Chestnuts Still no radical! WTH

[H20fwler]

Anyone use tray heating pads?
I'm giving them a try this winter for my chestnut project. Using grow light and mini greenhouse just isn't practical for my home set up.
I've got decent natural light in my kitchen breakfast nook that I am comendering for a couple months for my started trees just need to keep them warm.

 

[yoderjac]

Anyone use tray heating pads?
I'm giving them a try this winter for my chestnut project. Using grow light and mini greenhouse just isn't practical for my home set up.
I've got decent natural light in my kitchen breakfast nook that I am comendering for a couple months for my started trees just need to keep them warm.

I use them with cuttings but not seedlings (like elderberries or yellow twig dogwoods). I keep the ambient temp above 70 degrees for seedlings. For cuttings, tops are way ahead of roots. I find it best to plant cuttings in 5" root trapper bags (for those done indoors under lights). These bags don't prune a big tap root well but cuttings don't have them. When buds are far apart, tops don't stick up to high like they do in 18s where they are easy to bump and tear young roots.

I put these in my cold room but on heating pads. This keeps the tops cool so they don't break dormancy but warms the soil enough to accelerate root development. After a few weeks, I bring them in and put them under lights without the heating pads. You do have to watch water more closely if you use heating pads.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[H20fwler]

Thanks Jack.
Room temp is around 69 with the pads under solid trays with starting pots in them. They are right where I can keep a good eye on them and keep them watered well. I've got them on kitchen table in front of sliding glass patio doors that let in good natural light. Using the pads just to keep any chill off them on cold days in front of the glass.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Chestnuts are shooting radicals like crazy!
I'd say they are wide awake!
Tks again guys

 

[H20fwler]

Right on!

 

[wbpdeer]

Jordan,

Feels good to see them crank up. Mother Nature's clock ticks at her speed - not ours.

Congrats - glad to see things moving in the right direction. Be planting time before you know it.

Wayne

 

[Mud Hen]

I have some chestnuts in the refrigerator that I checked last night and found some of the radicals are 1/2"-1" long. When I transfer these to my 18s, should I make a hole in the soil & place the radical in it or lay it on the surface? I appreciate you guys sharing all of the good information that you have.

 

[scott44]

I have some chestnuts in the refrigerator that I checked last night and found some of the radicals are 1/2"-1" long. When I transfer these to my 18s, should I make a hole in the soil & place the radical in it or lay it on the surface? I appreciate you guys sharing all of the good information that you have.

I usually just stick them on top and press them in a little.

 

[yoderjac]

I have some chestnuts in the refrigerator that I checked last night and found some of the radicals are 1/2"-1" long. When I transfer these to my 18s, should I make a hole in the soil & place the radical in it or lay it on the surface? I appreciate you guys sharing all of the good information that you have.

When you put nuts in a ziplock bag with damp medium in the fridge and let them produce radicles there, you need to check the frequently. The nut determines up from down based on gravity just before the radicle emerges. If you change the orientation of the nut after the radicle emerges, it will react, but that takes times. It can result in a kinked tap root which can be a problem later.

If you plant a nut with no radicle or one where you can just barely see the white tip, plant it flat side down (if it has one). Place the nut in one corner of the 18 with the point in the center of the cell. They can be planted on top or under the medium. I prefer to plant mine under the medium. I fill the cell and place the nut on top. I then press the nut into the medium so the top of the nut is just below the top of the cell and add more medium on top. I find less mold issues and have fewer issues with the nut below the soil. It will work either way. I often plant mine before they begin to produce a root radicle (so orientation is not an issue) and they are more susceptible to mold at that point so it may be less of an issue after they produce a radicle.

Once the nut has produced a radicle, you want that radicle to point down into the soil. You don't want to change the orientation again. You can actually hold the nut in place at the top of the cell and then fill the cell through the holes between your fingers with medium. This lets the medium settle in nicely around the root. You can also fill the container first than then poke a hole in the middle the size of the radicle. Just be sure there is not a large air gap around the root. If the medium is fairly dry and you water after planting this won't be a real issue.

Best of luck,

Jack

 

[H20fwler]

I've got 130 planted in 4" starter pots, the radicles are maybe 2" long now after a week. I haven't had any push up yet to leaf out, I planted mine maybe 1/2" deep in a 75/25 pete/potting soil mix.

 

[wbpdeer]

I say you will see the top growth begin the 15th day to the 30th day. You are at the 7th day. Radicles are good length.

I hope that potting soil don't retain too much moisture. If it stays wet the chestnuts will rot and/or the roots will rot.

130 is a large number - you are going to be planting some trees in the near future.

Wayne

 

[H20fwler]

Wayne, I've got a few guys at work that I'm going to give seedlings to for them to plant. I've got a really good area to put a bunch in.
Everything I got from you is either potted or in the fridge (80ish) with little radicles budding out that I will direct seed in spring. I had maybe ten mold over at most, I'm very happy with how my project is turning out!

 

[yoderjac]

Wayne,

I can also confirm that I had zero mold with the nuts you sent me this year for nut grafting. I don't know if was related to weather in your area this year or improvements in collection and storage, but it was a great year for folks who got chestnuts from you!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[wbpdeer]

I was able to collect chestnuts on a good schedule and not many stayed on the ground long until I collected them.

I had the least amount of mold I have experienced. This year my germination rate is slow compared to the first two years.

It is a process that goes in different directions - we can't control as much as we wish we could.

H2OFowler - I hope you get all the trees you need.

Wayne

 

[hunterrep]

I have had seeds from Wayne in my fridge since October. No sprouts but they were by the crisper and stayed pretty cold. I am going to take out and plant soon. I got an idea from somebody else that I would like some input on.

Use 18" wide wire screen and staple together to form a tube that is 3" in diameter and 18" tall leaving the bottom open. Place as many in a tub as you can and fill half way with potting soil mixed with soil from my farm. The wire screen serves as replacement for 18's and should allow for longer tap root development since it has 9" of soil. When time to plant, plant the tubes in the ground level with the soil in the screen tube. The remaining 9" of screen above ground can be stapled tighter around the top growth serving as a rodent deterrent. The 9" below serves as a mole deterrent. On top of that, I will need to cage these to keep deer away.
Thoughts?

 

[yoderjac]

I have had seeds from Wayne in my fridge since October. No sprouts but they were by the crisper and stayed pretty cold. I am going to take out and plant soon. I got an idea from somebody else that I would like some input on.

Use 18" wide wire screen and staple together to form a tube that is 3" in diameter and 18" tall leaving the bottom open. Place as many in a tub as you can and fill half way with potting soil mixed with soil from my farm. The wire screen serves as replacement for 18's and should allow for longer tap root development since it has 9" of soil. When time to plant, plant the tubes in the ground level with the soil in the screen tube. The remaining 9" of screen above ground can be stapled tighter around the top growth serving as a rodent deterrent. The 9" below serves as a mole deterrent. On top of that, I will need to cage these to keep deer away.
Thoughts?

My thought is that you don't want a longer tap root. Either direct seed where you benefit from a long tap root that can reach the water table if that is what your climate calls for or root prune. If you are root pruning you get the most benefit by pruning the tap root early (about 4"). When you root prune, most of the upstream branching occurs in the first 4" of root before the prune. So, if you don't prune the tap root until it is 9", you get 5" of root with little branching followed by 4" of good branching. The 4" rule says that each time you transplant you want a container that adds no more than approximately 4" of mix in all directions.

If you are going to let your tap root get longer than 4" or so, I would use a container deep enough so that it never prunes. That way, when you plant the tree you will get a full tap root. The problem with that approach is that the tap root grows quickly, so you can't really start the trees early under lights or the tap root will outgrow your container and circle or j-hook. So, if you start late enough that the tap root never hits the bottom of the container, you don't get much advantage over direct seeding.

Thanks,

jack

 

[H20fwler]

Had my first chestnut sprout pop through last night, this afternoon I had nine.

Its on!!!!

 

[yoderjac]

Congrats!

 

[H20fwler]

Thanks Jack!

 

[wbpdeer]

H20fwler

That is a great feeling to see them shift gear get rolling at a fast pace.

Congrats on your success and have fun.

Wayne