Lucky 13
Member
Thanks for all you help with these. Fun project so far!
May have bit off more than I can chew. It seems to be a never ending operation. Thanks skip for 9 million pounds of seed. 
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deep woods goat hunter
PMA Member
Ill be getting back after it this weekend
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JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
https://reason.com/2020/10/13/the-u...ant-blight-resistant-american-chestnut-trees/
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Just getting into the avid habitat work with my new land. I've always had a strong interest in it, but now that I have a piece of ground to do my own thing, it consumes my mind. Trying to catch up on decades of forum postings here over this crappy winter to educate myself and cut out years of mistakes learning from others - this is a great resource! I've spent hours reading up on all the great info in the doubletree corner, to try avoiding asking a question someone has asked already. Among a hundred other wildlife projects I want to do, I'm really interested in trying to get chestnuts going. I have a handful of late maturing varieties planted from Morse last fall, but that's getting expensive. I want to try the "seed to tree" method to cheapen it up and I love doing things myself.
A couple questions:
For my trees planted already, has anyone found a paint combination (even read about pepper mixture with paint) or other method to keep varmints from killing tubed trees? Or is keeping bare ground the best method.
Also, I've seen some videos of starting seeds in the fridge to stratify them. Looks like I missed the boat at this point of the year for that as it looks like I should have gotten fresh seed in October to start that process. Is the fridge process the best way to start the seed to tree chestnut process? I've also read some about people putting the tree tube a couple inches in the ground (critter protection) and planting the seeds right at the desired tree planting site - seems like there could be less repotting/transplanting work with this method, but maybe just risking dud plantings where nothing grows being the con to that.
A couple questions:
For my trees planted already, has anyone found a paint combination (even read about pepper mixture with paint) or other method to keep varmints from killing tubed trees? Or is keeping bare ground the best method.
Also, I've seen some videos of starting seeds in the fridge to stratify them. Looks like I missed the boat at this point of the year for that as it looks like I should have gotten fresh seed in October to start that process. Is the fridge process the best way to start the seed to tree chestnut process? I've also read some about people putting the tree tube a couple inches in the ground (critter protection) and planting the seeds right at the desired tree planting site - seems like there could be less repotting/transplanting work with this method, but maybe just risking dud plantings where nothing grows being the con to that.
Lucky 13
Member
Habitat1
I have only been doing chestnuts for a couple years but maybe I can help with your questions.
To keep critters away, I just mowed about 3-4 feet around each tree. I also have a mulch ring around each tree with the mulch piled about 3" up the side of the tube. So far that has kept the field mice/voles from chewing on the trees.
Hardest thing about stratifying nuts was my wife being mad about the space I took up in her fridge.. last year I only had maybe 10 out of 500 nuts not germinate. This year looks to be good as well. It is very easy to do and fun to watch them progress from nut to tree. Around Mid May I take the germinated nuts and plant them in treepots and keep them protected from coons and squirrels. They stay in the pots until they are about 1-2' tall then I transplanted them to their final location. In addition to tree tubes, I also place a 5' welded wire fence around each tree. Before I did this, the bucks would beat up the tree tubes like they were mad as hell.
Like I say, I am new to this and learning more about tree planting all the time. The other guys on this thread are way more experienced and will be a great reference.
I have only been doing chestnuts for a couple years but maybe I can help with your questions.
To keep critters away, I just mowed about 3-4 feet around each tree. I also have a mulch ring around each tree with the mulch piled about 3" up the side of the tube. So far that has kept the field mice/voles from chewing on the trees.
Hardest thing about stratifying nuts was my wife being mad about the space I took up in her fridge.. last year I only had maybe 10 out of 500 nuts not germinate. This year looks to be good as well. It is very easy to do and fun to watch them progress from nut to tree. Around Mid May I take the germinated nuts and plant them in treepots and keep them protected from coons and squirrels. They stay in the pots until they are about 1-2' tall then I transplanted them to their final location. In addition to tree tubes, I also place a 5' welded wire fence around each tree. Before I did this, the bucks would beat up the tree tubes like they were mad as hell.
Like I say, I am new to this and learning more about tree planting all the time. The other guys on this thread are way more experienced and will be a great reference.
More questions on chestnuts. Its my first year growing them from seed and am happy so far, with about 20 or so, ranging from 6-15". I've got them outside in a cage. 3/4 of them planted in +/- half gallon root socks and the other 1/4 in standard +/- 1/2 gallon pots (I put a bunch of holes in them to try minimizing root circling). I'm hoping to keep them home until spring, as the area I'd like to plant most of them, is too grown up with trees and brush. I planted 172 trees this spring and need another area for "food trees". I'd like to clear the spot I'm thinking next Feb/Mar and have this area mostly in these chestnuts I'm growing. For those of you with experience growing seedlings, how would you recommend I hold them until Spring (if possible)? Should I get them in bigger pots for the rest of the growing season then put in the ground in my yard over winter, to be dug up in the spring for transplanting?
Farm boy
Well-Known Member
Your probably ok with the containers till fall.
Come fall get them in the ground in your yard so they winter more like normal, by doing that you will get the heat from the ground.
If you leave them in the pots they will freeze, I have had it happen.
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I’ve not had this. Did they dry out ? Or are they still growing ok?
Not having luck posting my other pics but they are completely brown, a few borderline dead. I kept them in a peat/soil mix i started them in when they started sprouting from the fridge. Wondering if i shouldve put them into a heavier soil mix if the peat dried the roots out too much. I tried transplanting them into my garden to see if that might turn them around.
I’ve had that before. I can’t recall…. Over watering or under watering? Peat moss holds water like crazy. Could they be too moist?
I’d check moisture level.
If u have time - water the plants where u water directly in pot & not on leaves.
could be several things …. Might get some “tree soil” which has bark like material in it. & some perlite. If u need some help making on ur own - I could throw some soil examples out. U for sure want well drained. I might be wrong but 1st thing I’d look at is getting more well drained soil & seeing if possibly too much water?
I’ve had it where mine dried up…. The leaves also turned brown later but they were a super LIGHT GREEN color. Yours look dark green.
the pics above do not look bad. Bet it’s some slight adjustments u can make.
Farm boy
Well-Known Member
We've been starting Chestnut seeds for a while now I have a small greenhouse a lot of trial and error.
This is the second year in a row that we've had extremely good luck growing them.
We use only potting soil mixed with perlite and we also catch rainwater and only water them with that.
We also spray for mites and aphids.
If I had to guess what you're describing your soils getting too wet on you.
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