Dunstan Chestnut Trees

DoubleRidge

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If anyone is interested Chestnut Hill Farms has shipped chestnut trees to area Walmart....years past they are always gone before I can get any.... Walmart in Dickson had about 25 of the 3gal and 2 of the 7gal yesterday....I picked up three of the 3gal which are around 5' tall with new growth.

So...for the guys who have planted several trees over the years I'd love to hear ideas on watering?....I am absolutely going to cage them! And I'm going to put a weed mat down with mulch...but being 5' tall should I still put a short tube around base to keep rabbits from chewing the bark? And as for watering....these will be planted on property where I do not live....but I do have a 30 and a 50 gallon tank to haul water....so my question is should I try the water bags? Or a 5 gallon bucket with a small hole to drip? All kinds of ideas online but I'd rather hear from you guys who have learned what works and what doesn't.

Any suggestions or ideas are appreciated.
 

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JCDEERMAN

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Thanks for sharing! I will go by a few local WM's during my lunch today to look around. How much were they for the different sizes? My American Chestnuts are about 10" tall I planted from seedlings - I'm excited about them.

Yes - definitely cage. I've never had any trouble with rabbits chewing the bark, but I have had insects (or some type of wood borer get around the base of some apple trees. I would say tubes wouldn't hurt. How many trees do you have in the particular area? We have some big clusters (10 - 15 trees). We just purchased some of those used 275 gallon tanks for cheap. The plan is to use one of those in each "cluster of trees" and have a timer on it for gravity-fed drip irrigation. Although, for most circumstances, I think a 5 gallon bucket for each tree would work great. Just have to make sure the hole is the appropriate size. Keep us updated!
 

DoubleRidge

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Thanks for sharing! I will go by a few local WM's during my lunch today to look around. How much were they for the different sizes? My American Chestnuts are about 10" tall I planted from seedlings - I'm excited about them.

Yes - definitely cage. I've never had any trouble with rabbits chewing the bark, but I have had insects (or some type of wood borer get around the base of some apple trees. I would say tubes wouldn't hurt. How many trees do you have in the particular area? We have some big clusters (10 - 15 trees). We just purchased some of those used 275 gallon tanks for cheap. The plan is to use one of those in each "cluster of trees" and have a timer on it for gravity-fed drip irrigation. Although, for most circumstances, I think a 5 gallon bucket for each tree would work great. Just have to make sure the hole is the appropriate size. Keep us updated!

3 gal are $35 and the 7 gal are $49.

The location I'm going to plant these in is near one of the new plots we developed last year.... I can drive too this location so hauling water won't be an issue...and it will get the recommended 6 to 8 hours of sunlight no problem.....in this particular area I'm just getting started so it will be these three trees to begin with....so I may try the 5 gallon drip bucket idea....but I like the big tank idea with drip lines run out.... interesting.

I would love to get some American Chestnut started someday as well.

Currently we have the 3 Dunstan mentioned and 13 sawtooth started in pots....so we're just getting started with the process..... appreciate the input.
 

nwsg76

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I am very lucky...I have about 120 hybrid chestnut that I got from TN Division of Forestry about 5 years ago. They were bare root seedlings then. Now they are 6 to 12 feet tall. Cost was about 75 cents per tree.
Tree tubes, winter pruning, weed control,etc is very important if you want to see return on investment.
Keep planting and managing habitat!
 

DoubleRidge

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I am very lucky...I have about 120 hybrid chestnut that I got from TN Division of Forestry about 5 years ago. They were bare root seedlings then. Now they are 6 to 12 feet tall. Cost was about 75 cents per tree.
Tree tubes, winter pruning, weed control,etc is very important if you want to see return on investment.
Keep planting and managing habitat!

Awesome....every time I've checked the TN Forestry site the last couple of years they don't show any in stock....but hope to time it right someday!
 

DoubleRidge

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Planted the three chestnut trees mentioned in original post Saturday. Location will get plenty of sun....watered them in good. Used weed fabric and mulched. Made the cages from some leftover woven wire and conduit I had. These cages may keep a buck from rubbing but looking back I might should have made cage bigger to help prevent browsing. Also I've read where people have had issues with rabbits chewing bark....I didn't have any tubes so I left the sleeve around base so maybe that will prevent rabbit from getting to the trunk....the three trees are planted 35 feet apart.... hoping for the best.
 

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Monk74

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I've planted some very late dropping apples and sawtooth oaks. Did a comparison with using a bucket full of dried cow piles to make a "mulch ring" around some trees. It's easy to find and free. The results were pretty amazing. As it rains the nutrients seep into the soil at the base. I wish I would've made my cages bigger. If it's really dry I use a five gallon bucket with a 1/16 hole drilled off to the side of the bottom and the lid. It takes several hours to drip out. Five gallons seems to sustain the for 2 - 3 weeks no problem. Good luck.
 

DoubleRidge

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I've planted some very late dropping apples and sawtooth oaks. Did a comparison with using a bucket full of dried cow piles to make a "mulch ring" around some trees. It's easy to find and free. The results were pretty amazing. As it rains the nutrients seep into the soil at the base. I wish I would've made my cages bigger. If it's really dry I use a five gallon bucket with a 1/16 hole drilled off to the side of the bottom and the lid. It takes several hours to drip out. Five gallons seems to sustain the for 2 - 3 weeks no problem. Good luck.

I'm planning to try the 5 gallon bucket with 1/16 drip hole....I've read about it but never tried it....thanks for the confirmation.....I have a compost pile of horse manure....may blend some of it into mulch ring once the trees are established....and no doubt I wish I had made the cages a little bigger to help prevent browsing.....I just used the materials I had on hand.
 

Bucket

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Great question..... marketing I guess? In the springtime everyone is in the mood to plant maybe?
It's honestly the reason I've been reluctant to buy Dunstans...I would have to plant them where watering isn't feasible and I feel like they wouldn't have great success trying to get rooted as summer kicks into high gear.
 

DoubleRidge

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It's honestly the reason I've been reluctant to buy Dunstans...I would have to plant them where watering isn't feasible and I feel like they wouldn't have great success trying to get rooted as summer kicks into high gear.

You could buy them in the spring....nurse them at home through the summer....then transplant in the fall.....I'm growing some saw tooth oak at the house now that I'll nurse all summer.....it may be next fall before I transplant......but even the following summer if we get drought conditions watering them is obviously going to increase chances for success.
 

Monk74

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Great question..... marketing I guess? In the springtime everyone is in the mood to plant maybe?
I have believed for year it's marketing. Playing on people's spring planting urges. Grass seed commercials tick me off. Fescue late spring sown has very chance to make it without irrigation. But if they convince joe blow homeowner to do just that, he'll be back year after year.
 

Monk74

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Also through trial and error I've learned and read that when planting saplings in the fall. The roots actually continue to form and grow through the winter. And I've moved from pruning in the early winter to the first of March with good results. I figured why leave an open wound/ scar area all winter.
 

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