Chestnut Orchard Update - Crop is Looking Pretty Good

[@troybrake5686]

Beautiful sky john! Can't wait till my chestnuts get big enough to produce

[@johnsangl]

It was a gorgeous day! It won't be long until you're producing.

[@nhmountains5683]

John, I think you’ll see a big increase in pollination every year from now on. There’s enough wind on your ridge that the catkins should be pumping pollen in the air. My two trees are loaded with the most burs they’ve ever had. My largest tree is finally loaded with burs. It’s always been loaded with catkins but, never had more than 3-4 burs a year. The smaller tree had 171 burs in 2022. No burs last year due to the late frost. I’m guessing I’ll have 500 burs between the two trees. They are 10 this year.

[@johnsangl]

Wow! Sounds like you’ve seen a big increase this year. Congrats! (I hope you’re right about increasing production - I’m sure it will increase a lot over this second decade)

[@ihus9950]

Hope you have a great Harvest John👍🏻

[@johnsangl]

Thanks - looking forward to it.

[@charleschazz9270]

Your trees look great!!! I have a question. I live in armstrong county pennsylvania and I have 10 tubed dunstan chestnut trees going into their 3rd winter. Do you fertilize your trees?? If so when do when? What time of year? And how much? I looked through your videos and didnt see you mention it but i may have missed it. Any tips are very appreciated. Thanks!!

[@johnsangl]

I have addressed this before but it's been awhile. I do fertilize to get the trees above what I call "Deer-Browse-Height". Once they're taller than that, they're on their own. I follow the recommendations on the bottom of Page 7, top of Page 8 for fertilizing: centerforagroforestry.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Growing-Chinese-Chestnuts-in-MO.pdf

[@charleschazz9270]

@johnsangl thank you so much. You have a ton of videos and I went back quite awhile and didn't see any, I will have to search more again. Thank you for info and sorry to ask for repetitive information.

[@curtmorehouse1]

Do you have a link to your fertilization plan? I'm in my first year and have about 30 planted from seed i bought last fall. Tallest outdoor one is about 18 inches.

[@johnsangl]

I use the bottom of Page 7 & top of Page 8 as a general guide, but I only fertilize until the trees have pushed up beyond deer-browsing height(about 8ft with our snow pack) and then they're own their own.

[@curtmorehouse1]

@@johnsangl thanks! Your videos have been VERY helpful!

[@MrSwicky88]

Hey John love the vids been watching a few yrs now. I have a number of chestnuts north LP Michigan. Have you considered planting clover for the nitrogen under your trees?

[@johnsangl]

I have not considered it because about half of the vegetation in my mowed areas is a native white clover already. Hope your chestnuts are growing well up there!

[@rockingretirementoutdoors3249]

Your orchard is looking great. I have some burrs on my trees a little bigger than golf ball sized. Days are getting cooler now, maybe an earlier or colder winter this year? Getting ready for hunting season here. Setting up some ground blinds and clearing some shooting lanes today. 🌳 🌰 🦌

[@johnsangl]

Hopefully those burs start swelling up for you! Good luck this season - got your eye on any bigguns?

[@rockingretirementoutdoors3249]

@@johnsangl we have a group of 10 bachelor bucks in the bean field to my east. Unfortunately, I have three coyotes recently on my cameras. I saw one in person and it’s pretty good size. I’m going to try and get them one of these nights.

[@johnsangl]

@@rockingretirementoutdoors3249 Once those bean fields come out, you'll be in the money! Good luck chasing Wile. E. !

[@loquat4440]

Interesting about the degree of fertilization. At worst for my 3 dunstans and one unknown chinese there might only be one nut in the burr. But I do not recall finding empty immature burrs. But mine were planted closed one another so that the branches are touching. During spring the smell is very strong from the pollen. I am located at junction 8b-9a in northwest florida. My trees were purchased and I assume they were seed grown, but I am not sure. I have a few others that I seed planted for different varieties. Some just died and others have not. Chestnuts seem not to like wet feet and we get tremendous quantities of rain here. I have never fertilized my trees.

[@johnsangl]

I'd guess your close spacing is helping your fertilization. If you don't see a graft line and there wasn't a specific name to them other than "Dunstan", they were definitely open-pollinated mostly Chinese chestnuts. You definitely are growing in a different climate than mine - that's what makes this so interesting!

[@michaelbruns3870]

You order seeds for planting from Chestnut Ridge of Pike County, which are Dunstan's, but you only have two Dustan trees in your orchard? What do you do with all the trees grown from seed?

[@johnsangl]

You can only call trees from Chestnut Hill “Dunstan”. All of the trees in Chestnut Ridge of Pike County came from Chestnut Hill, but they don’t own the name “Dunstan”. That being said, even Dunstan’s from Chestnut Hill aren’t grafted and are seedling hybrids. I call all my trees from Chestnut Ridge “CROPC”(of which I have about 250). I’ve sold all the other seeds I’ve sprouted.

[@joebrewer5885]

Any reason why a couple of my trees have no nuts while others 30' away are covered? All are the same age.

[@johnsangl]

If they're younger than 15 years old, I'd say some are later maturing than others and patience will be the cure.

[@mdavid9990]

Really enjoy these videos! "Doing the Nasty". Second best comment. Best comment ever "gangsta lean" on the trees. Really appreciate these videos. My chestnuts have been hit hard this year with lack of rain. Hoping they can hang on. Looking forward to some day getting some nuts from you to start.

[@johnsangl]

Glad you're liking the videos! It is fun to share the progress and learn from everyone else as well. Hopefully, I'll have a few nuts to sell this Fall - we'll see.

[@raymondlaney1369]

Looks great John, how old are trees?

[@johnsangl]

The oldest are 10yo.

[@johnmatherne6823]

Great update. I like the new camera man walk about. I have an early dropping tree that is really early. I already have a gallon bag full. My new Doberman loves to bark at burs and eats the nuts.

[@johnsangl]

I'd love to have a camera man always! It is so much easier than carrying a tripod. It always amazes me the difference in seasons for us. I'll get my first nuts in mid/late-September.