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Looking for chestnuts

I've started planting my own trees and want to try some chestnuts. I purchased some dunstan chestnut seedlings a few years ago and they all died. They were very expensive and I'm not willing to pay that much for another experiment. Does anyone have any chestnut "seeds" they would sell? I want to be able to grow them in a container at home and then transplant them when they get bigger. Let me know if you have any you would part with and if there are secrets to keeping them alive. Jim

Arbor Day Foundation sells bare root trees very reasonably.

I have a large "horse chestnut" tree in my front yard and the seedlings do very well popping up all over my yard despite my efforts to prevent them from doing so. I'd imagine they'd be pretty hardy. I won't have any seeds till fall when they start dropping, but when they do, I have 1,000's of them (unfortunately). You can have as many as you want if that's the variety you're looking for.

Will chestnuts grow in New Mexico?

They grow in Salt Lake City, UT. I was told by an arborist that they do prefer a cooler, wetter climate and that makes sense to me because it's the last tree on the block to bud in the spring and the 1st to loose it's leaves in the fall. In fact it starts browning out in the 1st part of August. My yard is irrigated too, so maybe they wouldn't survive without supplemental water. Based on the age of my neighborhood mine has got to be at least 70 years old. I put the sprinkler system in about 8 years ago, but earlier occupants could have watered it by hand.

Too late in the year for seeds I imagine.....most places sell out by January. I grow them myself as we can't find them around here for sale and I enjoy it. I may have some extra if you wanted a few.

Be careful JSW. CAS might try and slip ya a buckeye seed or two as well;-)

Any idea why your first ones died? Did they leaf out or did they not show any growth at all after you planted them?

I give CAS_HNTR a big high five on chestnuts seedlings. I have purchased 60 plus and they all are growing well. I did have one that didn't leaf out this year but the voles ate the roots off of it.

Another big thanks to CAS_HNTR for sharing his knowledge on chestnuts and sawtooth oaks.

Guys, Thanks for all the help. I'll be planting them in Kansas. I don't know why the other ones died. I bought 10 from Realtree nursury and planted them on 2 different properties. It was really dry that year but I watered them at least once a week. On one property, all 5 died that first summer. On the other place I had 1 that made it the first year but didn't sprout any leaves the next year. The trees were about $25 each so I'm not going to spend that much money until I figure out how to make them grow. If you have some seeds or seedlings that you would part with, just let me know how much.

Jim

Jim,

Check eBay. I know may sound funny but last year I ordered 8 American Chestnut seeds that the radical (is that correct?) was emerging. He apparently had them in cold storage. I received them around this time and put them in pots then planted them last fall. As of this week all but one had leaves I believe.

When you say you watered them once a week how much water did you put on them once a week . It takes a lot of water per week first year for them to survive when it is dry . Like 5 gal a week per plant .

my 8.5 ph water killed a lot of trees till I found out what was doing it . I don't water based on anything but checking the soil to see if it needs water . root rot can wipe out any thing you plant. If you drive to south Carolina I can give you trees . I have too many . and no seeds this late in the year. wait for sept- nov for seeds . Any tree shipped now with out ice around it will cook in a truck before it gets half way to you . copy my info and call me in sept and I will hook you up with seeds. good luck

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