One Thousand Chestnut Trees - a Whitetail Deer Project

I have been working on getting chestnuts and acorns in rootmaker 18s express trays. I am soaking everything about 2 hours when it comes out of the fridge. The thinking is the fridge can lower the moisture level depending on the temperatures in the fridge and the starting moisture level.

I have a huge supply. Got three trays of Chinese Chestnuts in this photo below - all from my three best different sources. The 4th tray is "Swamp White Oak" from CAS_Hntr in Ohio. I have chinkapin, saw tooth, bur and Concordia soaking right now.

Been growing in my basement for a while - this 3rd cycle and we had horribly cold temperatures. One mouse came inside with the 7 degree temps and hit my DCO rootmaker trays. He cost me about 1/2 my supply. I set 9 mouse traps with peanut butter and caught one mouse. Nothing has been touched since.

I will be adding the number of mouse trays because my number of 18s is going up. From 2 to 14 this weekend.

4 Trays Jan 13th.jpg

The red arrow shows the plastic on top of the gravel beneath the trays. I have about 14 inch of air under there. The trays on sitting on conduit. We require air for air pruning. When I water, moisture collects on top of the plastic. This adds to the humidity in the grow box. You can see my heat in the lower right portion of this photo. The front of the heat oscillates. This heat has power and can raise the temps real fast.

My growing media is cold on day one - probably take an least a day for the temperature to get into the 70s which helps germination. I will allow the air temps to get into the low 80s right now. I will watch the need for water during this period of high temps.

Thanks for reading this thread. I have more trays to prep.

Wayne
 
The photo above is one end of my largest growing box. It holds 8 trays - you are looking at 4 trays. I use Mylar to reflect light to the stems to help with the girth.

In the photo the lights are raised. Now I have the light set 4 inches above the soil to add heat to the cold growing media.

Radicle?? I have chestnuts and acorns in two fridges. I have the fewest radicles showing I remember. I stuck my chestnuts and acorns both. They will germinate. They have been in a cold fridge - it takes heat to wake them up.

Wayne
 
Familytradition said:
Should I go ahead and start the ones with no radicle? I only potted nuts with a radicle today.


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Click to expand...

Yes because Chinese Chestnuts are slow to germinate and this process can stretch over 3 weeks. I am in the process of getting 14 trays going and 90% of what I stuck had no radicle showing at this point. With heat they will germinate. I say get them started now. ;)

Good Luck.
Wayne
 
I had an interesting observation today that may help others. When I received my box from Wayne I split the order into 5 bags. Each with about 10 nuts. The wettest bag molded some and had 20% percent radicle formation today, the 2 medium wet bags had 100% radicle formation today, and the 2 driest bags had zero radicle formation today. All of these bags were treated the same, but the existing moisture had to do with where they were in the refrigerator in my stack of nuts. It isn't very scientific, but medium moisture seems to be best. Basically wet peat with not extra moisture. I am perplexed how the one bag was wetter than I remember leaving it.


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I have not tested any trees because after I did further research I am sure they are Chinese Chestnuts. Regarding those with mold - keep them isolated from the other chestnuts until they are in the growing soil.

You put me to shame - I hardly saw a radicle today on a chestnut. Now I saw radicles on regular chinquapins from Catscratch and some from a tree in eastern Sumner County (where I live).

I have the growing media in my last three rootmaker 18s. I have the swamp white oak and chestnuts soaking that I will stick in them later this evening. I have set lights and heater timers in the smallest grow box (holds 6 rootmaker 18s). Will eat supper, watch some football and at about 9 pm I will stick those acorns and chestnuts and put them in the grow box.

When I get that done, 14 trays will be started. At that point I will work on other growing locations. I will have 60 bur acorns in three tubs (20 per tube). I will put some sawtooth in clear solo cups. I maximize my resources.

Catscratch sent me bur acorns - they are huge! I got one tray of Concordia Acorns going. It has about 23 or 24 acorns in 18 containers. They are small so I have some doubles - those cells are marked.

I will be using large tubs to add Chinese Chestnuts into growing media and likely will put chicken lights on them. Once the Chinese Chestnut put on top growth I will put them in root pouches - one gallon.

Hopefully we will have many to plant come late April.

Wayne
 
Wayne,
My DCO's have gone from this;
cd3f280dd0e5f4bafbcb2a422243cc8b.jpg


To this in the last couple of weeks.
57e17bafcee91a6b4dabf02d319c6533.jpg


I have a couple of Concordia that have also germinated, several Sawtooth, and a few Chinese Chestnuts.
Nothing from the SWO or PawPaw that I planted.

You've got quite the setup this yr. Going to be lots of great growing going on! I hope those Burr work for you. I don't harvest from the ground so they shouldn't have dried or gotten any mold. Keep me posted on what they do and how they perform.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
I am guessing you get great drainage and root development with those bark chunks in the 18 containers. The bur acorns were you excellent shape. In the morning I will set up the third tub of 20.

My first time to deal with Concordia. They are tiny acorns that I have - hope they germinate well. I got the Swamp White Oak from CAS_Hntr in Ohio. Going to do two trays out of the first 14 trays.

The Chinqapin have more radicals than anything I took out of the fridge.

Your DCO trays looks great. :)

Wayne
 
catscratch said:
Wayne,
My DCO's have gone from this;
cd3f280dd0e5f4bafbcb2a422243cc8b.jpg


To this in the last couple of weeks.

I have a couple of Concordia that have also germinated, several Sawtooth, and a few Chinese Chestnuts.
Nothing from the SWO or PawPaw that I planted.

You've got quite the setup this yr. Going to be lots of great growing going on! I hope those Burr work for you. I don't harvest from the ground so they shouldn't have dried or gotten any mold. Keep me posted on what they do and how they perform.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Cat, those are some good looking radicles.
 
Diamond hunter said:
Hey Wayne,I have a big bunch of concordias for you,they are really big.
Click to expand...

Good deal. I need to call you and set up a day to come by your store and pick them up. I got the first bunch in growing media yesterday. I have one tray of your Chinkapin in growing media. Man those put out the radicles.

I got Chinkapin from Catscratch also. Got two trays of swamp white oak from CAS_Hntr going too. If I have normal success on them I will give you some to put on your deer spots.

This warm weather is saving me money in the greenhouse. I am getting a shed dog - we will have to check out your farm when he gets good 'nuff. Be nice to find a shed and stick it in your equipment bldg. until a cabin gets built.

Wayne
 
I'm about ready to put mine in trays too Wayne!

They have really sprouted nice, just checked them today. I've been planning over all the places I'm going to put some late spring, great winter project.
 
Glad to hear yours have sprouted nicely. This year has been different for me - none of mine have sprouted yet. I planted them in the growing media anyway. It is the heat and lights that give them the energy to wake up and sprout.

Hope you get a bunch of seedlings going soon. Congrats 2 u.
 
Just checked mine and I have 12 out of the box you sent me starting to germinate, I had mold issues with only 2 and they got tossed. they are going into RM's today.
 
Scott

Your numbers sound good to me. We want zero mold but two don't change our planting very much - two less tree tubes. This year, my chestnuts are super slow to show a radicle. I stuck them all in growing media anyway. The heat and lights will get them going.

Hope you get a bunch of seedlings for your place. Good luck.

Wayne
 
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