Growing Dunstan Chestnuts

[WNYBuckHunter]

I decided to try my hand at growing some Dunstan Chestnut trees, so I got 50 nuts that came from 2 different Dunstans. They are out in the garage now in a tupperware container, sitting in the dark. In the spring Im going to plant them in pots and keep them in an area where they should be safe from critters. Im hoping I get at least half of them to grow. After they grow in the pots for the next year or two, they will go out back into the woods, where I have an area that I am going to hinge cut and thin some of the larger trees out of over the next couple of years.

[moog5050]

2 minutes ago, WNYBuckHunter said:

I decided to try my hand at growing some Dunstan Chestnut trees, so I got 50 nuts that came from 2 different Dunstans. They are out in the garage now in a tupperware container, sitting in the dark. In the spring Im going to plant them in pots and keep them in an area where they should be safe from critters. Im hoping I get at least half of them to grow. After they grow in the pots for the next year or two, they will go out back into the woods, where I have an area that I am going to hinge cut and thin some of the larger trees out of over the next couple of years.

I might put my son to work on this.  He is a serious gardener.  Where did you get the nuts?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Just now, moog5050 said:

I might put my son to work on this.  He is a serious gardener.  Where did you get the nuts?

A person on the internet. They sell them on ebay. I found the guy on a website and then followed the breadcrumbs to his ebay store. I spent like $25 on them, so not a big loss if they dont work.

[G-Man]

You should place the nuts in a freezer bag or Tupperware with damp peatmoss..  need to be stored like that for 2 to 4 months. Fidge works if your garage is heated Just to get them to sprout, then when planted in pots you will need to protect from squirrels, chipmunks and mice. Not as easy at you would think.  Good luck 

[WNYBuckHunter]

1 minute ago, G-Man said:

You should place the nuts in a freezer bag or Tupperware with damp peatmoss..  need to be stored like that for 2 to 4 months. Fidge works if your garage is heated Just to get them to sprout, then when planted in pots you will need to protect from squirrels, chipmunks and mice. Not as easy at you would think.  Good luck 

Thats how I have them now. Unheated garage. There will be alot of tight wire mesh involved when I put them out in the pots.

[XGX7PM]

Wish you luck WNYBuckHunter, ł plan on getting an acre of Dunstans in over the course of the next 2 years. 

Have a 1 acre ledge ł must first clear before getting some mast bearing trees in. Keep us posted on how this pans out.

G-Man has given me some solid advice, one of many knowledgeable stewards of NY Forest that can be found on this forum.

[Bigfoot 327]

Do not under estimate the ability of squirrels to get your nuts! One year I placed some shagbark hickory nuts in Tupperware containers to over winter in an outside storage shed. Come Spring when I wanted to plant them, I had-   a big mess. Critters chewed through the Tupperware and destroyed every single one.

[land 1]

WNY doing the same thing... my are in the fridge for a month now, also got 10 or so oaks and they are already sprouted and inside growing,  I got my seeds from I think it was pike count chestnuts 3lbs for like 7 bucks I think...Theres  a guy on Youtube that can give you lots of advise... Erie co.chestnuts

[landtracdeerhunter]

Good luck on the growing! I been meaning to get some planted but, always turn out to be maple trees, LOL.

[land 1]

just checked my nuts/seeds they are starting to sprout a root just shy of 60days in fridge im  going to transplant them into cups with potting soil very soon and put them next to south facing window... i did some oaks like this and they are about 3in high with leaves on

[WNYBuckHunter]

I ought to go check on mine

[land 1]

yeah a week ago i didnt see anything and know the ones i checked are 1/8th to 1/4inch root.... just ordered seedling planters and mircale grow soil on amazon...soon as that arrives ill be on to next step

[b3h]

What kind of failure rate did u have with those nut/seeds?


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[G-Man]

24 minutes ago, land 1 said:

yeah a week ago i didnt see anything and know the ones i checked are 1/8th to 1/4inch root.... just ordered seedling planters and mircale grow soil on amazon...soon as that arrives ill be on to next step

Do not fert them at all 1st year you can burn them quite easily they have enough food stored from the nut itself.. best case is you cause shallow rooting and they die in 2 years.. biggest mistake people make with nuts and bare root trees.. best let them grow on their own..water as necessary but no fertalizer required...

[land 1]

so no  potting soil...just regular dirt....havent checked all the nuts but the ones i did check have tap root

[land 1]

well checked some more of the nuts most have a tap root started from just starting a root to an inch long anything with a tap root will be transplanted this weekend into 4in seedling starters the rest ill put back in fridge and see if they  sprout a root, threw three nuts out that had mold on them

[land 1]

so i got 30 nuts with tape roots that i put in planters about 10 without that went back in fridge and tossed about 8 or 10 with mold....

[land 1]

Just starting to see some upward growth on some of the nuts.....

[moog5050]

8 minutes ago, land 1 said:

Just starting to see some upward growth on some of the nuts.....

I have left my son in charge of this project.  I think he said 1/3 of the nuts will be ready to plant this week.  I forgot the term he used, but essentially, he split the nuts into 3 groups with a split as to when they will be ready.  Sounds like yours are doing well.

[land 1]

well the nuts continue to shoot sprouts up i would say since  i saw my first nut shoot up a sprout up about 10 or 12 more have visible growth and more every day so far so good

[G-Man]

You may want to place a fan on the growing trees and move it often so the "wind" comes from different directions . They are sprouting early and with out wind they will just grow tall and weak. A wind slows the growth and makes the trunks stronger.  Nurseries do this with many plants to acclimate them for better survival when transplanted 

 If they get to tall without support or a strong enough trunk they will snap..or lay down.

[land 1]

Thanks may do that hope to have them out side in larger pots by mid may then when they do go in the ground end of summer early fall going to use tree tubes I think the deer will nip them off without them

[land 1]

out of the first 30 put in plant starters all have sprouted they are between 3 and 10inches high i put four others in since and 1 have them sprouted, and i think the other 3 will, still got 8 nuts in fridge three are just starting a tap root. so far so good, hows everyone elses going

[G-Man]

2 hours ago, land 1 said:

out of the first 30 put in plant starters all have sprouted they are between 3 and 10inches high i put four others in since and 1 have them sprouted, and i think the other 3 will, still got 8 nuts in fridge three are just starting a tap root. so far so good, hows everyone elses going

In good soil chestnuts will and can grow up to 5 ft a year. They were considered weed trees because of this. 

I m personally not a fan of tree tubes. I prefer a weed mat with 2x4 welded wire mesh 4 to 5 ft tall in a 1 ft hoop. Tubes cause a tree to grow fast and fairly weak. And can be blown over and allow bug infestations into bark. As it usually .moist and hot in a tube. Many trees do not do well in a tube apples will get borers if kept in tube. Also bluebird and swallows can fly into them and make nests or get stuck and die..

[land 1]

i plan on a weed mat , and from what i read and learned they do grow fast, maybe ill try tubes and cages and see what works the best for the future thanks for info G-man