How to Plant and Growing Chestnut from Seeds – I had a lot of landowners stop by our office this summer asking questions about growing chestnut trees from seed. Many of these homeowners had no idea what to do after harvesting seeds from other mature trees on their property.
As soon as the seeds drop, you can plant them outside, but this method allows you less control over how the seeds develop.
Keeping the seeds in storage and growing them inside is the alternative. This makes it possible for you to sow seedlings the next spring. This method reduces the possibility that the seeds will eaten by rodents and other animals, or that they will be destroyed by severe weather. Since the second alternative gives the landowner a bit more control over the growing seeds, I will talk about it in this article.
The female flowers of the tree yield nuts or chestnut seeds. A portion of the female flowers mature into thorny fruits that bear the seeds of the chestnut. The prickly husk of these fruits splits open in the fall, releasing many flattened nuts from at least one side.
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Assembling
In early October, seeds can collected directly from the ground or by chopping the fruit from the tree and keeping it in a cool area until the husk separates. When the chestnuts free of the husk, they should put right away in a bucket or plastic bag with holes so that moist peat moss may surround them. Every nut ought to fully encircled by peat moss, with no part of it coming into contact with the container’s side or other nuts.
After that, you may keep the nuts for two to three years in a refrigerator that is between thirty-two and thirty-four degrees Fahrenheit. For the chestnuts to germinate, they need to exposed to freezing temperatures for at least two to three months.
In February or March, following their cold storage, chestnuts can planted indoors. Seeds should planted in a greenhouse that is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or on a warm, sunny window sill.
Pots can made from two quart cardboard milk cartons that have had the bottoms cut out. To prevent the potting mix from spilling out and to provide enough root aeration, the bottoms of the cartons can covered with hardware cloth or window screen.
How to Plant and Growing Chestnut from Seeds
Since compacted soils tend to cause chestnuts to rot, a growing medium that contains a lot of fiber elements is an excellent option. A smart choice is to use potting mixes devoid of soil and high in decomposed bark. When it comes time to transplant the seedlings, these mixes assist retain the root ball and offer an abundance of aeration. Plant the nuts with their flat side facing down, half an inch to an inch deep. Maintain a damp but not soggy soil and periodically apply a diluted solution of a complete fertilizer.
After the final serious frost, the seedlings should be ready for transplantation by mid-May. It is a good practice to “harden” off the seedlings before transplantation. To achieve this, take them outside and acclimate them to the sun and strong breezes gradually.
Make sure the hole is twice as big as the root ball when planting the seedlings. Make careful to cut off the remaining nut shell that is connected to the root. By doing this, animals are less likely to uproot the seedlings in order to get the nuts. Similar to azaleas and blueberries, chestnut trees like acidic, well-drained soils.