growing Dunstan Chestnut trees

[gladesman60]

May just be me, but for some reason I had much much better luck with the sawtooths from the wildlife group than from native nurseries. Curious if anyone has had any sawtooths start to produce yet and exactly when they drop?

my sawtooths are about 10 years old and have acorns started this year for the first time.

 

[spur necklace 3]

I got my first decent crop last year when my first group of sawtooths were 5 years old. When I first started I was going to go heavier on the sawtooths than I did, now just usually go with about five when I do a new planting. Everything I've read aligned with what BSK said that once the white oaks come in they move off the sawtooths completely. Heard of people planting 50-100 at a time but even in a high density that seems like a lot of nuts for the heard to clean up before the white oaks are in.

 

[BSK]

Everything I've read aligned with what BSK said that once the white oaks come in they move off the sawtooths completely. Heard of people planting 50-100 at a time but even in a high density that seems like a lot of nuts for the heard to clean up before the white oaks are in.

Every location is unique, but I've rarely seen a situation where deer prefer any other variety of acorn over the White Oak acorn, when they are available. The one caveat would be the Swamp White Oak. Those are preferred even above the upland White Oak. But they are also much more rare. I don't see them often outside of major river bottoms in West TN.

 

[rukiddin]

I planted m sawtooths as 2 year olds in feb of 2017. One tree produced one acorn (that I saw) in 2020. 6-8 trees had a handful on them last year. This year every tree on my place has acorns. Some are just a handful, some are loaded.
I got mine from state nursery in Delano.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I remember a year or two back some of you more experienced tree guys were discussing the concern over Japanese Beetles eating the leaves off your trees....I haven't see any yet this year but wanted to asked.....what do you treat your trees with when they are younger? Seven Dust? Seven Spray? Or?

 

[RS]

I remember a year or two back some of you more experienced tree guys were discussing the concern over Japanese Beetles eating the leaves off your trees....I haven't see any yet this year but wanted to asked.....what do you treat your trees with when they are younger? Seven Dust? Seven Spray? Or?

I've had good luck with liquid Seven.

 

[gladesman60]

They have started popping. . Theres gonna be a ton of em.

 

[JBell]

Nice. I need to check and see if I have any. Still waiting on my first chestnut. But my oldest trees are just over 3. So probably rushing it a little

 

[TNlandowner]

Nice. I need to check and see if I have any. Still waiting on my first chestnut. But my oldest trees are just over 3. So probably rushing it a little

We planted 30 Chestnut trees in 2013, with the best trees producing nuts in 5 years. Last fall, 1/2 of these trees didn't have chestnuts. I haven't checked them this year. We expect to see better production as the trees mature.

 

[JBell]

I noticed one of mine had those long bud things on it a month ago. But that's the only one that caught my eye. But I have around 110 in the ground so far

 

[DoubleRidge]

Checked on my Chestnut trees last weekend and noticed the Japanese Beetles have arrived....not bad....yet..... only a few leaves damaged....my trees are only 6 to 7 foot tall so I'm able to mist them good with Liquid Sevin....hoping it helps.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Followed up on the Sevin application and it's working...no new damage and no beetles.

Quick question...noticed the first burrs have started to develop....I thought I read before that when the trees are younger it's better to remove the burrs so the tree will put it's energy into root development....is this correct? Or leave them alone? These trees are around 7 foot tall.

 

[gladesman60]

Followed up on the Sevin application and it's working...no new damage and no beetles.

Quick question...noticed the first burrs have started to develop....I thought I read before that when the trees are younger it's better to remove the burrs so the tree will put it's energy into root development....is this correct? Or leave them alone? These trees are around 7 foot tall.

I never removed any of mine, cant say it hurt or helped em though. If theres just a few i would leave em. Let em mature and save the nuts to plant next spring.

 

[13pt]

Well, just accidentally posted this to a year-old Dunstan Chestnut thread before I saw this one . Anyway, I'm so pumped! Took these pictures yesterday and I already have chestnuts! I planted 13 one-year seedling trees in the fall of 2019, so in less than 3 years I have chestnuts...AMAZING! All 13 are thriving. I've taken very good care of them since they are only a couple of hundred yards from the house. The first two winters I kept a breathable frost cloth over them the entire winter, and then on and off for early and late frosts/freezes. Started them out in 4" growth tubes, which is why I didn't cage them and will let them grow into the tubes before removing them. I kept them watered during dry spells, and literally just fed them 2.5 gallons of water each yesterday because we haven't had any rain in two weeks. I didn't fertilize them until spring of last year, which is recommended not to do so for the first year, but then did both spring and early summer last year and this year (slow-release fertilizer). I also had to spray them for the past two years for Japanese beetles. They have some again this year but not too bad, so not sure yet if I will spray again this year. The only other problem I've had is the deer literally eating off the lower branches just above the top of the growth tube. I've attempted spraying smelly stuff and even left a bar of Irish Spring soap at each tree to keep the deer away, but it was almost like the more they stunk the more the deer were attracted. I guess as long as it's not human scent they just don't care. So, I finally gave in and just let them keep the lower branches pruned, which now seems to be a good plan after all. The trees are ranging from 1.75" to 2.5" in diameter at the base and seem to be about 10-14 ft tall, so really surprised I'm getting chestnuts already. Oh, and keep those weeds at bay! I don't use weed mats because they seem to me they would shed too much water when it rains, so I just spray around them probably 2-3 times a year. The growth tubes protect against overspray, though I will have to raise the growth tubes and pull weeds on occasion trying to grow inside next to the tree trunk. I also mulched around the trees when I planted them and have kept that in place ever since. So, I know this is old news to you veteran growers I see on this thread, but for anyone just starting out, everything I've done seems to have worked perfectly so far...good luck!

 

[rem270]

Question for you experts because I'm far from a tree expert. I have 10 acres of field that I told the farmer not to plant because I want to let it grow up and plant food plots and get some trees in the ground. Would it be ok to plant some trees now or should I wait until spring time? I want to plant several oaks that will start producing acorns. I know it will be some years down the road before they start producing so I know it's not a quick process.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Question for you experts because I'm far from a tree expert. I have 10 acres of field that I told the farmer not to plant because I want to let it grow up and plant food plots and get some trees in the ground. Would it be ok to plant some trees now or should I wait until spring time? I want to plant several oaks that will start producing acorns. I know it will be some years down the road before they start producing so I know it's not a quick process.

I'm no expert but there are those on here that certainly are.....but my understanding is fall is the best time to transplant trees....then spring would be the second best.... currently it's just too hot and dry....last spring I planted my Chestnut trees and during the first summer I watered them every week...or every other week helping them to get established....this year they are doing fine on their own.....I have several sawtooth oak in buckets I've got to get transplanted but I'm going to wait until closer to fall....at the house I can keep them watered easier during this hot dry spell....the property where I want to plant them is 15 minutes away so I have to haul water.....and good call on letting the 10 acre field go for wildlife!...food plot a portion...plant trees in a portion....then let a portion grow up into native vegetation....the deer and other wildlife will love it!! Good luck on your project!! And if your set on oaks (and you want to see acorn production in your lifetime) consider the sawtooth.

 

[rem270]

I'm no expert but there are those on here that certainly are.....but my understanding is fall is the best time to transplant trees....then spring would be the second best.... currently it's just too hot and dry....last spring I planted my Chestnut trees and during the first summer I watered them every week...or every other week helping them to get established....this year they are doing fine on their own.....I have several sawtooth oak in buckets I've got to get transplanted but I'm going to wait until closer to fall....at the house I can keep them watered easier during this hot dry spell....the property where I want to plant them is 15 minutes away so I have to haul water.....and good call on letting the 10 acre field go for wildlife!...food plot a portion...plant trees in a portion....then let a portion grow up into native vegetation....the deer and other wildlife will love it!! Good luck on your project!! And if your set on oaks (and you want to see acorn production in your lifetime) consider the sawtooth.

Thanks for the info. I didn't think right would be good but I'm antsy to work on things. I'd love to plant my whole property line with trees but I share the field on the west side and it's farmed so I'm sure the dang farmer would spray and kill them being that close to the line. I plan on designating some spots for oaks and fruit trees along with food plots and the rest I will let nature run its course and get grown up thick.

 

[13pt]

Thanks for the info. I didn't think right would be good but I'm antsy to work on things. I'd love to plant my whole property line with trees but I share the field on the west side and it's farmed so I'm sure the dang farmer would spray and kill them being that close to the line. I plan on designating some spots for oaks and fruit trees along with food plots and the rest I will let nature run its course and get grown up thick.

Completely agree with DoubleRidge, though I'm not the resident expert either...but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night . Seriously, I did tremendous research before embarking on my project and the fall season has advantages over spring...though both work. I would highly recommend some way to protect the young trees during unseasonal frosts and freezes...and you definitely don't want to use a plastic bag. I found a really great breathable frost cloth on Amazon (see below). In fact, I even left them on all winter for the first two winters to keep the harshest elements from contacting the trees, and apparently, it worked wonders since my Dunstan's are producing in less than the 3-5 year projection. I think that practice, along with utilizing growth tubes, likely contributed the most to the success. Your results will definitely be a product of your efforts. If you just plant a bunch and leave them mostly unattended (which I know is not your plan), then you'll end up with 1/2 to 2/3 surviving, and even those will grow at a much slower rate. Put your best efforts into their first few years and you'll reap amazing results; i.e, watering, weeding, fertilizing at optimum times using slow-release fertilizer, spraying for bugs if needed, along with the other things I've already mentioned, and you'll be smiling really big in about 3 years! Good luck!! Also, remember your area does have a TWRA Habitat Biologist who would be more than happy to visit your property and your plan and give their best ideas and possibly even support. If you don't know who that person is, then contact your county game warden and ask...that's how I found out.

Amazon product ASIN B07JCTCDY3

 

[rem270]

Completely agree with DoubleRidge, though I'm not the resident expert either...but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night . Seriously, I did tremendous research before embarking on my project and the fall season has advantages over spring...though both work. I would highly recommend some way to protect the young trees during unseasonal frosts and freezes...and you definitely don't want to use a plastic bag. I found a really great breathable frost cloth on Amazon (see below). In fact, I even left them on all winter for the first two winters to keep the harshest elements from contacting the trees, and apparently, it worked wonders since my Dunstan's are producing in less than the 3-5 year projection. I think that practice, along with utilizing growth tubes, likely contributed the most to the success. Your results will definitely be a product of your efforts. If you just plant a bunch and leave them mostly unattended (which I know is not your plan), then you'll end up with 1/2 to 2/3 surviving, and even those will grow at a much slower rate. Put your best efforts into their first few years and you'll reap amazing results; i.e, watering, weeding, fertilizing at optimum times using slow-release fertilizer, spraying for bugs if needed, along with the other things I've already mentioned, and you'll be smiling really big in about 3 years! Good luck!! Also, remember your area does have a TWRA Habitat Biologist who would be more than happy to visit your property and your plan and give their best ideas and possibly even support. If you don't know who that person is, then contact your county game warden and ask...that's how I found out.

Amazon product ASIN B07JCTCDY3

Thanks for the info. I will wait until fall and start my planting. Luckily this is only 300-400 yards behind my house so I'll be able to take care of them really well. I'll mow with my zero turn out to the area and keep it mowed around it. Gets me exctied!

 

[utvolsfan77]

Well, just accidentally posted this to a year-old Dunstan Chestnut thread before I saw this one . Anyway, I'm so pumped! Took these pictures yesterday and I already have chestnuts! I planted 13 one-year seedling trees in the fall of 2019, so in less than 3 years I have chestnuts...AMAZING! All 13 are thriving. I've taken very good care of them since they are only a couple of hundred yards from the house. The first two winters I kept a breathable frost cloth over them the entire winter, and then on and off for early and late frosts/freezes. Started them out in 4" growth tubes, which is why I didn't cage them and will let them grow into the tubes before removing them. I kept them watered during dry spells, and literally just fed them 2.5 gallons of water each yesterday because we haven't had any rain in two weeks. I didn't fertilize them until spring of last year, which is recommended not to do so for the first year, but then did both spring and early summer last year and this year (slow-release fertilizer). I also had to spray them for the past two years for Japanese beetles. They have some again this year but not too bad, so not sure yet if I will spray again this year. The only other problem I've had is the deer literally eating off the lower branches just above the top of the growth tube. I've attempted spraying smelly stuff and even left a bar of Irish Spring soap at each tree to keep the deer away, but it was almost like the more they stunk the more the deer were attracted. I guess as long as it's not human scent they just don't care. So, I finally gave in and just let them keep the lower branches pruned, which now seems to be a good plan after all. The trees are ranging from 1.75" to 2.5" in diameter at the base and seem to be about 10-14 ft tall, so really surprised I'm getting chestnuts already. Oh, and keep those weeds at bay! I don't use weed mats because they seem to me they would shed too much water when it rains, so I just spray around them probably 2-3 times a year. The growth tubes protect against overspray, though I will have to raise the growth tubes and pull weeds on occasion trying to grow inside next to the tree trunk. I also mulched around the trees when I planted them and have kept that in place ever since. So, I know this is old news to you veteran growers I see on this thread, but for anyone just starting out, everything I've done seems to have worked perfectly so far...good luck!
View attachment 140722View attachment 140721

@13pt Want to keep deer away from these young trees while they grow? Go to your local barber shop and get bags of cut hair. Sprinkle it around the base of each tree and I promise you that it will keep the deer away.