Dunstan chestnut planting
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: Thehunter
01-Apr-20
Hi I would like to know how to plant chestnut seeds indoors in pots. I have seen pictures of when people had the seeds starting to sprout up the trunks indoors and the chestnuts were planted laying on top of the soil and when I look up how to plant chestnut seeds the internet says to berry them an inch deep? Does anyone have any experience with planting these?
From: Old School
01-Apr-20
Bury them in plain potting soil with NO fertilizer in it. You’ll be surprised how quickly they come up. I stratified chestnuts a year ago and they are probably 1.5’ tall now. Put them in the smallest plastic pot you can get. Once they get 6” tall or so, transplant them to a bigger pot.
-Mitch
From: lewis
01-Apr-20
Root pouch works really well good luck Lewis
From: bonehead
01-Apr-20
I have planted chestnuts for years and the do well planted 1-2 inches deep. you need to water them a lot while in pots and the first year after transplanting. I am now trying to simply plant the nuts where I want them and put a tree tube over them and let them grow naturally to diminish having to water much. It looks good so far and is far less work. I will try to give an update in a year or two. This has worked well with acorns for me.
From: BullBuster
02-Apr-20
I suggest a weed mat around the base of your seedlings. Keeps weeds and grass from competing for water and nutrients and increases soil moisture retention. I use tree tubes also. Impedes mice and rabbits. Reduces sun burn in spring and frost burn in winter.
From: Fuzzy
03-Apr-20
till a 4' diameter area. Spread a quart of hardwood ash. Mulch with 2 inches of partly decayed leaves or forest duff. put in 2 or 3 sprouting nuts. Water well through dry periods.
From: BigBandit
09-Apr-20
Hey sent you a Private Message just seeing if you received it? Thank You.
From: keepemsharp
09-Apr-20
I planted 10 Dunstans about 9 years ago, lost two. close enough that they got watered through the hot months, they finally got to be about 4 to 5 ft. tall and have not produced a nut yet, kinda disappointed.
From: BullBuster
09-Apr-20
9 y.o. and only 4-5 ft tall. Mine are that year 2. Something is wrong for you Keepemsharp.
From: Dale06
09-Apr-20
What climate do these grow in? Would they grow in western Kansas?
From: t-roy
10-Apr-20
I would think they would do just fine in western Kansas, Dale, provided they got adequate moisture. (especially for the first couple of years while getting established) Do you live near the area where you plan on planting them, or is it several hours away?
A 5 gallon bucket with a small hole drilled in the bottom works pretty well for a trickle irrigation system.
From: BigBandit
10-Apr-20
BullBuster I sent you a private message. Let me know if you get it. Thank You.
From: CAS_HNTR
10-Apr-20
I've grown hundreds. The root formation is the most important.
I always used rootmaker pots to get them to about 18", then transplant June or so into 1 gal rootpouch fabric pots for the rest of year. I've had many get to 36" or more in 1 year.
They HATE extra water, so keep them reasonably dry. Also, keep in the sun as they are a sun loving tree. I would also highly recommended fertilization with orchid fertilizer every couple weeks but also be sure to stop fertilizing a couple months before frost in fall.
From: bowpackerRob
19-Apr-20
Just planted 6 of these myself. Anxious to see how they do. looking for all advice as well.
