Four year old Buck IV hybrid

[SetxHunter]

I lucked out and was able to get some nuts from a friend of a friend (told them I wouldn't disclose who I got them from). I received about 30 nuts and was able to get about 15 trees out of it. I have 5 at my house and the rest out at the farm. Several have died because I couldn't keep them watered out in the field. However the ones in my yard are doing pretty good and this is where I noticed the catkins. My hope is that these trees will carry the late dropping gene even though they are not true Buck IVs but are crosses between the Buck IV parent trees and whatever fertilized them. Could have been another Buck IV or possibly even Buck III or Buck IIs that were also in the area. I will know in a few more years if they are late droppers or not. My feeling is that they will be but only time will tell. More then likely there will be a mix of late droppers and some that drop earlier and you won't be able to tell what is what until after you've already got them established in the field. The Buck line of trees are also protected by patents and we have to be careful of what we call these and represent them as being.

Matt


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Have your Buck IV hybrids (nuts off Buck III/IV trees) begun to bear chestnuts yet Matt? If so, have you noticed any later dropping characteristics?

 

[mattpatt]

Have your Buck IV hybrids (nuts off Buck III/IV trees) begun to bear chestnuts yet Matt? If so, have you noticed any later dropping characteristics?

Sorry I just now saw this. Yes the hybrids are showing late dropping characteristics. I got about 50 nuts or so off my late bearing trees last year which started dropping last week in October and lasted into first week in November. Hopefully I’ll have more this year and I’ll start a new batch of seedlings from those nuts I gathered last year as well. I’ve also started introducing known Chinese cultivars into my orchard that have later drop times and also seem to be able to tolerate my soil conditions (blackland clay) better. It’s been a long drawn out process but a rewarding one. The goal is to have a tree the starts dropping around first week in November.

Matt


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[TreeDaddy]

Nice to see you posting again,Matt

Hope all is well

bill

 

[mattpatt]

Nice to see you posting again,Matt

Hope all is well

bill

Been a while.... Hope your weathering this Corona business okay... were hunkered down here in NE TX.


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[SetxHunter]

Sorry I just now saw this. Yes the hybrids are showing late dropping characteristics. I got about 50 nuts or so off my late bearing trees last year which started dropping last week in October and lasted into first week in November. Hopefully I’ll have more this year and I’ll start a new batch of seedlings from those nuts I gathered last year as well. I’ve also started introducing known Chinese cultivars into my orchard that have later drop times and also seem to be able to tolerate my soil conditions (blackland clay) better. It’s been a long drawn out process but a rewarding one. The goal is to have a tree the starts dropping around first week in November.

Matt


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That is good to hear! The reason I has asked, like you I took a gamble on buying already established seedlings supposedly off the Buck III & IV’s from the Wildlife Group. I was just kind of curious if the offspring from these late producing trees exhibit the same characteristics of the parent trees or if it’s more of just random luck? Hopefully a high percentage of them produce late Oct, into early November. Time will tell, but thanks for the update on your project

 

[mattpatt]

That is good to hear! The reason I has asked, like you I took a gamble on buying already established seedlings supposedly off the Buck III & IV’s from the Wildlife Group. I was just kind of curious if the offspring from these late producing trees exhibit the same characteristics of the parent trees or if it’s more of just random luck? Hopefully a high percentage of them produce late Oct, into early November. Time will tell, but thanks for the update on your project

Actually I took it one step further or back depending on how you look at it and sweet talked then out of some nuts that came off of one of their Buck IV trees! I was sent a hand full of nuts about 6-7 years ago and grew those trees which began my home orchard. Then I started introducing known varieties of Chinese chestnuts that have consistent drop times in late Oct. Of course it’s a long drawn out process but the nuts I got off of the Buck IV trees at The Wildlife Group are indeed late dropping. I suspect this is because they are all planted in a orchard setting and had a relatively good chance of pollinating each other and passing on the late dropping gene. Keep in mind the nut gathered from your Buck IVs could have been pollinated by any chestnut tree that’s in the area and the late dropping gene may not get passed on. You just have to grow them and wait 5-6 and see or graft from an established tree that has that drop time you are looking for.

Matt


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[SetxHunter]

How are your Buck IV trees looking this year? Can you tell if your nut production will be better a year later? Hope they are handling the Texas heat


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[mattpatt]

Nuts are coming off one of my Buck IV trees that I grew from seed early this year. Another tree is thinking about it and the other one is still pretty far away from dropping. Crazy year...


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[mattpatt]

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[Fencepost]

Matt, if you don’t mind my asking, what variety of Chinese are you looking at for late dropping characteristics. Assume they will work in your climate. Where do you order from? The place out west?(forgot the name)

 

[SetxHunter]

Matt, if you don’t mind my asking, what variety of Chinese are you looking at for late dropping characteristics. Assume they will work in your climate. Where do you order from? The place out west?(forgot the name)

I believe the late droppers he has are from Auburn University patented as Buck IV Chinese chestnuts. You can order from the wildlife group but they are expensive and I don’t think folks have had a whole lot of luck with the grafted trees. I had ordered some seedlings last year that came from the orchard where Buck III and IV are located but who knows if they will carry the same characteristics. Right now I have them in pots so they can grow up some before I put them in the woods


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[Kennychestnut]

The bad part about grafted trees , is late graft failure. Even 6to 8 yrs later .
Some growers I’ve talked to are doing Top grafting


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