Fastest growing nut producers?

pinetag

Well-Known Member
So being new to all this, I was curious what are the fastest nut producing trees? If you started planting new property and wanted to bring in the wildlife quickly until your property got more diverse, what order would you plant and how quickly would they produce? I know sawtooth and Chinese chestnuts are pretty good but not sure about some of the others (like DCO's)? Would love to get a tree planting game plan in order prior to land purchase.
 
Two of the fastest are Allegheny Chinkapin and Sequins (Dwarf Chinese Chestnut). You can get Sequins from the Wildlife Group in Alabama. This I have seen on my land.
 
Two of the fastest are Allegheny Chinkapin and Sequins (Dwarf Chinese Chestnut). You can get Sequins from the Wildlife Group in Alabama. This I have seen on my land.
Thanks for the reply. What sort of time frame in years can you expect them to start producing? Anybody else have any thoughts?
 
That's pretty quick. Anything that would start producing in the 3-5 year range? Just want to get variety of mast producing trees.
 
Pinetag,

I don't want to act like I am all knowing. I read the Brushpile thread twice on the old place. The second time I took notes. Brad's knowledge is all knowing when it comes to questions like this. The Brushpile is a unique piece of deer habitat.

Brad explained what would be early. His explanation of how to plant cuttings was well - I just had to see if it would work. It did!

He told me and others what would bear the fastest. I took the plunge and planted AC and Sequins.

I was very excited to see it play out as said. I have invested a great deal of time and effort in getting "Chinese Chestnuts" planted on our farm. I used them to created tree lines. I expect some of them to bear fast compared to other settings. I put down fabric, used moisture mizer, watered them, and planted sufficiently numbers that the fast ones will lead the way.

I believe Sawtooth to be a good tree for productivity and attraction. You didn't ask it this way - but pear trees are fast to produce. As they say - even if you have a black thumb - you can grow a pear tree. I hope to learn from Native Hunter's example and get my pear trees established so that I they drop at different times and create a favorable soft mast attraction calendar.

But it started when I read the Brushpile thread and then I read it with my eyes open and focus on what will pan out quick. :D
 
This evening I collected my first three Allegheny Chinkapin. I am soaking them over night and sticking them in the soil tomorrow. :D

This were bare root stuck in the ground in 2015 and in 2016 we are collecting nuts. It don't get any better than that.
 
Do Diamond Hunters panhandle? Ha Ha

I got a good memory. If I could remember where I put it ...
 
The fastest nut producers are:
AC 1-2 years
DCO 2-3 years
Chinese Chestnut 4-5 years
Sequin 3 years
Chinkapin Oak, Swamp White Oak and Bur Oak can produce in 3-5 years.
Concordia Oak produces acorns in 4-6 years.
Hazelnut is a bush that produces in about 3 years.
 
Awesome info!

Wbp, that is fast! So you put them in the ground in the spring of 2015?

Brushpile, I went back through your property tour and took a screenshot of this info to keep for future reference. Thanks for providing that!

Can't wait to get land and get started creating habitat.
 
Brushpile,I had no idea that chinkapins could produce that quickly.Do you know if there is a swamp white,chinkapin crosss?Or even a burr and chinkapin crosss?
 
Brushpile,I had no idea that chinkapins could produce that quickly.Do you know if there is a swamp white,chinkapin crosss?Or even a burr and chinkapin crosss?
Several years ago Letemgrow put me in contact with a horticulturalist whose hobby was finding and collecting acorns from hybrid trees. I received a large variety of both Red and White Oak Hybrids, which I grew into seedlings and planted. Years later the hybrids are still tiny. I haven't had much luck with hybrids, except for Concordia Oak.

Morse Nursery sold me a Chinkapin/Dwarf Chinkapin cross that turned out to be a Chinese Chestnut, and I planted another Morse Nursery Super Oak in 2008 that's about three feet tall now. On the other hand, bare root seedlings from the MDC that were planted in 2008 are producing acorns.
 
Awesome info!

Wbp, that is fast! So you put them in the ground in the spring of 2015?

Brushpile, I went back through your property tour and took a screenshot of this info to keep for future reference. Thanks for providing that!

Can't wait to get land and get started creating habitat.
They were bare root that I put in the ground. I guess you add some time on their age due to bare root but I am please to see burs on my farm this soon. These didn't start as nuts by handy work.

Point is - if a habitat users purchases an old tree or seedling they can shorten the time to when they see nuts or fruit.
 
About the Swamp White Oak:

About the Swamp White Oak: I’m including this Oak in my hybrid selection this year, even though it appears to be a pure species, because I have had seedlings develop acorns routinely within 5 years from this tree! The original tree is from the University of Cornell’s arboretum, known for its abundant crops of acorns and voted “Urban Tree of the Year”. Air root pruning the seedlings along with nitrogen deprivation during the seedling phase will help this Swamp White Oak come out of its juvenile stage early. Expect acorns within 5-9 years. You can plant this tree in wet or upland soils, making it one of our most versatile selections.
 
I've had one SWO produce acorns in 3 years, but that's an exception. The big oaks I focus on are Bur, SWO and Chinkapin. One thing to remember is that abundance doesn't occur until the trees are large, so early acorns aren't significant. However, AC and DCO will produce in abundance in 3-4 years!
 
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