Dunstan Chestnut Trees

[mcbuck58]

I have close to 500 in the den. The rest are out back on the covered patio. She also didn't like i used some of her flower pots out front lol.

I have several sawtooth. The oldest ones being 8 years old. They are over 14 foot tall but not producing. I ordered these online but can't remember where. I think @Shooter77 sent me the link. This will be my first time doing any oaks. So I'm not sure what to expect with those. But they'll be in the den to on a table. I'm going to get me a couple lights from harbor freight so I don't have to keep rotating so much.

Bright side. The kids are enjoying it lol.

I definitely won't be planting all of these. But will plant several. I got one part of my field that's pretty steep that I don't want my son to have to bush hog one day. I'm planting it back in oaks going to start with sawtooth and add yearly.

I think i have lost one apple tree. It never has done great. And when i scratch the bark away it's not green. But it is near the bottom about 3 inches up. I'm going to take it out and replace it this week.

First pic is overlooking part of my upper field taken from the shooting house. The upper part is all apples and some crabapples. You can see the road going down left handed into the bottom. Those 5 on the lower side are sawtooth. Pic of sxs beside one of those.

The local farm supply store has agreed to sell some of my trees. He's going to be ordering me some 1 gallon containers to transfer them over into also.

Wow. You do have a house full. Got your work cut out for you. Looks like a beautiful farm. I'm new to sawtooth oaks. Think I planted 23 this past fall. Bought them from a buddy. They were 3 year old trees between 10 and 13 feet tall. Some had acorns laying in the pots from the trees. He grows them from seed. They are from some big sawtooths from South Carolina. He says they are like Dunstans and start producing at 3 to 5 years old. He has hundreds planted on his farm up to 10 years old. Here's some I planted.

 

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

I've always heard they can produce in 3-5 years. But seems it's more in the 6-8.


I apologize. The sawtooth in the pic are 5 years old. I looked back at when I planted them.

So maybe next year

 

[backyardtndeer]

So far the chestnuts I put in pots i have zero doing anything. May just take more time? I did them pretty well the same way I did walnuts last year. Kept them in the fridge for a couple months in ziplock bag, then into damp potting soil mixed with vermiculite for another month and a half or so in ziplock bags. None had radicals yet, and none were moldy. They have been in pots outside for probably close to a month.

I do have several pots of ambrosia apples and one native persimmon that are sprouted and doing well though. Have more apple seeds to put in pots, ambrosia and honeycrisp.

 

[mcbuck58]

So far the chestnuts I put in pots i have zero doing anything. May just take more time? I did them pretty well the same way I did walnuts last year. Kept them in the fridge for a couple months in ziplock bag, then into damp potting soil mixed with vermiculite for another month and a half or so in ziplock bags. None had radicals yet, and none were moldy. They have been in pots outside for probably close to a month.

I do have several pots of ambrosia apples and one native persimmon that are sprouted and doing well though. Have more apple seeds to put in pots, ambrosia and honeycrisp.

When you store nuts you put in a ziplock with holes or the better way is to put in a paper bag and put in fridges crisper. When you stratify you put in ziplock or container with damp potting soil. For best results temperature of fridge should be between 34 and 36 degrees. So in my thinking, and been known to be wrong, they have only been in stratification for 1 1/2 months. Walnuts and chestnuts need 3 to 4 months of cold stratification.

 

[backyardtndeer]

When you store nuts you put in a ziplock with holes or the better way is to put in a paper bag and put in fridges crisper. When you stratify you put in ziplock or container with damp potting soil. For best results temperature of fridge should be between 34 and 36 degrees. So in my thinking, and been known to be wrong, they have only been in stratification for 1 1/2 months. Walnuts and chestnuts need 3 to 4 months of cold stratification.

Think I should pull them out of the pots and put them back in the fridge for another month and a half, or maybe in small pots of potting soil in the fridge? Our fridge is set at 34, and the bottom drawer is where I kept them.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Came back from a week at the beach. Still at 32 out of 47, but we are now growing upward and looking good!

 

[DoubleRidge]

Last fall picked up handful of chestnuts from our trees that are just starting to produce.
Stored in refrigerator. Ziploc bag left cracked open with damp paper towel. Not recommended method but honestly I stuck them there and time got away from me. But two have radical. Two have just started to crack. Couple were bad. Tossed bad ones. So the good ones are in pots waiting patiently.
Not to side track conversation but also have chicksaw plum we stratified in fridge over winter and we are at 100% germination for 12 we placed in pots...also direct seeded around 25 or 30 extra we had left over....but the ones in pots are just poking through soil...so far so good.

 

[mcbuck58]

Think I should pull them out of the pots and put them back in the fridge for another month and a half, or maybe in small pots of potting soil in the fridge? Our fridge is set at 34, and the bottom drawer is where I kept them.

I would put back in cold stratification especially since you have nothing going on. No cracks, no radicals or bulging of the nut. I know people put in ziplocks with holes and potting soil. I like using containers with holes in the lids. One inch of moist potting soil, lay in the nut, then one inch of moist potting soil. Look back in thread for pictures. Reason I don't like ziplocks is the nuts are touching each other concerning mold and when you pull a ziplock bag out to check you move everything around and it changes the orientation of the nut to gravity. This is especially important when the radical first starts popping out and when they are growing.

 

[mcbuck58]

Came back from a week at the beach. Still at 32 out of 47, but we are now growing upward and looking good!

View attachment 269059

Good looking set up right there

 

[mcbuck58]

Last fall picked up handful of chestnuts from our trees that are just starting to produce.
Stored in refrigerator. Ziploc bag left cracked open with damp paper towel. Not recommended method but honestly I stuck them there and time got away from me. But two have radical. Two have just started to crack. Couple were bad. Tossed bad ones. So the good ones are in pots waiting patiently.
Not to side track conversation but also have chicksaw plum we stratified in fridge over winter and we are at 100% germination for 12 we placed in pots...also direct seeded around 25 or 30 extra we had left over....but the ones in pots are just poking through soil...so far so good.

Good deal on the chestnuts and plums. Different ways work and don't work for different people. Look on the internet and see different ways people do it. Just think out in nature all the variables. My system works for me it's what I've fine tuned over the years. My goal is maximizing production.

 

[mcbuck58]

Last fall picked up handful of chestnuts from our trees that are just starting to produce.
Stored in refrigerator. Ziploc bag left cracked open with damp paper towel. Not recommended method but honestly I stuck them there and time got away from me. But two have radical. Two have just started to crack. Couple were bad. Tossed bad ones. So the good ones are in pots waiting patiently.
Not to side track conversation but also have chicksaw plum we stratified in fridge over winter and we are at 100% germination for 12 we placed in pots...also direct seeded around 25 or 30 extra we had left over....but the ones in pots are just poking through soil...so far so good.

Also I would take the ones with radicals and even the cracked ones and press into potting soil in pots and put in sun light. Good luck

 

[DoubleRidge]

Also I would take the ones with radicals and even the cracked ones and press into potting soil in pots and put in sun light. Good luck

I have...they are in pots with soil! Hoping for the best! Thanks! Currently under grow light with veggie seeds starts but will move outside after the storms pass.