One Thousand Chestnut Trees - a Whitetail Deer Project

[wbpdeer]

I am going to show you tree guys / nut collectors what I chestnut bur picker looks like. You fingers will return to normal - no more sharp pricks that leave the irritating spines in your tender hands.

Hardware stores carry them all across the country. Have you figured it out or know what it looks like?

 

[wbpdeer]

Any respectable hardware store I have been in sells these. They are excellent bur pickers. Put them in your pocket is your are collecting chestnuts. Your fingers will appreciate it.



Common sense rules. I just wish my common sense had of kicked in sooner than it did.

 

[Goldentriangle]

Wayne, some of my flatter chestnuts feel like they have a slight soft spot. It's not mushy or anything, they just have a lil give in the flat centers. Is this normal or should I be pitching these? I float tested all of mine and had zero floaters. We did cherry pick them though.


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[wbpdeer]

Wayne, some of my flatter chestnuts feel like they have a slight soft spot. It's not mushy or anything, they just have a lil give in the flat centers. Is this normal or should I be pitching these? I float tested all of mine and had zero floaters. We did cherry pick them though.


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I have read your post. Not mushy and didn't float. I am going to predict that everyone of them are viable nuts and will germinate if given a reasonable chance. A little give in a nut is normal. Once you give the squeeze test to a mushy or rotten chestnut (caused by too much watering) you will always know the different between normal give and a bad chestnut.

I practice cherry picking myself - we are doing it with 1,000s of chestnuts.

The limitation for me and I suspect others - not how many I can grow but how many I can plant and protect properly. I don't use a dribble bar as many people do. I am a shovel and a round hole guy. I bought in to the saying - Tis Better to plant 10 trees right than plant 50 in a hurry.

There is no doubt in my mind that some of the most successful planters use a dribble bar - I am just not using that approach. More than one way to get 'er done.

I say if there were no floaters - you got an excellent group of chestnuts.

 

[lakngolf]

I I say if there were no floaters - you got an excellent group of chestnuts.

Must have been a pretty good "Chestnut PIcker Upper, Processor and If It Fits It Ships" man CPUPIIFIS

 

[wbpdeer]

I have collected a few in my efforts. Ha Ha

Is it dry down in your end of 'Bama. We got some much needed showers and cloudy days here. The temps dropped 18 to 20 degrees this week.

I had to find some long sleeve shirts for a few days. Worked on organizing my greenhouse some and thought about where I would put tomatoes you are going to coach me up on.

 

[wbpdeer]

I shipped 9 orders today which brings this year's total to 129 order and 7,742 chestnuts shipped. I have seven strong leads given to me which I will contact beginning on Tuesday.

Most trees I have observed in the last four days are over 65% dropped. Now is the time where you find a late droppin tree that is still holding the burs - I call those hunting trees. 'Nuff Said.

Headed to the tree in Kentucky Tuesday afternoon. Wish me luck.

 

[possum]

Wayne,
Ive got two large Chinese chestnut trees in yard I have been gathering nuts from. I was told by a by previous owner of property that both trees were planted at same time around 1950, both trees are identical in size but the burs and nuts are very different from the two trees.
One tree produced much larger (baseball size) burs. The nuts inside are larger and darker than the other tree next to it. The larger nuts also began falling two weeks sooner than the other tree. The larger nuts also molded and seemed to be heavier infested with worms.
The tree with smaller nuts has no mold, no worms and the nuts just look better!
The previous property owner said these are both Chinese trees and couldnt tell me why one was different than the other. You have any thoughts?
And most of these nuts will be fed to deer but I am keeping a good bit for tree planting. Should I use any of the larger nuts or stick to the better looking ones?
Thanks

 

[wbpdeer]

Trees are different - people are different. Look at a family of six siblings - they will have similarities but they will be different.

I am collecting under 45 trees and I do my best to mix up orders so that the 52 I put in the box has diversity. Now I have tubs of chestnuts and my diversity will vary based upon my supply but I know the best insurance for nature is a diverse landscape.

I specifically went today to my 30 tree grove and collected from the late droppers.

Now to Your Yard:

Feed the deer with both sources of chestnuts. A whitetail deer will eat nuts we will not eat.

Collect under the trees separately. Name the trees and do not mix those chestnuts together. How many do you wish to grow for yourself?

If the answer is you want to grow 20 trees - then keep 30 good chestnuts from each tree. Cherry pick them - size is not everything. Firmness and when they drop matters. I hunt far and wide for late dropping trees. I have two trees holding 90% of their chestnut burs right now. I have to knock on the door before I collect - I knocked three times today - they are out of town.

If you follow what I say - you have 30 chestnuts bagged from one tree (L for large) and 30 chestnuts in a separate bag from (S for small).

If you have weevils - your 30 is insurance against losses.

Chestnuts planted by wife's grandfather all have different sizes and colors. They drop at different times - my father-in-law can almost pick the tree it came from. Those characteristics / genetics exist. It is just how the world works. I say use it to your advantage.

My son purchased the wife's grandfathers home place about one month ago. Those trees have weevils bad. My son will develop that land and those trees will be cut down. I know this and I am hitting those trees selecting the best chestnuts to pick from. I have going to get trees from that line of genetics. I will plant them on our hunting farm. There is one tree in that group that has closed burs when they drop - they are big - but slow to open.

Sorry for the long response. Collect 30 good nuts from each and store them separately. Later - grow them separately and planted them in a mixing setting. Diversity is great in nature!

 

[wbpdeer]

Possum,

I like burs where two abort and I get one large round chestnut. It didn't have to share. Usually that produces seedling that is a vigorous grower. In time - those things even out. But heck, I do watching a chestnut put on fast growth when they are young seedlings.

Rain is short supply at certain periods in the growth cycle create those round singles. I don't cherry pick many chestnut with two flat sides unless in has exceptional size. The nut was in the middle of the bur. Just my quirks.

 

[Mark1427]

What if anything can be done to rid trees of weevils?

 

[wbpdeer]

You have to own the trees or have control of them. I have neither of those important facts in my favor.

It is about spraying at critical times. You can do a google on the web and get some valuable resources.

Orchard people use a hot water treatment process. They exposed the chestnuts to 120 degree F water for 20 to 25 minutes.

If chestnuts are exposed to water temps too high you lose their germination. Weevils die when exposed to 117 degrees. That is treatment for a collected nut.

To eliminate them in the trees or orchard it is about spraying.

I have read enough to know these few basic facts. I am not in a position to control trees at the current time that allows me to fight against weevils.

I have read that collecting the nuts in the bur on the tree is one advantage. The longer they lay on the ground the more the risk on weevils. I certainly believe keep them from laying on the ground reduces mold.

 

[Charlieyca]

The more I read your threads, the more I learn about chestnuts! Your shared knowledge will hopefully spread to a lot more trees in my neck of the woods!

 

[wbpdeer]

High School Class Projects or Junior High Class Projects

If you are a teacher and would like to help students learn by doing I would make an adequate number of Chinese Chestnuts available for you to conduct a project - free of charge.

I need to know school, location, age of students and you would post a thread on here about their project and progress. It is about promoting learning - not about tooting my horn.

By posting a thread, the students can get on this forum and see their work. Our forum gains guest and members when it works correctly.

I will put 100 chestnuts in your possession free of charge.

Catscratch got us started in last year and Mr. Clay from Wilmington, NC is school number two this fall. Catscratch is going again this fall.

This is a great offer. People have been generous with me and I am giving some of it back.

I will keep this offer open thru Oct 19th - two weeks from today. It will be limited to two new schools. My chestnut supply is dwindling down and I am about to feed some critters in KY.

Wayne B. Pruett
wbpdeer@att.net

 

[Charlieyca]

Which sub forum would you think it would fit best? this one?

 

[wbpdeer]

You and Catscratch talk. Put them in the same location - we will get more reads that way.

Thank

 

[Charlieyca]

I just started the thread, please let me know if you have any suggestions along the way, you are an extremely valuable resource and all feedback will be accepted constructively.

 

[cutman]

Wayne, if you have any more chestnuts, please save some for me. I have a few people in SC who want some, so I will divide up one of your boxes for them/me. Thanks.

 

[wbpdeer]

Cutman,

I would ship them on Monday so they can arrive without sitting in a post office over a weekend. I realize mother nature may slam your location so we will keep it open. If you want them shipped on Monday, send me a text.

PM me the name, mail address, city state zip

I could ship you 100 if that will help the dividing up among the folks getting some. Normally, I put 52 in a box.

Just let me know.

I hope you survive the weather with as little problem as possible. I have niece in Charleston and they are vacating tomorrow for a few days.

Best of luck.

Wayne

 

[cutman]

Thanks, Wayne. A normal box of 52 should be perfect. Will keep you posted on the weather and send shipping info on the other side of Hurricane Matthew.

Thanks again.