Mostly successful direct seeded chestnuts

[chickenlittle]

For an update, chestnuts are growing pretty good. Would be better if I had 6ft tubes and not 48" or 54" tubes. I added some of the 18" mesh tubes shown in the 1st post to some last year, just sliding down a short distance over the BlueX tube for an extension. It was an awkward solution with the BlueX tubes. Even with a 48" tube, some have managed to get up without getting browsed. Hopefully everything will be beyond browse in a year or two. I'll get some pictures on the next visit to the farm.

 

[Shedder]

Most all my ACCF chestnuts were hard hit by frost. I thought they were dead but a recovery is in process for many. However, 5 years from now will be the real story. I have many chestnuts that fail after a few winters.

This was a star performer mid May, then it was frosted, then again a week later, then eaten to the ground a week after that. Now it is fighting back. Tough enough, I hope.

 

[Shedder]

I planted several ACCF AC in the woods in 2015. One was eaten mid summer last year and I thought it was dead for sure. I was amazed to see it back. I think when they get eaten early they say time to use the nut to hunker down for later. I have several alba oaks that seem to do the same.

A lesson in don't judge too quick.

 

[chickenlittle]

Here are a couple photos of my seedling chestnut orchard. These are 2 or 3 years old Chinese or Chinese hybrids. Most were direct seeded but a dozen or more were started indoors 3 years ago. 3ft wide lumite ground cloth and seedlings planted on 6-8ft spacing. There are 4 rows with 10' to 20' between rows. The 48" and 54" BlueX tubes are not really tall enough to keep the deer from browsing the young growth but a number have managed to get up higher. A few I added a mesh plastic tube on top to extend it another foot or so. I should do that to some more on my next visit. I think a good goal is to get most over browse height by next fall. When they start producing nuts, I'll start thinning the chestnuts to select for later dropping trees.

There are some hazelnuts mixed in.The hazels were planted 3 years ago and I think I'll remove the tubes on those next spring.

 

[Terry Colin]

Hi guys! Last fall I was lucky enough to pick up about 200 AM Chestnuts from out of a friends back yard. So I put them in the freezer around Nov until March. I pulled them out and let them set in my garage until April. To my surprise most all of them started to sprout. So I put them I'm potting trays to get them established. Well the squirrels started to get to them, so I had to build a cage to put them in. That took care of my problem with the squirrels. Now I notice that on some of them the leaves are turning yellow. What could be causing this and how can I stop it? Also what is the best time of the year to trans plant them outside? Thanks

 

[Merle Hawggard]

My big accf tree as of last week. It's pushing 30', but still didn't bloom this year. Maybe next, the main thing is its still healthy.

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[chickenlittle]

Now I notice that on some of them the leaves are turning yellow. What could be causing this and how can I stop it? Also what is the best time of the year to trans plant them outside? Thanks

Terry, I can't help on the yellowing leaves. Iron or other deficiency or watering too much? As for transplanting, that depends on where you are and how big these are. I'd want to do it then they go dormant this fall or early spring.

 

[Terry Colin]

Thanks Chickenlittle. I was sorta thinking the same thing on the planting.

 

[chickenlittle]

Got to the farm in PA last night. My girls (2,5) woke me up about 6:30am. I wasn't too interest in getting up until the older one said she saw some deer. I looked out their window across the field and saw 4 that looked like bucks. We went downstairs and I'm eyeing a dandy 8pt as they joust around and work a scrape under a hemlock. They all turn and look so I scan over and see a 5th and then a 6th buck. But that 6th one was the only real small one and he was going to town on one of my tubed chestnut trees. He was going back and forth and working the tube up the tree. I watched him a few minutes and decided I'd better go out on the porch and scare him off before he really damaged the tree and I could still get the tube back down. There were a couple others that had been attacked but those were both hazlenuts that I have mixed in.

BlueX tube pushed up about 3ft.


Look at the whole orchard, tallest one was direct seeded last year and is about 9ft tall.Hoping all can get above the deer browsing by next fall.

 

[chickenlittle]

Also surprised to find some allegheny chinkapin burrs. These have been in the ground 4 or 5 summers. Never got enough weed protection. This is the biggest one I have and only with burrs. Most die back each winter.

 

[chickenlittle]

Year 3 / 4 update. Seedling chestnut orchard is looking great with a few trees flowering. Tallest are about 10ft. Some are still trying to get up out of the tube and above deer nibbling height. Plan is to thin these once needed and keep the most productive and/or latest dropping. Very pleased with the progress.

About 40 were direct seeded in 2016 with seed from several chinese chestnut trees in a local park. The direct seeded ones did great with some hitting the top of the 48" or 54" tube that summer. Another 20 were started indoors in spring of 2015 and planted out by early summer. Those were seed from Empire Chestnut, either chinese or chinese "wildlife" hybrid. A few hazlenuts mixed into the orchard.

 

[H20fwler]

Your chestnuts are looking great!

 

[Kimberwood Farms]

Great thread, I enjoyed looking through your progress. I'm about to plant 22 American chestnuts. Then I'll pollinate them with a blight resistant tree from the ACCF when its available to get blight resistant chestnuts. I was gonna use 48" tubes but I think I'll switch to 60" tubes based on your experience. Can you tell a difference in growth between the direct planted nuts and the transplanted ones? I was gonna do some of both.

 

[IkemanTx]

I have thought of trying this for my first attempt at chestnuts... about what percentage of loss did you have that first year direct seeding?


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[yoderjac]

I really appreciate multi-year threads like this with pictures. I wish I had done more of that with my Dunstans the first year I planted them. It is great for comparing different approaches.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[chickenlittle]

At this point, i don't know which were direct seeded and which where transplanted from rootmaker 18s. I would expect the tallest were direct seeded. I got a bunch in the 8-12ft range now.

I'd say my losses are 10% or less still. The first year, maybe one or 2 didn't make it after the squirrel. I did take extra care with supplemental watering. I direct seeded when the nut had germinated and did 2 nuts per spot. On most i then snipped off or pulled the 2nd tree.

A couple trees might were damaged by bucks this fall. They attack the blue x tube and rub until off or destroyed. I think those trees will recover if i prune and retube.

 

[yoderjac]

At this point, i don't know which were direct seeded and which where transplanted from rootmaker 18s. I would expect the tallest were direct seeded. I got a bunch in the 8-12ft range now.

I'd say my losses are 10% or less still. The first year, maybe one or 2 didn't make it after the squirrel. I did take extra care with supplemental watering. I direct seeded when the nut had germinated and did 2 nuts per spot. On most i then snipped off or pulled the 2nd tree.

A couple trees might were damaged by bucks this fall. They attack the blue x tube and rub until off or destroyed. I think those trees will recover if i prune and retube.

Did you plant your RM from fully filled 3 gal containers? My experience so far suggest that direct seeded may beat trees planted from 1 gal RB2s. That probably has a lot to do with the care and feeding of my RM trees at home verses trees fending completely for themselves in my heavy clay. When planted from 1 gals, the root system just isn't large enough for them to thrive on their own but they do survive and grow. Planting from cells is a waste of time.

Another factor is probably culling. At least one year, I planted everything and didn't cull. I found some trees did significantly better than others. Since then, when I've worked with chestnuts, I've started many more than I could plant and culled my way to the best growers.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[chickenlittle]

From RM 18s. I've never had great experiences growing chestnuts indoors and have even less desire to continue caring for them in pots outside. Planted out from 18s after last frost. Watered, tube, weed mat.

 

[yoderjac]

From RM 18s. I've never had great experiences growing chestnuts indoors and have even less desire to continue caring for them in pots outside. Planted out from 18s after last frost. Watered, tube, weed mat.

If you are planted from 18s and having success, I'd guess the big difference is watering. My farm is an hour and a half away so trees I plant don't get supplemental water. Trees in the root pruning container system at home get all the water they want.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Whats your guys thoughts about direct seeding now vs waiting till closer to spring time once trees start germinating??? If protected by a tube be ok to let seeds winter in planting site?