chinese chestnuts are almost fully dropped. Dunstans starting to drop.

 

[Native Hunter]

Southeast Indiana Zone 6a/b soon to be re-zoned as the desert. It has not rained in 2 months and mine are dropping early. Allegheny Chinkapin is done. Chinese chestnuts are almost fully dropped. Dunstans starting to drop.View attachment 68392

Hoping you get some rain soon. In a normal year when is your drop times.

 

[fingers]

Hoping you get some rain soon. In a normal year when is your drop times.

My trees are 10-15 years old. I fertilized heavy this spring for 1st time and this is really the first year they've had a great crop. I have not kept records but would say in years past, they just started dropping now and would be done by 1st or 2nd week of October. The AC was very early this year, by at least 3 if not 4 weeks. It is so insanely dry that this years data point is irrelevant for my trees. On the plus side, the deer have been on the fallen nuts daily.

 

[Kdog]

As of today (9/20/24), 1/2 of my dunstans are still hanging and the other half are still holding tight. Non have hit the ground yet and all look to be average size.