Growing chestnut trees from seed - 94% Germination Rate - 2019 Seedlings

We started with 88 chestnut seeds in the fall. And we put those seeds in the refrigerator in damp peat moss for several months to cold stratify. We ended up with 83 chestnut seeds germinating into chestnut trees this spring. That is a 94% germination rate, which is fantastic. This is my best year so far growing chestnut trees.

[@sidneyeaston6927]

Burying the nuts will prevent multi stem growth seedlings. One inch of compost covering the nut will encourage it to send a single shoot skyward to find light and the root will be in a slightly more stable place as far as water is concerned. Makes for a better stronger tree.

[@mrmashta1877]

Ooh wow - very good.

[@Isxiros100]

the multiple shoots are due to polyembryony like in mangoes. Its not because of not being buried. And also, if it were what your saying, then more of then would be like that, but only a small number of chestnuts will be polyembryonic

[@Sqeptick]

About 10 years ago I read "American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree." It's actually a fascinating story about the importance of the chestnut to our country, and the blight that destroyed it. You, of all people, might enjoy the book if you're into reading at all.

[@janfoselli5823]

My husband has American Chestnut lumber he bought from a farmer. The boards have been in his barn since the ‘30s!

[@Jay-tk7ib]

You can also plant seeds in the ground, at the spot where you want them to grow. Plant them out in late fall/early winter and they will stratify naturally in the ground. Plant 2 or 3 per hole, then later you can thin them to the strongest one.

[@celticwarrior777]

ya but rodents dig them up

[@Jay-tk7ib]

@@celticwarrior777 Trees are like gardens, you'll always have things that eat and destroy seeds and plants, no matter how you grow them. Rodents eat roots; rabbits eat stems; deer eat leaves and branches. We can't let that stop us from growing.

[@jugoslavzivkovic3741]

❤

[@robertmashburn8330]

This is the best demonstration of how to grow Chestnuts from the acorn that I’ve looked at! Straight forward, perfect. I have a five year old Chestnut Tree. Last year it produced probably 75 acorns, this year only 30. I have a short heartwarming story about these Acorns I’d share if you’d like to hear. Let me know and thank you for the video!!

[@fjb4932]

Bob M. 10,000 would have heard your story, if Only you had told it. Too bad, such a loss ...

[@robertmashburn8330]

@@fjb4932 I take it we may have crossed paths somewhere?

[@fjb4932]

@@robertmashburn8330 Please tell your heartwarming story to us, here and Now. Or at least to me at: [e-mail] Thankyou. ...

[@estelltabor4183]

Oak trees produce acorns, chestnut trees produce chestnuts.

[@terrypatrick3406]

enjoy your video , have watched it many times and get something new each time !

[@Webendowed]

My neighbor was selling fresh Chestnuts. I bought 8 pounds. Instead of eating them all I decided to try to germinate some. Probably a 2 pound bag. I'll never live to see them fruit but I know what it is to leave something behind for the next generation. Yours was the first video I found. I'll watch other videos as I have questions that may or may not be addressed in your video. I hope I do it right :)

[@CountryViewAcres]

I germinate in peat moss now. Get the peat moss wet and squeeze out the excess water. Layer the chestnut seeds and inch apart from each other in peat moss. Put in fridge for 3 to 3 months till tap root appears.

[@pixaxeprepper384]

Our 10 trees have dropped all their nuts. I selected 20 for planting. It is getting cold at night and used old pots to plant. I will leave out for the winter. Remember to plant flat side down. In the spring, I will choose our back 8 acres to give room to spread out. I like the summer when chestnut trees have a unique smell and lighting bugs surround the trees. Pollination is critical. Few weeks later, the pods show up and grow. Good luck everyone.

[@rumsiker]

YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE ROTTEN S DEER, OR QUARRELS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

[@davidj.mackinney6568]

You did a great job with the chestnuts and the best germination rate of the three guys I have watched grow chestnuts.

[@pittsburghatecore]

Lake Erie chestnuts, makes some good videos too.

[@creekriseoutdoors]

Thanks for this helpful video. I have 83 Dunstan trees 7 years old and I look forward to cold stratifying some this fall. Thanks.

[@williamturner8158]

Creek Rise, about what size are they now? I found a chestnut tree while out hunting for a couple of my runaway chickens here in the north Georgia mountains. The trunk was close to 2 and a half ft wide at knee high level. I want to believe by that size it was from before the deforestation and blight . I'd really like to get some growing with the handful of seeds I got from it.

[@creekriseoutdoors]

@@williamturner8158 the trees are mostly 12-15 feet tall. About 5-6” in diameter. Looking good and the burs look close to opening/dropping.

[@garden2356]

You have a new subscriber. Love your enthusiasm.

[@marlenevideos8666]

Wow this is so-o-o interesting.bI bought a jar of shelled chestnuts at my local Whole foods grocery and amazingly meaty are those chestnuts. I am so glad to see so much attention to regrowing this valuable food source. Thank you for sharing how you do your technique, so it can be duplicated by others. To see fifty days growth was so exciting, to see how amazing it was the chestnuts had leaves!

[@gaylerobison9518]

I hope your chestnuts trees all grow to successful maturity! And as for letting the pigs forage on the nuts, PLEASE DO!! I've heard that the American settlers all did that because chestnut was the dominant tree in all our eastern and midwestern deciduous forests, and those pigs supposedly did great. The pigs of Spain are allowed to forage on oak trees/acorns and their meat is the best in the world.

[@elenagisa1318]

fascinating

[@mikim3241]

Nice work!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

doing this today brother!! My dad sent me your video lol....small world!

[@mrmashta1877]

Great vid. Very well done.

[@bobbynyc4195]

You are a great-looking farmer.

[@fjb4932]

Robert, We look at the inside man ...

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi..... Thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍

[@barbaracurrence6712]

Perfect demonstration

[@hxFubar]

awesome job

[@cheresejones4249]

This is so cool thank you for sharing I am going to try

[@rickymaynard4880]

I did as you showed placing the acorn and tap root, but the acorn settled down and got covered up....They took forever to come up...I am now in end of may and have 1/2" tall seedlings....next time I am gonna make sure the potting soil is packed and ensure the entire acorn is above soil.....only tap root under!

[@TheBigLeeg]

I commend you for doing your part in bringing back the American chestnut. For all you viewing, if you don’t know about the near extinction of the chestnut tree during the turn of the last century, please educate yourself.

[@judyc9380]

Yes Leon, it is a miserable story. Is he using disease resistant nuts? Researchers are producing hybrids that should survive. It's a noble job, I would like to find one of the huge chestnuts in existence, just to see it.

[@Eljoker007]

Your place of living is amazing. Hope one day to have lake or river in front of my house

[@clarkrobinson3084]

Can you take us on a progress check on your first nut tree planting?

[@jcowan0921]

What size tree tubes do you use? I've been using 4-foot tubes, but I find the deer can still reach the top and basically eat everything that comes out. Also, can you link to where you get them if it's not too much trouble. Thanks!

[@DM-wb4jv]

Also if you use air pot/ fabric pots on an elevated mesh shelf so air space is also underneath, the roots including the tap root will stop soon as they are close to air and produce more root growth and get bigger tree and can stay longer in pot before putting in ground . I have 1 gallon pots with 3' trees .

[@hansproebsting7391]

The multiple branches are not branches, but actual separate trees. They result from polyembryonic nuts. In a recent batch of chestnuts I consumed, probably a third were polyembryonic. The trees can be teased apart if done carefully.

[@yellowlabrador]

you could coppice the multi stem ones.

[@diannesapp5984]

We used citrus pots for them to grow out. We covered the nut completely then we grafted to the tree went another year then planted. Wm

[@jamesfriendly]

I hope to get some someday

[@DobruchT]

Thanks for the video! The leaves of my seedlings have started growing dry and brown. The soil in the pots is nicely moist. Any idea what that is? Thanks.

[@lifeisgreat8]

Hello! Question how moisty did you make the soil for the cold stratification?

[@Isxiros100]

the multiple stem ones are polyembryonic seeds. Unsure of the type of polyembryony, but many polyembryonic seeds produce a "true to type" clone of the mother plant (apomictic), while the others will be a result of pollination/ outcrossing.

[@sukumac9013]

Thanks for sharing. Can one just pick up seeds from the park area - or do you have to buy them. What is the difference? Thanks.

[@lorenbush8876]

Were the ones that had multiple stems actually multiple trees? There are supposedly varieties that produce what the call polyebryonic seeds and those seeds produce more than one plant. What variety did you get to grow were they an heirloom variety or a hybrid variety? Have those started producing nuts for you yet? Thanks

[@killzrus1886]

Can u do a update on this video every couple of months been thinking of doing this on my property great video

[@CountryViewAcres]

I will try to have some updates.

[@DanteAndTheTrees]

Country View Acres any updates?

[@janonthemtn]

how are you keeping squirrels out of the pots? Can you root the pieces you cut off?

[@jackjones9460]

At what temperature did you transplant your chestnuts? What is the recommended high and low temperature?

[@augustreil]

What's your opinion on the Miracle Grow Garden Soil ? I want to start my corn tomorrow and amend the soil where the seed is going. I have read a bunch of reviews saying it's nothing but mulch basically and not much soil as promised. Yours looked pretty good. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, ASAP ! Lol Thanks again and great video.

[@CountryViewAcres]

It i has a lot of wood chips or pine bark. It is very woody. But that works ok for these trees since it drains very well. These like well drained soil.

[@marlomatoska3584]

Did you poke holes in the Tupperware lids or no? Sorry if you went over this in the video, I didn’t watch all of it. Thanks

[@wayerwonder1111]

Hi there, we are new to Missouri, any ideas at this time of year where we can get some nuts to winter? Any help or leads would be appreciated.

[@enginelife8449]

Can you germinate them in 3 weeks if it's a little warmer out?

[@ambergacres3797]

Great video I just bought some seeds and needed an explanation of how to put them in pots. Do you know if you can take cuttings off an existing tree and get them to grow. I have a couple hybrids growing in my food plot now and was hoping I could make little ones from them. But I have no clue how to do it.

[@janonthemtn]

Mark Shepard, New Forest Farm and Forest Agriculture Enterprises, kzbin.info/www/bejne/joPLp6V-mtGYpas

[@matekubicsek4026]

During winter or cold weather should they be put inside and if yes should that place be heated up? Thank you in advance

[@svetlanikolova7673]

Can you do an experiment with bio vermicompost as your growing medium and record your finding compared to miracle grow?

[@johnbalasa711]

Were are you getting the chestnut. How do yo knw what kind.

[@EC4400]

Great job on the chestnuts. How is the grass doing?

[@CountryViewAcres]

The grass isn't the greatest. We have got 4 inches in the first week after planting and then 4 inches of rain in 8 hours a couple days after that. We have had some good erosion on the hill sides around the house. But what hasn't washed away is starting to grow. The Hay, since it is flat, didn't seem to be affected as bad. It has been 2 weeks since I planted, so the seeds are just spouting. We will see how it is doing in another week. But I think the hay field will be good. I will just be fighting some areas around the house. A little rain is good, but torrential downpours are bad.

[@EC4400]

@@CountryViewAcres it will probably take a little while to get established. You've accomplished so much already. Maybe you can have the soil tested and matched with a grass that grows well in your area. Keep up the good work.

[@michaeltewes7833]

Make sure you trim the remainder of the nut off the seedlings The squirrels will up root the tree to get to the remainder of the nut I lost half my walnuts seedlings tjis spring. Ugh.

[@TheBuzzJazz]

Soil looks like compost. Is it? I mean I do have moss but it definitely look different

[@Greenkabin]

Should have explained when to start what soil and liquid to use and how long it takes for each step by step

[@Meleny95]

how often are they supposed to be watered?

[@kyleparr2077]

Where did you buy your seeds?

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

Where did you get the chestnuts from? Did they sprout into trees?

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

Never mind, I heard you mentioned it later in the video.

[@richardduggar4665]

My two chestnut trees were planted in 2017 and one tree produced this fall and gave me about 90 fertilized nuts 🌰 and about 100 unfertilized nuts if not more. I have the nuts 🌰 in stratification till March. Hopefully both will produce this fall

[@mba2ceo]

How do U know if Fertile ?

[@jimdent351]

@@mba2ceo A fertilized nut will be a fully formed nut. An unfertilized nut will be small and shriveled up. Of course you won't know this until harvest time and the burr is split open to expose the nuts inside.

[@Greenkabin]

There is always a step to planting them, but I saw others that the nut fell from its tree to ground, and they germinate itself without any planting step, I also saw ther people have different planting step too, so which way is the right way of planting?

[@TheJbpepper]

Do i have to cut the chestnut before refrigerating??

[@JohnDoe-mx1sq]

10:20 is that a frog?! Even if you get the blight and the nuts suck the trees and wood are beautiful. I just picked up a sack of huge nuts to germinate and eat. Thanks.

[@mountainguru529]

Yes it is a frog !

10:20 Where did the crazy frog come from?

[@bobbydence5038]

When do you plan to the seed,?

[@Greenkabin]

During they're still a sprout how cold can it survive outside

[@rssabasketball6729]

2 questions, 1 how long would i have to keep them in the freezer and 2 would i be able to use nuts that i buy from the store? Also thats a sweet pond you have right by your house 👍 and nice video

[@charlesdevier8203]

1) He didn't say "freezer"; you put them in a "refrigerator" at 40 degrees F. 2) No- you need to know the variety for your area. Check with your university extension (or university of Missouri Agroforestery)

[@rssabasketball6729]

@@charlesdevier8203 1) who? The fuck asked you and 2) in nature the nuts freeze over the winter so i dont care he said "refrigerator" you fucking dickhead and guess what ima use store bought nuts so up yours charles

[@pierret8954]

34-38 degrees is ideal

[@bf6538]

When putting the chestnuts/or acorns in containers to stratify and placing them in refrigerator, do you just leave them in fridge and forget about them for 2-3 months or do they need removed periodically and checked.

[@PeterPeter-fo8df]

I've done acorns. Actually forgot about them for 2 months

[@arifurmollah4386]

⁠ I have a different question, do chestnuts require Scarification in order to germinate? Do they require Scarification? Or no? Do they need to be scarified (nicked) before germination? Do they need to be scarified? Or no? It is hard to tell when chestnuts require Scarification or not because they have a very hard outer shells on them. Some gardener told me that chestnuts do not require Scarification. Please answer my questions about if chestnuts require Scarification or not. Please answer my questions.

[@mirandahudson8913]

We're hoping to start a small chestnut grove here in South Australia (turns out it's a great place to grow them - there's chestnut groves around this region and into Victoria), just wondering how long it takes a tree grown from seed to produce? Have read anywhere between 3-7 years, but have also seen some comments saying it can take up to 20 years, some have said they have to be grafted, others have said no, grafted doesn't produce as much... Just a lot of conflicting info out there. I realise there are different varieties of sweet chestnuts and their growing conditions/production rates may differ, but just want to know how long it'd take to see a reward for all the effort!

[@CountryViewAcres]

mine aren't grafted and I haven't had any nuts yet. I have heard 5 to 7 years. But I am sure that is a small amount of nuts, maybe only a few nuts on a tree. I would guess 10 years before getting a decent amount.

[@estelltabor4183]

I bought a 4’ potted tree, so probably 2 years old. It got a late freeze after I planted it. It produced 4 burs last year. Only 2 nuts the others was not pollinated good or we also had a drought. Out of the 2 nuts 1(so far) has germinated. They will in 4 years from my experience but I’d say 3 would be very believable.

[@heatherwinkler2912]

Question, I just picked some fallen chestnut seeds off the ground near the tree. It is March and I live in cold Utah. Can I plant them now or what do you recommend?

[@mihaiilie8808]

Soak them in water for 24 hours,then keep them in a bag with a moist paper towel ,sealed,in the fridge for at least 2months.When you take them out after 2 months ,they will feel warmth and start to germinate.

[@ElectricianTS]

How much water do they need, and how much direct sunlight? My seedling is 5 months old and grew a main branch with about 4 small branches grown onto it. The leaves grew big and dried quite a few times. Could it have the chestnut virus already? I water it every second day after the soil dries. It gets about 2 hours of direct sunlight and it's inside near a window facing East. The branch colours are fine and it looks healthy otherwise. Last year, I planted an apple tree and the one main branch grew 4 feet tall with many large leaves. Last Winter, I made the mistake of trimming and transplanting it all at the same time. This Spring, it shot many new small branches starting from the top but they never grew like last year and just dried up and this continued downwards along the trunk. It's now bare and only the trunk looks okay and it did get a bit thicker compared to last year. Later, I was told never to do both, but either trim or transplant once per year. Another person told me it will rebound next year if I leave it as it is. I guess I'll just have to wait and see...

[@karenkavanagh9372]

Sweet Chestnut is from the Beech family.. in 1800 forest of beech and sugar maple .logged the beech for farm land and maple caught a disease. Galt conservationist said trees protect each other..

[@daphnerice7653]

HOW tall does the tree grow ??

[@tjbalistic]

Can we get an update on the trees?

[@syedzubeer9131]

I have two chest but trees but they do not provide fruit and one provide fruit but like just like mustard seed size

[@lubohrivnak6016]

My chestnuts germinated already in fridge. What now? its january, outside its frozen, what should i do now? put em in pots? where to store em? Leaving em in fridge is ok? roots are 3-5 cm long now.

[@GuitarraConAndres]

Who else saw the frog at 10:20?

[@wcdeich4]

Are they American, Asian or hybrid chestnuts?

[@arifurmollah4386]

@County View Acres How long Chestnut seeds should be cold stratified in the refrigerator? How long they should be cold stratified? How long?

[@CountryViewAcres]

Usually 3 to 4 months or until tap roots emerge from the seeds.

[@hondowarrior7270]

But are they blight resistant?????

[@TorbenCASchwartz]

Just a total guess but perhaps these chestnuts are some kind of cross with japanese chestnut? I believe they have more of a shrubby growth tendency... this is very weird for sweet chestnut I have never seen them grow like this (I mean the multiple stem ones... most of these look great!)

[@TorbenCASchwartz]

I suppose you are planting American chestnuts though? So possibly a cross with a Chinese one for blight resistance.. I have only grown European chestnut and they all grow with one stem when sprouting

[@mihaiilie8808]

@@TorbenCASchwartz these doesnt look like american chestnuts.

[@ivanzimmerman1733]

Did you raise the nuts you used for seed

[@CountryViewAcres]

No, bought nuts from "chestnut ridge of pike County Illinois "

[@maciejmakalowski3807]

Hi! Thank you for the video, could I leave the chestnuts on my balcony outside over winter instead of in the fridge?

[@CountryViewAcres]

Probably would work, as long as it wouldn't get hot in the sun.

[@maciejmakalowski3807]

@@CountryViewAcres Thanks!

[@mattstocker1422]

How much watering fo you do for these pots? Just a quick watering each day?

[@mattstocker1422]

Also - did you fertilize separate from the fertilized miracle grow soil

[@VGLV888]

☑️☑️

[@Grimeidinalin1234]

I have been searching for chestnut seed ,and i saw your video.can you please give me a links to buy chestnut seed,

[@dottiebebris9706]

Why do you refrigerate? Would it not work as well to leave outside for winter?

[@CountryViewAcres]

More consistent temperature in the fridge. I am sure it will outside too.

[@joewindiana2150]

You can leave outside but you have to keep rodents from getting into the container.

[@HillLeeHill]

Couldn't you have just put these containers out on the back deck for the winter?Or does it have to be in the fridge?

[@PeterPeter-fo8df]

A fridge is constant. I luckily have a spare mimi fridge. I set it to just above freezing...35°.

[@HillLeeHill]

@@PeterPeter-fo8df Thanks! I have mine in the fridge now. That was kind of what I though but wasn't sure.

[@SimpleLife333]

do you eat deer?

[@rhinou2]

Next time don’t buy miracle gro my friend and the trees will thank you

[@salemstales]

Yes because aren't they supposed to have loose soil

[@lennygriffin4464]

You are 100% correct!!!!!

[@phillysigma6528]

I planted 50 seeds in my garden, one year later they are all now young trees up to 10 inches high, what do I do now? I haven't got the room for 50 trees.

[@luddity]

Sell or trade the extras to your neighbors?

[@phillysigma6528]

@@luddity Hi Julia, I'm lucky in life as I have no need for money, I was thinking about creating a mini forest somewhere and was looking for advice on which area would be best in the ''never being allowed to touch'' the area bracket.

[@phillysigma6528]

@@luddity I should also note that I live in a mountainous region in Northern Scotland where due to the wind, have no trees, add to that the minus 20 - 30 temperatures 4-6 months per year. somewhere Southern perhaps as it's much warmer climes. I do promise that I shall plant this little forest somewhere once suitable advice comes my way.

[@victorvicente6356]

In that area you can plan larch, willows, dwarf spruce, genistas etc. I love Scotland!

[@janicesatterwhite4513]

Do you know of a source of blight resistant American Chestnut trees? I thought of starting a Chestnut Tree farm for my retirement. I really need to get going. Janice

[@BrendaMallett]

Check out the American Chestnut Foundation. They have a blight-resistant seed program.

[@dirtroad4229]

Where can I buy nuts that'll work?

[@lynnjr.1842]

Does anyone know where I can get Chestnuts?

[@jeffperkins8298]

That soil in your containers looks awful dry was they wetter when you started stratification

[@blakespower]

seems to work since they are sprouting, you dont want it too wet or it gets moldy and he had a lid on it to prevent much moisture loss, since the seeds actually have a lot of moisture anyway

[@zachwade6153]

How long do they have to be cold for before they can be grown?

[@CountryViewAcres]

Until the tap root emerges from the nut. Usually 3 to 4 months.

[@mihaiilie8808]

You can take them out of the fridge after a month ,for a few days to see if somme germinate.If not,put them longer in the fridge.At 2 months you can try again.

[@matekubicsek4026]

Can you use a growlight doing this?

[@CountryViewAcres]

I have started them under grow lights if you want to get a head start. But once they get a foot tall, it will be easier to have them outside.

[@matekubicsek4026]

Thank you for the fast reply

[@williamcollins2232]

Chinese Chestnuts? Virginia Tech has a project trying to reestablish the American Chestnut that you may want to check out.

[@joansmith3492]

What kind of chestnuts? Any American genetics or hybrid? blight resistance?

[@CountryViewAcres]

I got the chestnut seeds from chestnut ridge of pike county Illinois. They claim to have an all dunstan chestnut orchard. The dunstan chestnut is an American/Chinese hybrid that is blight resistant.

[@mba2ceo]

What type of chestnut is it ?

[@CountryViewAcres]

They are supposed to be dunstan chestnuts. Which is Chinese/ American hydrid.

[@jamessteffens8337]

Don't you worry about rodents or squirrels. Jim80

[@Goofybug]

10:20 theres a frog next to the pot

[@lizchong888]

Can the tree produce fruit when we grow from seeds? Or it is going to take many more yrs to grow fruits?

[@CountryViewAcres]

I believe itbis about 5 to 7 years before you get your first nuts.

[@estelltabor4183]

It will never produce fruit, only fruit trees produce fruit. These are chestnuts, if taken care of they will produce chestnuts in 3-5 years.

[@lizchong888]

@@estelltabor4183 😅ya i mean the fruit is nut. Thks for the response

[@shantilus]

10:20 Ribbit!

[@stevenjackson5106]

a toad has come to see your little saplings... did you notice? 🤣😂

[@larrydalrymple8695]

I need a timeline for planting the seeds and then planting the tree.

[@CountryViewAcres]

I plant the seeds after tap roots have formed on most if them. Then when the tree is about 18 inches tall I plant it. But, I guess you could leave them I. Pots and plant them in fall also.

[@JudasBytes]

can I buy dunstan chestnut seeds from you?