Chestnut trees can be grown in a range of climates.Pick a variety that is adapted to your climate region.
Step 1: There is a sunny spot.
Direct sunlight is the best time to grow chestnut trees.If you want to get the best results, choose a location that gets six or more hours of sunlight per day.The tree should be planted at the top of the slope.It can help to drain excess water and prevent the roots from getting soggy.Chestnuts should never be planted at the bottom of a slope.
Step 2: Pay close attention to the quality of the soil.
The best soil for chestnut trees is draining and acidic.Chestnut trees thrive in sandy soils.Rocks and gravel are acceptable in the soil.Don't use heavy clay soils.A chestnut tree can only survive in a clay soil if it is planted at the top of a downward slope.The soil should have a pH between 4.5 and 6.5.If you want a chestnut tree to survive, avoid limestone soils.
Step 3: There is plenty of space for the tree.
You should make sure that the chestnut tree you plant has at least 40 feet of free soil space in all directions.If you want to rush large harvests of chestnuts, you can plant multiple chestnut trees at 20 feet apart, so that they start to crowd each other out and pollinate quicker.
Step 4: You should plant at least two trees.
A single chestnut tree will not produce any chestnuts.There needs to be a second tree within 200 feet.To promote cross-pollination, plant two different chestnut varieties.You should check around with your neighbors.If your next-door neighbor has a chestnut tree growing in their yard, that's enough for you.
Step 5: Take the seeds out of the ground.
Place the seed nut in a plastic bag.Place the bag in the fridge for a while.Chestnut seeds are just normal.The seeds need a period of chilling to grow.It's a good idea to store them in the refrigerator to protect them from the harsh cold and animals found outdoors.If you want to prevent the chestnuts from freezing, place them in a vegetable crisper.The chestnuts should be kept in the refrigerator for several months.
Step 6: In the spring, plant outdoors.
You can sow seed nuts outdoors once the weather warms.Early spring is the best time to plant.As long as the soil is warm and soft, you can sow the seed.
Step 7: You can plant them indoors early.
Chestnuts start to develop roots in February.Once the roots poke through, you can plant the seed indoors.There are drainage holes in the bottom of the milk carton.The carton's top should be cut off.The carton should be filled with a soil-free potting mix.The ideal growing medium should have a lot of organic material.Composted bark is good for mixes.Place the container in a sunny windowsill after planting the seed.When it feels dry, water the medium.Within two or three months, a sturdy seedling should grow from the nut.According to the guidelines marked in the "starting from seedlings" section, seeds should be treated as seedlings and replanted outdoors during the spring.
Step 8: The seed should be placed in a shallow hole.
A hole is 1 inch deep.Place the chestnut seed in the hole and cover it with additional soil or planting mix.Since most chestnuts will have sprouted before you plant them, make sure that the sprout is face down.Place the seed in the soil with the flat side facing downward if it hasn't sprouted yet.
Step 9: The seed should be protected from animals.
After planting the seed outdoors, cover the area with a wire screen or basket.The seed will be protected from most rodents.The wire cage needs to be above the ground 2 to 4 inches.Before the screen has to be removed, this will give the seedling a chance to grow and establish itself.If you are starting the seed indoors, you don't need to cover it.
Step 10: It is necessary to dig a deep hole.
The established roots can fit inside without being folded if the hole is deep.The hole should be larger than the root ball of the seedling.If you want to place the root ball inside, you should aerate the sides of the planting hole with a rake, garden fork, or hand-held plow.
Step 11: Take the old shell out.
The old nutshell can be found if you remove the seedling from its container.It is possible to break it off without damaging the roots.Many animals are attracted to the scent of the nutshell and may dig up your trees to find that shell.The tree is less of a target if the shell is removed.
Step 12: The root ball should be in the hole.
The root ball is inside the hole.Place garden soil or planting mix in the hole until the tree is no longer able to move.Pack the soil in with your hands and feet.After you plant the tree, water the soil.Water helps the soil settle by removing air pockets that were trapped inside the packed growing medium.
Step 13: The seedling should be protected.
Rodents can be protected by surrounding them with a hard-ward cloth.The hardware cloth should be put into the ground.Keep at least 18 inches above the ground.If deer are a problem, this cylinder of hardware cloth may need to be extended as high as 4 to 5 feet.
Step 14: Water should be available regularly.
Each week, the chestnut tree will need 1 gallon of water.You should make sure the tree gets 1 inch of water each week after the first month or two.When a tree loses leaves, you don't need to water it.
Step 15: The weeds should be kept under control.
New plants should be kept at least 2 feet away from weeds and grasses.Keep the ground bare all the way to the ends of the tree's branches.Applying organic mulch around the tree is the best way to do this.The mulch helps keep the soil moist.You need to protect the trunk of the tree before you apply an herbicide to the area.
Step 16: During the second year, you shouldfertilize.
Fertilization can be applied to the tree on a yearly basis.When you plant the seedling, don't fertilize it.The tree needs to focus on root production in order to encourage leaf production.Balanced amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can be found in a standard fertilizer.
Step 17: Train the branches.
The tree should be trained to follow a modified central leader form during its first two or three years.Pick a stem that is upright.This will be the leader of the tree.Cut off any stems that compete with your leader.Major scaffold limbs should be 1 foot (30 cm) apart along the central leader, growing in a spiral rotation.The lowest limbs give you enough room to mow under the tree.The central leader should be cut down so that it is as short as a side branch.This will allow the tree to grow wider.
Step 18: It's a good idea to watch out for chestnut blight.
There is only one major disease that you need to worry about, and that is chestnut blight.The tree's trunk is covered with a fungus that fixes cracked or wounded areas.It becomes a large canker.The tree will die when the canker wraps around it.If you want to plant future chestnut trees in a different location, you will need to remove the tree.Even if you use a strong fungicide, Chestnut Blight is almost impossible to treat.Prevention is the best option.Make sure the chestnut tree roots are not allowed to sit in soggy, overly-wet conditions by planting a variety of chestnut trees.
Step 19: The tree should be protected against insect pests as well.
The chestnut weevil is the biggest bug that may attack your tree.Eggs are laid in developing nuts.The meat inside the nut is eaten by the larvae when the eggs hatch.Get rid of the weevils before they become a problem by spraying the tree with an insecticidal pesticide.You can give the branches a shake by laying a sheet under the tree.The weevils should fall off.You can dispose of them in the sheet.The weevils can lay eggs if you kill them.The pests can't be removed once they find their way into the nuts.
Step 20: Give the tree plenty of time to grow.
Chestnut trees don't produce nuts in their first few years.The trees should eventually produce nuts if there is at least one other chestnut tree nearby.After five years, Chinese chestnut trees produce nuts.After eight years, American chestnut trees usually produce nuts.
Step 21: As the nuts drop, collect them.
Chestnuts drop off their burs when the weather cools.If you collect the nuts off the ground, you can harvest them.If animals grab the nuts before you can, another option is to cut off the burs.Cut the burs early in October and keep them in a root cellar.You can collect nuts once the burs open.Heavy rubber gloves are required when handling nuts and burs.
Step 22: The nuts can be kept in a refrigerator or freezer.
If you want to use nuts for food, store them in their shells in the refrigerator for a month.You can keep the nuts in the freezer for six months.Chestnuts do not store as well as other nuts because of their high starch content.You can only keep the chestnuts in the refrigerator for a few days.Chestnuts can be stored in the freezer for up to nine months.
Step 23: The nuts should be stored for use as seeds.
If you want to use nuts as seeds instead of food, you should store them in a cool, open space for a few days.The chestnuts should be placed in a plastic bag filled with damp sphagnum moss.Store the bag in the fridge.