How to plant chestnut from walnut

Chestnut belongs to the Beech family. The tall-growing tree comes in two types: with nuts suitable for food - this is a noble variety, and also a horse tree, which produces inedible fruits. To landscape park areas, you can grow an alley of wild chestnuts. You can place a purchased seedling on your garden plot or grow a chestnut from a nut yourself.

What does a chestnut look like?

Deciduous, monoecious tree grows in the subtropical zone. In the wild, chestnut reaches a height of 40 meters, the trunk diameter is about 3 m. The crop is perennial, heat-loving, with a dense spreading crown. Asia Minor is considered its historical homeland, where the culture grows on the shady side of the mountains. In Russia, trees can be grown in the Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, on the Black Sea coast and Transcaucasia. The seedling prefers non-limestone soil with average moisture. The crop cannot be grown on wet and dry soils.

External characteristics:

1. The bark is dark brown, thick, with deep furrows.
2. Conical brown round buds have four outer leathery scales.
3. Stipules are oblong, light pink, up to 2 cm long, prone to rapid falling.
4. The leaves are simple, arranged in a two-row spiral pattern, attached to short petioles. Oblong, lanceolate, wide, maximum length 25 cm. The apex is pointed, the surface is hard with feathery veins. The edges of the dark green leaf are jagged.
5. After flowering, a seed capsule (plus) is formed, and at the time of fruit formation it acquires a round shape. The inside is soft, pubescent, the surface is equipped with hard branched spines. After the nut ripens, the plyus breaks into 4 parts; inside there are from 1 to 4 fruits.
6. The nuts are flattened oval in shape, tapering towards the top. The surface is lumpy at the base and there is a clearly defined light spot of a rounded shape. The shell is glossy, dark brown, hard, leathery. The seeds are spherical with a thick embryo. The structure is dense, with a high concentration of starch.

When the nut falls on the ground, it quickly germinates and the cotyledons remain in the soil. Therefore, growing a chestnut tree from a chestnut fruit is not difficult.

How chestnut blossoms

The photo shows a chestnut tree branch during flowering, which occurs in May. The tree does not begin to bloom until the air warms up to the desired temperature. Frosts rarely affect flowers. The crop is a strong honey plant; the crown is always surrounded by a large number of bees.The plant is monoecious with heterosexual flowers, requires pollinators, therefore during flowering it exudes a persistent, tart aroma that attracts insects. The wild crop is grown as a honey plant and for landscaping. You can grow trees that produce edible fruits in your garden plots.

Description of chestnut flowers:

1. The flowers are zygomorphic, small in size, collected in large inflorescences, bisexual, painted white with pink or yellow splashes.
2. Inflorescences are panicles up to 25 cm long, pyramidal in shape, erect.
3. The axis and pedicels have fine yellow pubescence.
4. The anthers of the flowers are red, the pedicels are long, the edges are fringed. Equipped with 6 stamens and a pistil.

Blooms in good weather until early June, flowering duration is 21 days.

Chestnut root system

After the entrances, the chestnut begins to form a taproot, which per year goes deep into the soil up to 40 cm. At the same time, the stem grows, by the end of the year the shoot height reaches 20 cm. The root system of a young tree is very fragile.

The root system is not determined by the crown of the tree; it is much larger, extending beyond the border by 3-5 m; this factor must be taken into account when planting the crop close to other fruit trees.

The structure of the root system of an adult chestnut:

1. The taproot goes deep up to 4 m.
2. There are branches of the first and second order, fewer of the first are formed, and several times more branches of the second order develop.
3. Horizontal roots grow sideways parallel to the surface for 4 meters.
4. From the horizontal roots there are vertical branches deep into the soil.

The deep system, which has grown well to the sides, provides the tree with sufficient nutrition and moisture.

How long does a chestnut tree grow?

This is a fast growing seedling. The end point is reached in the 30th year of the growing season. It forms young growth well even on a cut (stump). The annual growth is approximately 50 cm. Depending on the type of crop, at the age of 1 year the height of a young tree can be 30 cm, by the end of the third year about 1.5 meters. If you manage to grow a chestnut from a fruit, it will bloom in the 10th year and will bear fruit for up to 45 years. The grafted crop will bear fruit in the fifth year of the growing season.

How to distinguish edible and inedible chestnuts

The wild horse species bears inedible fruits; the purpose of planting is to decorate the landscape and create a base of honey plants. Growing edible chestnuts for the purpose of obtaining nuts is possible in the southern regions of Russia. The difference between a noble species and a wild one is presented in the table.

How to plant chestnut

Chestnuts are propagated by cuttings; a seedling can be grown from a nut. The plant is heat-loving, drought-resistant, grows only in the subtropical zone; growing the crop in regions with a temperate climate is quite problematic due to recurring spring frosts. In order for the tree to be comfortable on the site, you need to plant the chestnut tree correctly.

How to choose the right nut for planting

You can grow chestnuts from walnuts in the country if you purchase high-quality planting material. Seed requirements:

• The fruits must be ripe and have fallen from the tree on their own. Small unripe fruits will not sprout;
• the seeds are taken from a strong perennial plant;
• The nut must be hard and whole, without damage or dents.

When preparing planting material, take into account that out of 5 pieces only one nut can germinate.

How to plant walnut chestnuts at home

There are two ways to grow chestnuts from walnuts at home. Planting material is collected and stored until spring, then germinated and planted on the site. The second option is to bury autumn fruits in a hole; in the spring they will germinate on their own. Pre-growing chestnuts for spring planting:

1. The collected fruits are placed in a canvas bag and stored at a temperature close to zero.
2. In the middle of winter, high-quality nuts are selected for growing a tree, placed in a container, sprinkled with sand, and put on the balcony for hardening.
3. After 2 weeks, the container is brought into a warm room, during which time the seeds will sprout, the material without sprouts is thrown away.
4. Pour the nutritious mixture into small containers and deepen the nuts by 5 cm.
5. After 20 days, the first shoots will appear.
6. To ensure unhindered access of oxygen to the nuts, the ground is constantly loosened and watered as the top layer of soil dries out.

It is necessary to first grow walnut chestnuts in pots, then, when the soil has completely warmed up in the spring, place the seedling in a designated place, approximately planting will take place in early May.

Planting walnut chestnut trees directly in open ground

You can plant walnut chestnuts in open ground in the fall, using the seeds of the current year. The decision made to grow the crop by late planting has its advantages: the nuts will harden over the winter, sprout together, and the seedling will receive good immunity.

The sequence of growing chestnut from walnut in open ground:

1. 5 days before planting, the nuts are soaked in warm water.
2. Make a 10-15 cm deepening, place seeds, and cover with soil.
3. Cover with dry leaves on top.

To protect against rodents, it is recommended to cover the top with a chain-link mesh with small cells. In the spring, the nuts will sprout. Weak shoots are removed, leaving the required number of seedlings. Chestnuts grow until autumn. A month before the onset of frost, the seedlings are assigned to a permanent place. Trees can be grown from single seeds; this method has its drawbacks: not all nuts will sprout.

Sequence of planting seedlings:

1. Make a planting hole 50*50.
2. A mixture of turf layer, wood ash, compost and sand, taken in equal parts, is poured onto the bottom.
3. Drive a stake 20 cm from the center.
4. The seedling is placed so that the root collar remains on the surface.
5. The trunk is installed vertically in the center and covered with earth.
6. To keep the tree level, it is fixed to a support.
7. The top root circle is mulched with peat or dry sawdust.

How to grow chestnut

On a personal plot you can grow one, or less often two, plants. Wood requires a lot of space. The root system spreads over a long distance and completely takes nutrients from the soil. It will not be possible to grow anything within a radius of 5 m from it. If there is a mass planting, then it is possible to grow trees 3 meters from each other.

Watering and fertilizing

Growing a healthy chestnut without regular feeding and watering is problematic. Watering is carried out until 4 years of growth, then this measure is not relevant. The root system completely nourishes the plant and supplies it with sufficient moisture. Fertilizing is carried out in early spring before the leaves form. Prepare the mixture for 20 liters of water:

• organic – 1 kg;
• phosphorus-potassium agent – ​​30 g;
• ammonium nitrate – 25 g;
• urea – 30 g.

The solution is applied at the root. In the fall, mulch with compost.

Trimming and shaping

The culture is unpretentious in care. To grow a chestnut with a beautiful crown, spring pruning is necessary. In order to prevent thickening and fungal infection, excess branches on chestnuts are removed. Young shoots are cut to ¼ length. They do sanitary cleaning, remove dry branches, shoots that have frozen over the winter, and last year’s plushes with nuts. Cut off the root shoots.

Preparing for winter

An adult chestnut does not require any preparatory measures for wintering. It will not be possible to grow young seedlings up to 3 years of growing season without shelter for the winter. Culture may die. To protect the roots in the fall, the root circle is mulched with straw or dry leaves. Supports are installed around the plant at the height of the crown, a tarpaulin or special covering material is pulled over them, and the trunk is wrapped in burlap.

Diseases and pests

The most common infections affecting the plant are powdery mildew and anthracnose. The disease manifests itself as white or brown spots on the leaves. The problem is eliminated with the antifungal drug “Fundazol”; in spring and autumn, for preventive purposes, the crown is treated with Bordeaux mixture. Insects parasitizing the crop: borer, spider mite, bagworm. To eliminate them, use the potent insecticide "Karbofos".

Advice from experienced gardeners

Growing chestnuts from walnuts at home is not difficult. If the requirements of agricultural technology are observed, after 10 years the tree will bear its first fruits. Experienced gardeners give advice on how to grow a beautiful tree at minimal cost:

1. Do not plant the plant in an area with nearby groundwater.
2. Conduct moderate watering of young seedlings.
3. Place the plant at a distance of 5 meters from the fence and other trees.
4. When replanting, take into account that the root system is deep and does not correspond to the diameter of the crown.
5. If the soil composition is calcareous, it will not be possible to grow a healthy chestnut; sawdust is mixed into the soil.
6. Every spring, sanitary cleaning and pruning of young chestnut shoots is carried out.
7. Preventive treatment is carried out with Bordeaux mixture.
8. To grow chestnuts faster, be sure to feed the plant in the spring and, if necessary, cover it for the winter.

Conclusion

To plant a tree on your personal plot, you can purchase a ready-made seedling from a nursery or grow a chestnut from a walnut yourself. With proper care: watering, fertilizing, protecting young seedlings for the winter, the plant will bloom and produce nuts after a certain period of time.If you have a stationary apiary, you can grow chestnuts as a honey plant. To obtain nutritious fruits, an edible species is chosen for cultivation.

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