Growing Chestnut tree from seed,
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Organicgrowingpains Rank attained: Silver Birch Tree


Joined: 24 Aug 2008 Posts: 175 Location: Cork
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Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:24 pm Post subject: Growing Chestnut tree from seed, |
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Hi, I have a few chestnuts and would like to see if they would grow for me, I have them soaking in water at the moment thinking to soften the shell?Right or wrong?
Anyone have any advice on how to proceed ie; type of compost, pot outdoors or indoors etc.
All advice appreciated, thanks
_________________ Always learning!
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mountainy man Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree


Joined: 18 Apr 2010 Posts: 83 Location: south east sligo
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 4:01 am Post subject: |
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Do you mean Horse chestnut or sweet or Spanish chestnut?
either way both are easy to grow, fill a pot three quarters full put your seed in and just cover them with some more soil or compost, put them somewhere in the shade and that's it really, make sure the soil doesn't dry out over the winter(lol!) and wait for spring. they are good reliable germinators and should grow strongly, both develop a deep taproot so make sure the pot is deep enough or plant out before they get too big as you will see roots coming out the bottom of the pot. Have fun its very rewarding.
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Organicgrowingpains Rank attained: Silver Birch Tree


Joined: 24 Aug 2008 Posts: 175 Location: Cork
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 8:20 am Post subject: |
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Thanks mountainy man, I dont know really which chestnut it is other than its a big old tree which always has chestnuts and I am always saying I must try growing one so this is finally the year I do it.
_________________ Always learning!
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Greengage Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 09 Nov 2011 Posts: 3131 Location: Kildare
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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best to plant them in 1 litre milk carton allows the tap root to develope.
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tippben Rank attained: Vegetable garden tender
Joined: 15 Jan 2011 Posts: 921 Location: north tipperary
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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Long, deep and narrow container is a very good idea. If the nut is basically round, with a casing covered in sparse spikes like a medieval weapon, it's a Horse Chestnut. These are originally from the Balkans, and are poisonous, no good for firewood, but great for playing "Conkers" and have quite ornamental flowers.
If the nut is heart shaped, with a casing covered in thousands of narrow spines, like a punk hedgehog, it's a Sweet Chestnut, which is from Italy, very good eating, and relatively rare in Ireland, also useful for cleaving as a coppice stool to make fencing or building materials, as well as burning well.
Either way, drop your nuts into a bucket of water. Don't plant any that float. Only plant them just beneath the surface. When a tree drops a seed, it lands on the surface, not 2 inches down. Seeds planted deeper may well rot.
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Organicgrowingpains Rank attained: Silver Birch Tree


Joined: 24 Aug 2008 Posts: 175 Location: Cork
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you both Greengage and tippben, Horse chestnut it is then, milk carton is a good idea.
Anyone any idea how long they take to germinate are we looking at next Spring for a visible shoot?
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medieval knievel Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 1010
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Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 9:19 am Post subject: |
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yep, you should see something appearing above ground in the spring.
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Blowin Rank attained: Vegetable garden tender
Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 930 Location: Drimoleague, Co Cork
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:27 am Post subject: |
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Good luck with it but just a word of caution!!!
ONLY burn either chestnut species (if you were going to) in an enclosed wood burner. They 'spit' like fury and will send embers out into the room if used on an open fire. Heatwise, though, terrific.
_________________ A novice gardener on newly cultivated, stoney ground. |
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My Potatoes Rank attained: Pedunculate oak tree

Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 307 Location: Cork
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Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:53 am Post subject: |
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I sowed a horse chestnut conker in Autumn 2012. It sprouted in the spring and grew rapidly last season. Here's a picture I took the other day. The pot could do with a bit of weeding but it's grown quite strong, though it did have a great year for it.
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My Potatoes Rank attained: Pedunculate oak tree

Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 307 Location: Cork
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Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:58 am Post subject: |
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Blowin wrote: | ONLY burn either chestnut species (if you were going to) in an enclosed wood burner. They 'spit' like fury and will send embers out into the room if used on an open fire. |
Are you sure about that? I've burned seasoned horse chestnut and have found it quite poor. It burns ok with coal and other fuels in the mix, but it does not burn great either. I haven't found it to spit either. Maybe it was sweet chestnut that gave you this difficulty? I've never burned this.
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Greengage Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 09 Nov 2011 Posts: 3131 Location: Kildare
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Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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Give it a chance it only has two buds on it. Don't know what age the chap is but in fifty years time when he decides to burn it,He will need help, thats if it doesn't suffer from bleeding canker or lawnmower disease.
PS well done for growing it from seed. Keep it watered and maybe look for somewhere to plant it permanently.
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Blowin Rank attained: Vegetable garden tender
Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 930 Location: Drimoleague, Co Cork
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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I may be wrong about Horse Chestnut being bad for burning - I thought they were both the same - but sweet chestnut is certainly as I said. My Dad worked with it all his life and we burned tons of it.
_________________ A novice gardener on newly cultivated, stoney ground. |
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