One Thousand Chestnut Trees - a Whitetail Deer Project
- Thread starter wbpdeer
- Start date
Diamond hunter
Member
Wayne,sometime Id like a list of states you are needing to supply.Im a member of a jeweler's group with 700 members in USA and Canada.I would be happy to add some states to the list.
Sam
Active Member
Cant wait to get them! Thanks for all you are doing for the chestnuts across the country very inspiring!
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
DiamondHunter,
Iowa is a state it is difficult for me to get customers in - maybe 4 in three seasons.
I would like help in Iowa, Delaware, New Hampshire, Maine or Mass'
Any leads in any of those five would help - I currently have zero in the other four listed with maybe 4 in Iowa. The state of Iowa has plenty of hunters. The Iowa forums are tight - mostly all in-state people.
Thanks for the help. I will do you a kind deed too.
Goldentriangle
Active Member
Wayne, I have a cousin that lives on his 790 acres in van buren county Iowa. I'm sure I can get him some of my started seedlings.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
Unless I am mistaken, Van Buren County, IA is outstanding deer ground. Goldentriangle, will you please determine if they would rather have a box of chestnuts.
Was Van Buren County the location of the famous GEO pear tree and his recently sold farm? I think I am right - but it early of the day right now and I may need some coffee before thinking too much.
It makes me smile to think about Chinese Chestnuts from Portland, TN feeding those huge Iowa trophies.
Goldentriangle
Active Member
Wayne, you are correct. I'm fortunate to get to hunt there every few years. I come from a pretty decent deer region but it's a whole different world at my cousins place 50 minutes north of me. I am sure he would take a box but I will need to get his address for you.
Thanks
Scott
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Thanks
Scott
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LodgeWI
Member
Wayne - here's a quick update on the chestnuts I received from you. I put the nuts in the refrigerator and promptly forgot about them all winter. I direct seeded 25 nuts on May 14th. I have 21 seedlings now and they are exploding.
I planted them on the outer rim of the mowed yard at the Lodge - the idea is to frame the yard (and perhaps get a rifle shot from the deck in the future). You can see the white tree tubes on the perimeter here:
Here is a close up of a tree tube. You can see the growth since May by the shadow the leaves cast. I'm using Tubex Combitubes and a 3x3 weed mat (I plan to re-mat with 4x4 this fall).
Here is a seedling with the tube removed. I'm pretty impressed that this was a seed 3 months ago! For reference, the PVC stake is almost 5' out of the ground. I expect the trees will be out of the 5' tubes next year.
I planted them on the outer rim of the mowed yard at the Lodge - the idea is to frame the yard (and perhaps get a rifle shot from the deck in the future). You can see the white tree tubes on the perimeter here:
Here is a close up of a tree tube. You can see the growth since May by the shadow the leaves cast. I'm using Tubex Combitubes and a 3x3 weed mat (I plan to re-mat with 4x4 this fall).
Here is a seedling with the tube removed. I'm pretty impressed that this was a seed 3 months ago! For reference, the PVC stake is almost 5' out of the ground. I expect the trees will be out of the 5' tubes next year.
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
Neahawg,
Gosh what a great looking tree. That must be 7 feet tall. I don't get that kind of height on mine but I get plenty of leaves. The first time I read one of you threads at the old site - you had an extremely tall seedlings in the yard/driveway.
Once again, what a great looking tree. You got it right - don't change now!!!!
I am impressed.
Gosh what a great looking tree. That must be 7 feet tall. I don't get that kind of height on mine but I get plenty of leaves. The first time I read one of you threads at the old site - you had an extremely tall seedlings in the yard/driveway.
Once again, what a great looking tree. You got it right - don't change now!!!!
I am impressed.
Keith Nehrke
Member
Here's a question for the experts: I have ~80 hybrids in 1 gallon RMs that were transferred in May and fertilized then with Osmocote, but not since. Most of the trees showed an initial growth spurt and then stalled at around 24", with the leaves gradually turning dark green and new buds developing as expected. I had some sun damage too, but that's my own stupidity. However, around a dozen trees suddenly started to shoot out new growth in July. The growth is mainly from the main stem or a crotch thereof, with only a couple of trees sending up new shoots from the root system itself. My question is whether this new growth came too late and whether the trees will have time to harden off properly before the winter. I'm choosing my best 36 to plant and I don't want to choose trees that look great now but die back in the cold. I am in Rochester, NY, with the property about ten miles South of Lake Ontario, nominally zone 5/6.
Jason Broom
Well-Known Member
Here is a picture of one of the five chestnuts planted in Antrim County, Michigan, a few weeks ago. Conditions have been ideal since planting, with ample moisture and plenty of warm, sunny days. I'm confident these will get some good roots put down this fall and with any kind of luck, will take off next spring. It's a lot of cost and effort to fully cage each tree, along with the landscape fabric and river gravel to keep it in place, but having seen dozens of trees fail when we didn't take these extra steps, it's worth it to me to give these the best chance possible.
The plots look good, but I'm more excited about the trees than anything else this year!
The plots look good, but I'm more excited about the trees than anything else this year!
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wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
Keith,
I suggest you give your trees what I call the feel test or eyes shut test. Close your eyes and put the leaves between your thumb and fingers. What do you feel? Is it a tender leaf or is it a full firm leaf. When the chestnut leaves harden off - it is something you can feel.
Use the test to find the best 36 to plant. Young tender growth on chestnuts sometimes has a tint of red or can actually be red in color. Those leaves are tender and small.
You can grade leaves by the touch to get the 36 best hybrid trees you have. I would try to hedge my bet and carry 10 thru the winter that I might plant in the spring if part of my 36 get kicked hard by ole' man winter.
I am wondering what happens to the other 44 plants (80-36) that don't get planted.
I hope my info helps you out. Best of luck to you.
