Native tree seedling starting

[Carbonspyder]

It's getting to be that time of year to start some seeds indoors, especially stratifying some native plants and trees.

Still a little cold here in WI but I've got a few dozen milk jugs outside with some native seeds stratifying in them.

Back inside, I've got some American chestnuts sprouting after a cold period in the fridge. They used to be native to some parts of Wisconsin but were functionally extinct due to a blight, some of the last giant ones were cut near LaCrosse a couple years ago due to getting blight. Chestnuts used to apparently drop golf ball sized nuts like oaks every year and were a very important wildlife mast tree. I'm going to try and bring a couple back to hopefully have a couple nuts and to keep them sprouting in our woods.

I also have about 10 swamp white oak acorns sitting in some milk jugs that should sprout any day now, not sure why they're being so stubborn, I even have a couple in some wet paper towel but no luck yet. Otherwise when it's warmer I will direct seed them in some tilled soil to grow for a year or two. I have about 150 to plant.

Lastly, I don't have them pictured, but I have 5 butternut seedlings that are in the greenhouse and about a foot tall which were planted last year. I'd like to plant them this year around the farm for some more mast trees.

Anyone else getting anxious for spring and getting a start on some acorns or other natives?

 

[Carbonspyder]

Photo 1 is a chestnut sprouting after meeting some soil, picture 2 is one of my stubborn SWO acorns.

 

[OakSeeds]

Your SWOs need heat & moisture

 

[Teeder]

I have a handful started. Chestnuts, NRO, Bur, and some odds and ends. Most are getting traded to a guy for norway spruce and white pines. Concentrating on conifer planting this year.

 

[Carbonspyder]

Looking good! It's possible that my SWO's aren't getting warm enough in the jugs by the window, hopefully longer days will help too.

 

[bigboreblr]

From seed is nice, but sometimes you can get nice 2 year old bareroots for very cheap in some places. Butternut might be a hard find.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Butternut in WI? Got bad news for ya unless some improved variety out there. Last of my trees died over 15 yrs ago from butternut canker. Ones in nearby farmyard down the road also succumbed. Was a fair amount native to that area too.

Wisconsin was ground zero for this invasive fungal disease kinda like how Michigan was for Emerald Ash Borer

Oh and the official name:
Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum (a mitosporic fungus that causes the butternut canker, a lethal disease of butternut). Kinda rolls off the tongue don't it.

BTW, the chestnuts near Lacrosse were not native but were planted late 1800s and were so far removed from other trees that the blight did not affect them for many decades. They were studied as maybe a source of resistance to the blight but just turns out were so isolated was the real reason they survived for so long.

 

[Carbonspyder]

Butternut in WI? Got bad news for ya unless some improved variety out there. Last of my trees died over 15 yrs ago from butternut canker. Ones in nearby farmyard down the road also succumbed. Was a fair amount native to that area too.

Wisconsin was ground zero for this invasive fungal disease kinda like how Michigan was for Emerald Ash Borer

Oh and the official name:
Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum (a mitosporic fungus that causes the butternut canker, a lethal disease of butternut). Kinda rolls off the tongue don't it.

BTW, the chestnuts near Lacrosse were not native but were planted late 1800s and were so far removed from other trees that the blight did not affect them for many decades. They were studied as maybe a source of resistance to the blight but just turns out were so isolated was the real reason they survived for so long.

I did not know that about the chestnuts, thank you. I know its unlikely mine will survive as well but I guess you never know, and they're fun to experiment with.

My butternuts were picked from a healthy local parent tree but I know there's probably little hope for them. I have seen some healthy and seemingly resistant, or maybe just lucky ones around the central and north western part of the state. The largest I've found so far was about 20" dbh and canker free for now.

I've also found that butternut seems to have a pretty good germination rate. All but one of my butternuts sprouted.

The butternut and chestnut growing might be futile but it's interesting to try and good fun. My other plantings should be more productive and survivable.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I grow quite a few trees out from seed indoors each winter. It is a winter project because I also grow them in an air-pruning box in the spring, and the spring-planted trees are always bigger by the fall.

Here is what I am growing this year:

Chestnuts:

• ‘Dunstan’ (C) from Chestnut Ridge
• ‘Colossal’ (JxE) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Layeroka’ (ExJ) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Silverleaf’ (Jxpumila) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Maraval’ (ExJ) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘AU Homestead’ (C) chestnut from UMCA
• ‘Qing’ (C) chestnut from UMCA
• ‘Qing’ (C) chestnut from A Perfect Circle
• Ozark chinquapin hybrid chestnut from A Perfect Circle
• Ozark chinquapin chestnut from OCCF
• Allegheny chinkapin chestnut from Route 9 Cooperative
• Empire collection (C) chestnuts from Route 9 Cooperative

Hazelnuts:

• Upper midwest hazelnut initiative nuts
• ‘Jefferson’ hazelnut from Burnt Ridge
• ‘McDonald’ hazelnut from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Yamhill’ hazelnut from Burnt Ridge
• Wild sourced American hazelnuts
  

Others:

• Wild persimmons
• Gray dogwood
• Various perennial wildflowers I am plugging into some prairies

 

[Carbonspyder]

I grow quite a few trees out from seed indoors each winter. It is a winter project because I also grow them in an air-pruning box in the spring, and the spring-planted trees are always bigger by the fall.

Here is what I am growing this year:

Chestnuts:

• ‘Dunstan’ (C) from Chestnut Ridge
• ‘Colossal’ (JxE) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Layeroka’ (ExJ) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Silverleaf’ (Jxpumila) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Maraval’ (ExJ) from Burnt Ridge
• ‘AU Homestead’ (C) chestnut from UMCA
• ‘Qing’ (C) chestnut from UMCA
• ‘Qing’ (C) chestnut from A Perfect Circle
• Ozark chinquapin hybrid chestnut from A Perfect Circle
• Ozark chinquapin chestnut from OCCF
• Allegheny chinkapin chestnut from Route 9 Cooperative
• Empire collection (C) chestnuts from Route 9 Cooperative

Hazelnuts:

• Upper midwest hazelnut initiative nuts
• ‘Jefferson’ hazelnut from Burnt Ridge
• ‘McDonald’ hazelnut from Burnt Ridge
• ‘Yamhill’ hazelnut from Burnt Ridge
• Wild sourced American hazelnuts

Others:

• Wild persimmons
• Gray dogwood
• Various perennial wildflowers I am plugging into some prairies

View attachment 74644

View attachment 74645

View attachment 74646

View attachment 74647

View attachment 74648

Awesome! Are those chestnuts under a grow light indoors?

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Awesome! Are those chestnuts under a grow light indoors?

Yup. 5000 lumen LED shop lights that are all linked to a timer.

 

[Teeder]

Yup. 5000 lumen LED shop lights that are all linked to a timer.

That's how mine are rigged up.

 

[Angus 1895]

I got some red oaks from the liberty lake Washington best western parking lot.

Some white oaks found near Idaho Falls.

Some sugar maples from Bozeman.

I also got some un sprouted ( yet ) white oaks from Bozeman.

 

[Carbonspyder]

Do those lights provide heat as well or is it just light and room temp is enough? Like oakseeds said I think I need more heat for my acorns. It seems that milk jugs in the window sill inside isn't enough.

 

[Teeder]

No, just light.
My basement is set at 60 deg.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Do those lights provide heat as well or is it just light and room temp is enough? Like oakseeds said I think I need more heat for my acorns. It seems that milk jugs in the window sill inside isn't enough.

That definitely won't be enough light. You will end up with spindly seedlings.

I use a small bedroom as a grow room. The lights and vent from central heat get the room to 80 F most days. I originally bought a heater thinking I would need it but the room stays plenty warm.

If you have to do this in a garage or large open space, you could use plastic sheets to make a small greenhouse.