Dunstan Chestnut Show Off Thread

[TheMiz54]

I wanted to start a thread to see how other peoples Dunstan Chestnuts have done and to help folks who are thinking about planting some.

Below is a picture of our chestnuts that we planted in 2013 on our farm in Western NY Steuben County.

Here are a few recent pictures from 2016 and 2017. I was really excited to see some nuts on the trees this year. Almost every tree has at least 6-15 burrs.

2016

2017

 

[j-bird]

Wow - yours have done better than mine. I planted my first ones in 2014 I think.....this is my first year they produced a bur. I cage mine just like I do an apple tree. I plant mine in groups of 3 and thus far have only had 1 die (my fault). I water as needed in the planting year, but for the most part are pretty maint free beyond that. Mine are from Chustnut Hill Nursery.

 

[Keith Nehrke]

I'm not far from you, in Rochester--grew up in Bath--and the first thing that I planted when we bought out property in 2015 was Dunstan. Out of the ten trees, I might have three left. Many of the trees had winter die-back and stump sprouted the next spring. I planted them in 5' combitubes and none of the three that survived have grown out of the tube yet. Since they were protected and watered regularly the first year, I'm not sure why they failed. We're close to L. Ontario and the climate isn't too bad; even that first winter was relatively mild. Nevertheless, they looked good in the fall and didn't come back in the spring. The Chinese hybrids that I've planted since then appear to have done fine though. I had anticipated growth like yours...they look great!

 

[massey]

Great chestnut crop this year!

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[massey]

 

[massey]

same trees in 2008

 

[TheOldOak]

Miz54, how far apart are the trees with burs? Mine are about same size, but no burs yet. Do you fertilize your trees?

 

[TheMiz54]

Massey those look great. Do you prune them at all or just let them go naturally?


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[TheMiz54]

Miz54, how far apart are the trees with burs? Mine are about same size, but no burs yet. Do you fertilize your trees?

Mine are about 20 feet apart and I try and fertilize with spikes in the spring.


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[massey]

Miz, they were pruned once by cicadas, but that's it. I fertilized once at about year 4 by spraying a circle around the dripline and putting some 10-10-10 down. I'm looking forward to sticking a few deer and a bear in that spot soon.

 

[meyerske]

I planted 18 Dunstan chestnuts in May of 2013. I wasn't able to water them very often, so I used Moisture Mizer in the holes and tree tubes/mats. All of them lived, and are about u15 feet tall now. They started producing nuts in 2015.

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[meyerske]

I fertilize them in March and May. One pound of 10-10-10 around the drip line. I have never pruned them. If they start getting hit hard by Japanese beetles, I spray them. You can see 5 in the background of this recent pic.

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[massey]

Hey Meyerske, Just a heads up, those tubes on your trees can retain leaves and moisture and lead to rot and mold problems.
I lost a bunch of trees years ago due to that. I never leave tubes on for more than a year now.

 

[meyerske]

Hey Meyerske, Just a heads up, those tubes on your trees can retain leaves and moisture and lead to rot and mold problems.
I lost a bunch of trees years ago due to that. I never leave tubes on for more than a year now.

You are right, and I clean them out.

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[j-bird]

I was out checking on my chestnuts over the weekend and found this!

This was a vibrant 6 foot chestnut tree just 2 weeks ago. You can see the cage on the ground where I found it. Somehow the cage got removed from the tree and then decided to eat everything they could of it and then rub the crap out of it!!! I'm gonna find the guilty party and SHOOT THEM! I put the cage back in hopes that maybe it survives, but man is that a significant setback if it does.

The good news is the trees where I have burrs the burrs are turning brown so I hope to have my first chestnuts very soon!

 

[Sam16]

Good looking trees guys! Would you recommend mixing Dunstan Chestnuts into a fruit orchard? Or is it better to keep them separate?

I am encouraged at the quicker production of burrs than waiting on apples. When is the drop time on these?

Thanks
Sam

 

[Native Hunter]

Good looking trees guys! Would you recommend mixing Dunstan Chestnuts into a fruit orchard? Or is it better to keep them separate?

I am encouraged at the quicker production of burrs than waiting on apples. When is the drop time on these?

Thanks
Sam

One thing to keep in mind is that both Dunstans and Chinese eventually make very large trees. So if you mix them in with apples, be careful on tree placement to keep the tall chestnuts from shading out the shorter apples.