One Thousand Chestnut Trees - a Whitetail Deer Project
- Thread starter wbpdeer
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wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
TreeDaddy
It is a granular product sold in a small box. It comes with an small plastic spoon. You mix a very small amount in each gallon of water. Stir it up well - it does dissolve rather easy. I do my mixing in 5 gallon buckets because I water 11 trees in my yard (5 chestnuts & 6 other nut producing type trees). I have everything green here because of generous & timely rainfall.
The granular is a blue / green color so in water it is easy to determine when it has dissolved.
I put the liquid fertilizer on the soil. It is simple - nothing complicated. I will do it 2 weeks apart.
It is a fertilizer for acid loving plants. Chinese Chestnuts love an acidic pH.
Wayne
It is a granular product sold in a small box. It comes with an small plastic spoon. You mix a very small amount in each gallon of water. Stir it up well - it does dissolve rather easy. I do my mixing in 5 gallon buckets because I water 11 trees in my yard (5 chestnuts & 6 other nut producing type trees). I have everything green here because of generous & timely rainfall.
The granular is a blue / green color so in water it is easy to determine when it has dissolved.
I put the liquid fertilizer on the soil. It is simple - nothing complicated. I will do it 2 weeks apart.
It is a fertilizer for acid loving plants. Chinese Chestnuts love an acidic pH.
Wayne
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
I would remove one of the seedlings from the small starter pots to examine the roots. I have learned to look at how many scaffolds of leaves I have before I plant in their final location.
I believe those roots are going to show you need to put them in larger containers now. I have been using root pouches and had good success. If I wanted to carry them until next spring I would put them in 3 gallon pouches. MattPatt might have better advance since your growing situation may be closer to his than mine. Turkey Creek might be able to guide you also.
If you have more scaffolds of leaves before you plant in their final location, I think that plant is more resilient and likely to survive under stress. My two cents ...
Wayne
I believe those roots are going to show you need to put them in larger containers now. I have been using root pouches and had good success. If I wanted to carry them until next spring I would put them in 3 gallon pouches. MattPatt might have better advance since your growing situation may be closer to his than mine. Turkey Creek might be able to guide you also.
If you have more scaffolds of leaves before you plant in their final location, I think that plant is more resilient and likely to survive under stress. My two cents ...
Wayne
Mitch
Active Member
Tale of two groups of chestnut trees
Man the ones with brown leaves are stubborn but I can see some small new growth sprouting from the main stem.
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Man the ones with brown leaves are stubborn but I can see some small new growth sprouting from the main stem.
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Bottomland
Active Member
I always wondered why my chestnuts have small, waxy dark green slightly curled leaves when everyone else's have these huge light green leaves, and I think I figured out why. I never knew you were supposed to slowly introduce them to sunlight. Mine have been growing outside in 90% sun since winter. Man, these little chestnuts are fickle!
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
That small green growth on the chestnuts with brown leaves is proof they are bouncing back. Two groups - one group got stressed somehow. I would like to say more leaves mean a need for more moisture and being outside means more need for moisture. Just make sure you overwater them when you give them a drink!!!Tale of two groups of chestnut trees
Man the ones with brown leaves are stubborn but I can see some small new growth sprouting from the main stem.
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Wayne
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
Close your eyes and put the leaves between your thumb and fingers - how do they feel. They may be hardened off because they have been outside. I encourage you to water them extremely good when you water them. Get some water soluble fertilizer for acid loving plants. Feed them good and then feed them good two weeks later to the day. Do that thru the first or middle of July and I think you will be amazing at how they jump. We don't feed them much past the early July calendar so the new green tender growth can harden off before cold air arrives.
I moved 18 seedlings out of their starter containers to 1 gallon root pouches this morning. I had with all dead leaves but the stem was alive when I scrapped it with my pocket knife. I saw many different shades of chestnuts leaves but the other 17 are healthy with good stems - except for two weak stems that got a stake to hold them upward.
Bottomland - feed your chestnuts and they will get going for you.
We should always be slow to pronounce death on a chestnut seedlings - if they have roots.
Wayne
Mitch
Active Member
Yeah the brown leaves are the ones I had moved outside and the very next day the wind blew like crazy. I was unable to get home in time to get them back in, so i'm playing Dr. Chestnut right now. They seem to be recovering....slowly. I spray the leaves with a spray bottle every day when I get home from work and water them about every other day. Rain water only.
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
I have gotten over half of mine from Big Rock Trees because he supported Habitat Folks. The shipping drives the cost up but I felt good about showing my support to him especially when I was as green as any rookie ever. I found John to be kind and helpful and being a small town guy that matters to me.
I have done internet searches and purchased some from the big supply houses based upon shopping deals at that time. I love the rootmaker 18 container - it is effective and tough. I hate their brittle container for the 18s because they break much too easily. I use popsicle sticks to keep mine together when I can.
Just do a google search and shop the deals. If you find free shipping that can save you $$.
Wayne
I have done internet searches and purchased some from the big supply houses based upon shopping deals at that time. I love the rootmaker 18 container - it is effective and tough. I hate their brittle container for the 18s because they break much too easily. I use popsicle sticks to keep mine together when I can.
Just do a google search and shop the deals. If you find free shipping that can save you $$.
Wayne
I left a tray of beautiful baby trees in 18s over the weekend that i "thought" were adequately watered
After three days of sunny ,windy weather in the mid 80s, i returned home to find them fried
Leaves were crisp,and lying flat on the stems
After a tearful,profanity laced self directed tirade, I watered them thoroughly and placed the tray in the shade under a tree
Bless their hearts
They look awful,but 3 weeks later, all but 2 have new growth!!!!
Baby chestnuts are tenacious!!!! They want to live!!!!
bill
After three days of sunny ,windy weather in the mid 80s, i returned home to find them fried
Leaves were crisp,and lying flat on the stems
After a tearful,profanity laced self directed tirade, I watered them thoroughly and placed the tray in the shade under a tree
Bless their hearts
They look awful,but 3 weeks later, all but 2 have new growth!!!!
Baby chestnuts are tenacious!!!! They want to live!!!!
bill
John Barnes
Member
I had about 8 nuts that hadn't germinated in the 18's, that were still firm. Put them all together in a 5 gallon outside. After a couple weeks, one has a radicle now and was planted in that pot.
The seven that have been growing in 18s will be moved outside over the next few days. It's still get down in the 40s at night, and barely to 70 during the day, which is cooler than I'd like for them, but my wife is getting tired of them and the lights in the dining room. My bare root chestnuts are starting to leaf out, so I figure it must be warm enough.
The seven that have been growing in 18s will be moved outside over the next few days. It's still get down in the 40s at night, and barely to 70 during the day, which is cooler than I'd like for them, but my wife is getting tired of them and the lights in the dining room. My bare root chestnuts are starting to leaf out, so I figure it must be warm enough.
Jason Broom
Well-Known Member
Concerning fertilization: I have four trees planted on a slope at my residence. This is rich, well-balanced soil. I tried growing blueberries and they didn't like the relatively high pH. Should I be prepared to continually fertilize and amend the soil around these trees to lower the pH and feed them?
Goldentriangle
Active Member
I have just over 20 late germinating nuts. 6 Chinese and 18 Dunstan hybrids.. I started these in one gallon root pouches since my 18s are full with the first round of nuts. I plan on putting most of these out dormant this fall/winter. I will overwinter a select few and baby them one more growing season. These nuts in the one gallon bags have just now sent top growth out of the media. Will I need to upsize the pots or can I leave them in the one gallon pouches for the rest of this growing season? Jus trying to figure out if I need more and bigger pots.
Thanks
Scott
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Thanks
Scott
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mattpatt
Well-Known Member
Some may disagree but I think you'll be okay leaving them in the one gallon pouches until fall. I would then put them in three gallon pots for the ones you overwinter. Then you will probably need to go a size bigger about mid summer next year.
Matt
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Goldentriangle
Active Member
Thanks Matt, that was what I was hoping to hear. My wife would kill me if I had another order for rootmakers right now! She has been beating me home from work for the last couple months so she knows about pretty much all my recent orders for pouches, pots, and supplies. If she doesn't see it on the doorstep, it's like it didn't happen!
Thanks
Scott
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Thanks
Scott
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Gravel Road
Well-Known Member
I got some 3 gallon root pouches this week, so decided to transplant some seedlings into them tonight. The amount of roots these chestnuts put out is incredible. Even the smallest seedlings that are only 3 or 4 inches tall had roots at the bottom of the small pots. Hope the 3 gallon pouches are big enough! I'm guessing they'll have to be moved regularly so they don't root through into the ground?
Bigeight
Active Member
I agree with this as well.
I don't have near the growing season as most of you, or the heat, so maybe its an opinion that doesn't matter coming from me.
I usually do about 150 or so chestnuts each fall that I started from seed. I am transplanting most from the RM 18's the past week (Mid May) and I put them into REGULAR 1 gallon pots. (The ones that are frowned upon) I then move them into my nursery that gets about 5 hours of full sun/day elevated on pallets until September when I plant. I use Osmocote in the potting soil and check in on them about once a week to see if they need a drink. I will try using the MG acid on 25 or so once or twice a month like Wayne suggest and see what those trees do. I assume they will respond great ! That stuff is cheap enough and not much of a hassle to water with, so that is right up my ally with my growing style!
I usually end up with a nice 38-42" tree with a good root system. I don't see any real spiraling issues unless I overwinter them and plant the following spring. I do another 25 in 1 gallon air pruning pots (the ones with the vertical slits) just because I tested the difference. I get a little bit better tree from the air pots. Slightly with height, but noticeable better diameter. By the 3rd year in the field I can't tell the difference between the growing methods. I would probably push into that 55+" range if I went 1 gal RM, then to 2 or 3 gal in stages like suggested. Maybe in a few years I will tinker with investing a bit more into growing bigger trees when my kids need less attention :-D
The reason I do this is because I use a 6" power auger to plant. The 1 gallon regular pots fit perfectly in the augered hole and I can plant 150 and tube them in just a few hours with a buddy. The trade off for me with time in the field/expense is a no brainer in my situation. I'm sure I could get a better tree if I babied them more, and used better potting methods, but those all come at a cost, and the cost of time which I don't have at this point in my families lives.
The trade off is that I could do less trees and plant bigger ones. I don't see the difference a few years later with our short growing season , So I believe 10 years from now, I'll be super happy with planting for volume, saving money, and less time involved if a mouse finds its way in a tube once and a while
Goldentriangle
Active Member
Update on my fall direct seeded Chestnuts. These are on a farm that I am fortunate enough to hunt that borders the Mississippi River. We were concerned about the water table since we are in the bottoms. We planted 9 of Wayne's Chinese chestnuts and 10 Dunstan hybrids off of a tree that I collect from. Out of 19 direct seeded and protected, we have 18 gorgeous seedlings!
The trunks are considerably more rigid than what I have in rootmakers. All but one have multiple scaffolds of leaves which are very rigid also. Do you guys think that we should fertilize with the orchid food? I am familiar with Wayne's directions on the feeding every two weeks and quitting around the 4th of July..
Right now they are looking so good that I don't know if I should even mess with them. Thoughts?
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The trunks are considerably more rigid than what I have in rootmakers. All but one have multiple scaffolds of leaves which are very rigid also. Do you guys think that we should fertilize with the orchid food? I am familiar with Wayne's directions on the feeding every two weeks and quitting around the 4th of July..
Right now they are looking so good that I don't know if I should even mess with them. Thoughts?
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