I got these 3 Dustan Chestnuts from a chestnut tree farm this spring. Looking for feedback on how they look so far. I'd like to know when I could confidently leave them on site at my property without me looking after them daily. I know I probably need to put a shield on them, but generally how old would they need to be for me to plant in the wild? Thanks in advance.
Looking at the size you have I would put grow tubes on them and plant this winter. Keep the tubes on them in the wild to keep deer from making rubs out of them. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Am I looking at die back in a couple of them? Bhr1 is right, good grow tubes. With that sturdy staking at planting to handle wind and welded wire fencing staked down. I use 2" x 4" x 48" in a 4' diameter . Now with all that I lost one because a mouse got into the tube and made a nest,then girded the tree. So as they get 2 or 3 and out of the tube I use hardware cloth 1/4 x 1/4" x 3 ft' this allows you to mulch and the tube keeps the mulch away from the trunk. If you worry about watering the bigger deer fencing gives good area to place full gal. Milk jugs with pin holes. Like a soaker hose. Sounds like a lot of work but it's pretty much one and done. You'll always need the fencing. The mouse guard until a hardened bark forms in several years. They will need pruning . Mine started producing the first year planted, just a few put by 4 years just packed. I have another 7 ft one my son inlaw picked up for me to go pick up. It will need to be covered and laid flat in hubbys truck to get it the hour and half drive home. I need to go dig a hole for the 3 gal. pot. Watch your spacing they get big and wide crowns. But they need to be close enough to wind pollinate. Deer LOVE to eat the branches. i will now have 4 Dunstan and 1 chinese in my tree plot then in the upper plot I have 1 Dunstan and 4 chinese. Unlike my 200 red oak I know I'll have chestnuts every single year(on the Dunstan). Shot my bow buck leaving the chestnuts last year.
I use Sevin spray and to rid the area of tent caterpillars and Japanese beetle grubs Sevin granules...though that can be problematic for your earth worms so traps if you can be around to empty them.
I thought I'd post a pic of a few of mine. How did your planting go? I have better pic on the phone..which is charging at the moment. The trees on rt are chestnuts of various ages. 3 have been producing for a few years now. One small one is a Chinese. Trees on lft are apples and peaches. Tubes in middle Apple's and cherry
Those look great. Mine eventually died out...I'm not sure if it was the summer heat, but I used Sevin dust to keep bugs away. I had 3 yearling trees, each in their own planter. Started out good, growing big leaves, but slowly the leaves got brown and died by August. I called the nursery and got some advice, but it was too late. I'd like to try again because there are no chestnut trees in my hunting area. But I'd hate to waste my money if I can't keep them alive.
Good luck in getting them to maturity. Your county agriculture extension agent might be able to help plus the state universities might have resources for you. Never thought of chestnuts for deer.
We actually have several mature chestnuts in our neighborhood. Which is why I researched them years ago. My first plantings were the Chinese and then I went to the resistant Dunstun. The beauty of chestnuts that if they are cut or have just a top die out ,they stump regenerate readily.
