**UPDATED** How to Grow a Chestnut Orchard - 10-years of Experience!

[@MrFarmboy151]

You’ve inspired me to start my own acre plot of chestnuts just to see how they do! 2 years in, thanks for all the great content!

[@johnsangl]

That's great to hear! There was very little information when I started this in 2013 which is why I started sharing my experience to at least get the conversation going about Chestnuts. Thanks for commenting & best of luck growing!

[@haroldmessimer4949]

@MrFarmboy151 what “brands” did you plant? I’m at the beginning stages of planning and will plant my first round in the spring of 2024. I have a little over 8 acres I will plant over the next 2-3 year.

[@MrFarmboy151]

@@haroldmessimer4949I was going for more cold hardy varieties so I picked Gideon, Mossbarger, and NH pair from rt 9 as well as some hybrids from twisted tree farm, all of them have survived well but my favorite has been Gideon and the twisted tree hybrids

[@bowhunter7565]

This guy has such great info for us. Glad I'm doing this at 23 years old instead of 40.

[@johnsangl]

Yes - you are getting a great start with a long time-horizon in front of you to enjoy the fruits of your labor! Good luck!

[@superjeffstanton]

45 yold here agreeing with you.

[@joshua511]

@@superjeffstantonAlso 45 y/o, may put some chestnuts in this fall for the first time.

[@bowhunter7565]

@@joshua511 nice! I’m only getting maybe 15-20 with tap roots starting now. Out of the 100 I’m a little disappointed but better that nothing.

[@vincentput]

Good on you! Started at 25, 2 years ago. Best thing I ever did❤

[@ChrisHowellalaska]

Right on! I planted 800 trees in 2022 on the Idaho-Canadian border, spaced at 15' rows with 10' spacing between trees. I'm expecting losses, hence the close spacing. Your video is helpful, especially the part about trees galled by the tube tops. Next year, I will have trees exceeding the 6' tubes (we have elk, so 6' tubes were chosen). Our orchard is a test case, and if chestnuts work in the northern-most part of Idaho, we'll have another useful crop. Thanks for the video.

[@johnsangl]

You are really testing the limits for the trees. I like it. Fun to think about Elk cruising thru a Chestnut orchard. Glad you found a helpful tip in the video. Best of luck!

[@joeputz3]

Do the immature flat nuts germinate ?

[@DiversifyYourself]

This is a damn good overall assessment of growing chestnuts! I too have been planting and growing for 10 plus years. I’ve had all of the same issues you’ve had. Bravo on an excellent presentation!

[@johnsangl]

I appreciate the compliment! Thanks for watching & commenting. Good luck with your trees!

[@CMVBrielman]

My family owns a farm in New England, and apparently my great grandfather was very involved with helping to fight the Chestnut blight. Watching your videos makes me think we could take a crack at running a chestnut orchard. Should be less annoying than shoveling out cow pens!

[@johnsangl]

Do it! I'm not sure if Prickly Chestnut Burs are better than Cow Manure, but it is always good to diversify!

[@tonypenza]

Thanks John, I just planted 20 chinese chestnuts here in southern nj, great info. I planted all 20 last weekend, 3/18/24, they're 3'-4' bare roots in 48" miracle tubes in slightly acidic soil.

[@johnsangl]

You are definitely in a definitely growing zone than me! I had 8 new inches of snow last weekend! Best of luck!

[@trishaplescia9234]

Thanks for the info. We are about 7 years behind you and in N IL. Keep on growin

[@johnsangl]

You should have incredible soil and growing conditions for them. Best of luck!

[@kenrobinson5809]

Thanks John! I appreciate all of your videos that you do. I’ve been following you for about a year. I’ve got about 130 trees planted. I get a lot out of the info that you pass on. Thanks!

[@johnsangl]

That's great! 130 trees is a lot of work. Best of luck as they grow. Thanks for the comment - I appreciate it.

[@figandcloverranch5871]

Really interesting . 3 trees going into year 5 this summer !! Hoping for chestnuts 🌰 finally this summer

[@johnsangl]

Good luck! You should be seeing the Catkins at least start to develop by now - if you see the long slender flowers forming, look at the bases of them for miniature chestnut burs - if you see those on at least 2 trees, you should get chestnuts this Fall!

[@sandych33ks1]

Great video and thank you for the knowledge you have shared. I have planted over 40 trees and add more every year in not so perfect soil. It's 5years in now and it seems to be going well.

[@johnsangl]

Chestnuts can definitely tolerate not great soil as long as it is not too wet. Best of luck with your trees!

[@johnmatherne6823]

Thanks John hope to see the next 10 years growth

[@johnsangl]

Hoping you have the same success as well. Best of luck!

[@MrSummerbreeze01]

Interesting video & I agree with you on the wire screens vs tubes. I live in central NYS and as a tree growing novice, I planted 5 American Chestnuts 18 years ago. 2 died within a few years due to , my guess, high pH. A third was rubbed out by a deer around year 8 and other species shaded out its resprouts. The 4th was hit hard by frost around 10 years ago but it resprouted from the ground and grew very fast ( 3 stems now ) because i started giving it some Miracid and or Ammonium Sulfate around May 15th every year. Unfortunately 4 years ago one of the stems which was 20' tall got blight so i cut that one off. Two years ago the next stem, which was a beautiful 25' 6" dbh sapling got blight and i cut it. Now i just noticed the orange bubbles on the remaining stem. Too bad because it is at least 30' tall and 7" dbh. My last tree has produced chestnuts for a few years now which the squirrels get way before they fall. Its around 25' tall and 6" dbh. I am sure its days are numbered however.

[@johnsangl]

I haven't planted American Chestnuts to avoid exactly this heartbreak. Even with Chinese hybrids, I've still lost a few promising trees due to blight.

[@revan1202]

Don't give up on the American chest nut though some die you're helping nature by weeding out the weak nature is like that and if you can keep at help them when you can and get that one tree that has the immunity you're doing Gods work by fixing what humanity should have known better. I plan on doing exactly that any tree that avoided or at least fought the blight I plan on making sure that line goes strong.

[@johnwhoissavedbygrace9975]

I literally 1) almost moved up to Erie (Corry area) *this* month and 2) am a TACF member and plan on owning a chestnut farm AND 3) my name is John!!!! I feel like I am watching what I could have been if I wasn't stuck in Philly lol

[@johnsangl]

We have a lot in common!! We’ll have to meet up!

[@matthewj801]

Great video John! Been following you for years and the orchard is looking awesome. All that hard work is paying off

[@johnsangl]

I appreciate it - thanks for following along on my misadventures & successes. Can't wait for the next 10 years!

[@kmichal9648]

Spring is coming. I am about to plant 130 trees next spring. Additional 200 walnuts.

[@johnsangl]

You will be busy! You’ll love it after it’s all done though.

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

How do you afford this? Is there a bulk discount somewhere? Trees are expensive.

[@christopherlockard6346]

Thanks for all the information. I’m Considering planting a small 3 acre orchard. Your videos have been informative. I’m getting the soil tested next week.

[@johnsangl]

Testing the soil is a great start! Best of luck with the new orchard!

[@404crew4]

I am located not far from Columbia, MO where that Agroforestry paper was published. I’m currently year 3 into 3 acres of black walnut. I’m looking to do another 8-10 acres in chestnuts. Great info. I agree with the wire vs tubes as well.

[@johnsangl]

I intend to grow some additional chestnuts this year paying close attention to limiting vegetative growth near the base of the tree and using wire cages. I'll document their growth. Good luck with your Walnut & Chestnut plans!

[@404crew4]

@@johnsangl how do you plan on combatting the vegetation? I just bought a good sized wood chipper just to help clean up certain fence rows and such. I’ve tossed around the idea of applying a thin layer of shredded leaves and wood chips.

[@johnsangl]

@@404crew4I’ll experiment between landscape fabric and glyphosate to keep vegetation clear. Bark mulch can be problematic as it encourages voles to move in and they’ll eat all your young trees roots in the winter and it will be dead the next Spring.

[@404crew4]

@@johnsangl thanks for the advice, I’ll look into economical options on landscape fabric.

[@trishaplescia9234]

very honest and accurate description, challenges and rewards, always a learning process!

[@johnsangl]

Always a learning process - thanks for watching & comenting!

[@dansmith2966]

Great video John , You have been a wealth of information to me . 2nd year in for me and Im very satisfied with our progress . Starting some more seed this winter to replace next years stinkers ! Thank you again for teaching us !

[@johnsangl]

Dan - I'm glad the videos have been of some help. Good luck with your young orchard and be sure to share things you've learned with all of us along the way too!

[@aaronwoods5900]

Nice work John! I agree with what you said re spacing, diversity, and mortality. I have found that if spring planting watering and some kind of weed barrier drastically reduced mortality. I am going to experiment with cages. Tubes have worked great but the trees are weak early on. I think the tubes protect a little too well

[@johnsangl]

The wire cages are a lot more work up front, but way less work later on. The tubes are a good 2nd choice, but I think you'll get a stronger tree if you start with the wire cage. I think I would have had less mortality if I used herbicide or a weed mat. Just choices I had to make and results I've had to accept. Thanks for commenting. Best of luck growing!

[@pamtnman1515]

Outstanding video, very informative

[@johnsangl]

Thank you - I appreciate it & am glad you got something out of it.

[@pjchmiel]

Wow, check out how the prevailing winds have bent the trees over at 6:00 ! Will be interesting to see those in another 10 years. I had mostly bad experiences with the corrugated plastic tubes, I no longer use those for anything.

[@johnsangl]

Yes - I'll be very interested to see how the trees look in 10 more years. They definitely seem to be toughening up quickly now that they're out of the tree tubes.

[@bossman6174]

Thanks for the info. It's all good. I am stratifying 20 seeds now and hope to have a tap root in Jan or Feb. Just trying to grow some for my own consumption as I think they taste nice and have good nutritional value. They also attract deer and since we hunt on this property as well it is a win win situation. If all goes well. Good luck with your bumper crop next year and hope you will find lotsa buyers.

[@stevegaines-vq3bd]

excellent, informative video....i just planted 3 fruit tress & want to plant maybe 20 Chestnuts, but have to clear the area of big cedars & red oaks......You say, the best time to plant is early to mid April, I'm in Southern Ohio....& i'd probably plant bare root plants, not from a seedling....bare root is probably easier...& i'll use wire cages as i have a lot of deer around me...thank you !

[@johnsangl]

Bareroot is DEFINITELY easier. Good luck!

[@ronnielipsi8271]

Thanks, John. Good information and expectations ... 👍

[@johnsangl]

Thanks for watching & commenting. Best of luck growing!

[@soonzach4017]

I am a new subscriber, love chestnuts 👍🙏

[@johnsangl]

Thanks for subscribing!

[@YouTuber-ep5xx]

Good stuff. Yeah, fencing is key. Wish I'd started with 6' 4"x2" held with one 6' rebar. Have 90 species growing here in MN, including a few Dunstans, which are basically shrubs due to die back.

[@johnsangl]

Isn't it fun experimenting with all the different trees? Which species have done best for you in MN?

[@YouTuber-ep5xx]

Tamarack, yellow birch, sycamore, sugar maple, white fir, pitch pine and others have done well. Tuliptree is the superstar. Sassafras, pawpaw, shortleaf pine, yellowwood, American beech, Osage Orange haven't done so well. Always interesting and fun, 8 years now....@@johnsangl

[@thelimitingfactor]

Nice work man!

[@johnsangl]

I appreciate it - thank you.

[@gocoltsus]

Great content John! Hope you are well. Doug W

[@johnsangl]

Thanks Doug! - are you an old HS Classmate of mine?!

[@gocoltsus]

Yes sir.

[@johnsangl]

Awesome! Hope all is well with you. Still in IN?

[@richardbryant5773]

Very informative thanks

[@johnsangl]

Glad you found it helpful! Good luck growing!

[@loquat44-40]

My mortality has mainly been from planting in very wet and shaded places. The higher parts of my property are also the wettest. There is adjacent land that is higher than mine and it took me awhile to understand that the water was moving underground and on the surface. Everything is on a slope. I did accidentally mow my native local chinquapin, but it has grown back. Relative to rabbits, they seem to leave my trees alone and my dogs chase them. I shot two rabbits this summer from the tractor with a .small .38 loaded with shot intended for water moccasins. The deer stay on the other side of the fence and so far no bears or feral hogs have trespassed that is likely because of the dogs. We are warm enough in NW FL zone 8b for asian persimmons and several trees with fruit are being decimated by birds and squirrel that the dogs rarely catch. I also have native local persimmons and also grafted american persimmon. All of asian persimmons were grafted to local rootstock. I do not have a cat any more after little guy did it in. Little guy is not little as when he was a puppy He never liked the cat but he will not chase a deer. He is traditional southern farm dog that were called white english and are being replaced by american bulldogs and foreign LGD. So they are not pure with each region or family with their own strain and he is a mixture of several strains. Long oversize mastiff head, but a long thin big boned body. He is sleeping at my feet; in an hour I will put him and his mother miss piggy out to guard the property and keep the third dog that has injuries inside tonight. My current adult three dunstans and unknown chinese like the soil where they are located and that area seems not to be water logged. We get about 60 inches of rain here.

[@johnsangl]

Amazing that the trees survive in such different climates! I enjoyed reading through your comment and about fell out of my chair with the comment about riding with a .38 loaded for WATER MOCCASINS!! Get me out of there - haha!! Sounds like your dogs are perfect for protecting an orchard! Thanks for commenting - best of luck growing!

[@loquat44-40]

@@johnsangl The latter half of the development of the Dunstan Chestnut was in Florida. Chestnut Hills that sells them is in Florida. ''In 1962, seedling trees from the first cross began to bear. Selecting the individuals with the most hybrid characteristics, Dr. Dunstan crossed them back to both the American and Chinese parent trees. The resulting second generation was moved to Alachua in north central Florida, on our nursery property, where the trees have been growing and bearing every year for almost 50 years! These hybrid trees have been grown throughout much of the eastern United states, and almost none have died from the blight. Starting in 1984 we planted a grove of 500 trees using both grafts from the best of the second generation trees and a third generation of seedling Dunstans, many of which are now over 50′ tall and 16-20″ in diameter.''

[@SC-fk9nc]

Great project!

[@johnsangl]

It has been a lot of fun - can't believe how fast the 10 years went.

[@cloudbase7799]

It's sad to think that billions of American Chestnuts were lost to mistakenly-imported parasitic fungus. It's also sad to consider the fallout, direct and indirect. I'm happy to see the efforts of many people to reestablish the American Chestnut. I hope it makes a comeback in a big way.

[@johnsangl]

It IS sad! However, it is in the nature of humans to move trees around the Earth and has happened for millennia. I am also happy to see efforts of humans to attempt to get a resistant American Chestnut & I'll plant hundreds of them if they are avail in my lifetime.

[@BroadShouldersFarm]

Great vid!

[@johnsangl]

Thanks! I appreciate it.

[@briancass5124]

Thanks!

[@johnsangl]

Thank you!

[@andrewrivera4609]

Thank YOU John for sharing such good information, is it posible to raise pigs and feed them with the chestnut pods ???????? As they do in Spain with the black pig but with another pod ?????? I appreciatte

[@johnsangl]

I’m sure it’s possible - but you’d need to supplement with other food outside the chestnut harvest season.

[@andrewrivera4609]

I worked 3 years raising bees in the countryside and has opened My eyes to an Excelent source of protein & Omega 3, Mealworms, You can feed Birds, cattle, reptiles or fish, there are some good vídeos on KZbin. Another important source of protein are earthworms, I've heard the Red California species are among the Best, they can be fed on manure, wood chips, leafs,kitchen wastes,etc, besides worms You get hummus to fertilize the plants, You could dig some 4" holes beside the trees and put some plastic 4" tubes with some 1/2" holes in the bottom, You can soak woodchips & manure and put them in the pl tubes with some worms, in this way the trees can be fertilized and recieve oxygen.

[@phat7242]

Great video!! Thank you for this

[@johnsangl]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching & Commenting!

[@jeff-hh9mc]

Two questions. 1. What about growing gideons? 2. What about marketing / selling said chestnuts the pain of growing and keeping them alive doesn’t mean much if you can’t market the product? Look forward to your update on that.

[@NKYHoneyBees]

Excellent!

[@johnsangl]

Thanks for watching & commenting. Appreciate the compliment.

[@deanmarskell1518]

Hiya John great video very interesting and informative not far from my home in the UK their is a chestnut tree on a public cycle route this year I collected some chestnuts to try and plant when they are stratified but they are very small are they worth trying to plant or could something be wrong with the tree causing them not to develop to larger nuts?

[@johnsangl]

I don't have as much familiarity with C. sativa which I'm guessing are the species you're finding. If the nuts taste good, I'd plant them and not worry about the size as much!

[@bluemoon-iq5fh]

well done great job.

[@johnsangl]

Thank you & great KZbin name!

[@markzwyghuizen9566]

Thank you!

[@johnsangl]

You're welcome - thanks for watching!

[@donaldwalker3838]

John i have seen many of your videos. Here in Wisconsin we have acidic soils in the north. More alkaline soils near Lake Michigan. Have you ever considered 8 ft spacing to grow chestnut poles. Far preferable to treated lumber. A nutty idea on my part. Bad pun. Thankyou John

[@johnsangl]

Elaborate a little further - growing chestnut trees to eventually make them into fence posts?

[@dejant9939]

Thank you. New to your channel. I have really enjoyed the video. What would be your thoughts of growing wheat or a similar culture in between? How about clover or berries? Thank you for your presentation.

[@johnsangl]

Wheat would probably require more tillage than I'd be comfortable with. Clover/berries would probably be fine.

[@gpvaneron1584]

Excellent tips, thanks for the video! We are in W NC at ~3500 ft elevation. Have a thriving and productive hazelnut grove. We planted a few chestnuts "colossal" and "silverleaf" (think asian x european cross?). Worried about that note on graft failure. Do you have any experience with these? They seem to be growing OK overall when protected from deer, far from production ready. They do get some browning of the leaf edges, maybe rust? Do you think we should stay on course ? Or switch to a more pure asian variety like the Shing?

[@jackjones9460]

May I sign up for some trees or even just nuts this fall? I’ve enjoyed chestnuts when overseas then when I learned they’d almost all died off but are now making a comeback I decided to grow as many as I can. I can’t even find local chestnuts at all around here! I bought about 15 Dunstan trees at $15-35 each plus some Chinese seeds (from Long Island) I may be sprouting in the fridge. Some have sprouted so we shall see! I’d prefer to grow Dunstan if I can but any growing base is fine with me!

[@johnsangl]

I hope to be able to sell chestnuts this Fall. Follow me on this channel & I'll make an announcement in late August once I see what kind of crop sets.

[@davidsoloninka7742]

Do u use rot resistant stakes? If so what r they? Thx

[@johnsangl]

I use two types of stakes. I either use 1/2" rebar cut to 5ft lengths or a 5ft treated pine stake.

[@WoodisGood82]

I have had issues with my bare root trees breaking for no apparent reason. The main branch breaks at the trunk. Im wondering if I should be pruning. Would pruning help in your opinion?

[@johnsangl]

I don’t do much pruning other than to ensure no branches below 6ft. Are you using tubes or wire cages for tree protection?

[@robh1789]

Very good overview. I am planting a range of trees and plan on including some chestnuts here in New Brunswick. Any thoughts about the best soil amendments if the native soil is too alkaline? I find the recommendations on this to be surprising (recommended pH range). Where I grew up in the south of the UK we were on chalk and the soils very alkaline yet there were huge chestnut trees all over the place and they were very healthy.

[@johnsangl]

From everything I've read, chestnuts(at least Dentata/Mollissima) will start to suffer more disease & growth problems at any pH above 6.5. I have soil that is naturally in the high-5's, so I don't have to worry about that. If I had alkaline soil, I would choose another crop.

[@STROKEDYOTA]

Thanks for this. Question though, if one of the benefits of tubes is to keep the tree from branching out, I assume you lose that benefit when you use cages and have to prune young trees to a single stem?

[@johnsangl]

Yes - I'll probably end up pruning more.

[@curtmorehouse1]

Where can i get these different strains of chestnuts? Do you sell them? Im not looking for a whole farm, but four of each variety would be great!

[@johnsangl]

I have some seedlings of various varieties but no grafted varieties.

[@curtmorehouse]

Are you selling them?

[@littletreefarmns]

Would you fence the 25 acres or each tree?

[@johnsangl]

I like to work w nature as much as possible so I’m fencing trees individually rather than closing off the entire area.

[@johnscarboroughregenerativ7240]

Where is your Grove-Orchard located?

[@johnsangl]

Corry, PA. USA.

[@bowhunter7565]

Id be happy to purchase some chestnuts from you in the next few years if you get the amounts to do so.

[@johnsangl]

I'm hoping that the next few years will see an exponential increase in harvest size. I'll make announcements on this channel if I do get them.

[@Singergirl134]

Do you think #3 or 3/8 inch rebar is strong enough for staking the metal mesh cages?

[@johnsangl]

I'd go with the 1/2" as a minimum diameter although you might do OK with 3/8" if that is all you have.

[@markzwyghuizen9566]

In your experience, how would these trees do in northern lower MI ? The soil is perfect, I’m just concerned with cold/snow. Thank you!

[@johnsangl]

You'll never know if you don't try. I'd go with known cold-hardy varieties such as Mossbarger to give them their best chance of survival.

[@jedadruled984]

Keeping grass and weeds away around the trees, especially in the early years, will make trees grow better. Spreading new roots goes difficult between grass roots. The bigger the circle without grass, the better trees grow. Once tree roots have spread far out grass is less of a problem.

[@johnsangl]

I agree-especially with young trees. The balance is how much time do I spend on the trees and how much with everything else in life? Also - how to keep grass away? Mulch is good but is time-consuming to place, spray is quicker - but then you're using herbicide which I am trying to avoid.

[@jedadruled984]

@@johnsanglKeeping it clean by hand is a lot of work indeed, but that how they did it in the past here in the Netherlands for growing premium fruit. I think mulch is not idealm because it may make the soil low in oxygen. Herbicides is not a bad solution, but you gotta know what you're doing. I have 6 fruit trees and prepared the soil before planting, Spading manure and fertilizers in, making a little hill for each tree and kept it clean by hand, roots develloped fast and now 9 years later they are full canopee and giving fruit. Looking at the canopee is a way to see how happy the tree is. Best when its full of leafs and no sun going trough.

[@superjeffstanton]

Answer: Mulch and Sorrel/vetch

[@davidsoloninka7742]

Hi John, I am in SE Ohio and I have an orchard 36 very healthy 12 year old chinese chestnut trees. The nut crop has been very sparse the last two years. I prune a little, I do not spray or fertilize or lime. Should I fertilize? Should I spray? I do keep the ground clear under the tree out a little past the drip edge. The male catkins have been very plentiful, however, I've notice dthe small female burr's have been sparse. Any advice is appreciated. PS 3 yrs ago the trees produced very well???

[@johnsangl]

How close/far apart are your trees? If they're further apart than 30ft, the wind-pollination may suffer. What varieties of trees did you plant? Are they chinese? If they are, you should be OK as far as having pollination-compatibility. It may be that your trees are still very young and will produce more reliably as they grow in maturity. I would NOT lime (Chestnuts like acidic soil). If you have 12-18" of upward growth yearly, you are probably OK and won't likely benefit much from fertilizing either. Last Spring, the late May frost really harmed the harvest across the East. I am anticipating a much improved crop this coming year. Good luck!

[@davidsoloninka7742]

OK thx John.

[@MichaelYuhas]

What gauge wire? Any recommendations on what to search for at my store?

[@johnsangl]

Not sure what gauge, but this is what I use: www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/welded-wire-48-in-x-100-ft

[@joshoakes1737]

Have any idea how a crop of chestnuts would do in upstate NY? I don't see a lot of them ever around my area..

[@johnsangl]

You would be pushing the Northern limits of chestnuts. You would want a proven performer in freezing temps. Schlarbaum and Mossbarger are two options that come to mind as something to potentially try.

[@baileyayers4271]

I’m thinking about starting a 5 acre orchard with American hyrbrids I’m in the mountains of NC, you see things about making up to $35,000 a year per acre but I was wondering what the realistic profit is through the years of growth per acre?

[@johnsangl]

I can only tell you what I'm making at 10yrs in NW Pennsylvania and that is negative dollars. I do foresee improved finances in the near future with improving yields though.

[@davidcook6034]

do you add any boron when you fertilize.

[@johnsangl]

Not intentionally - if its not in 19-19-19 or 12-12-12, I haven't added any.

[@kmichal9648]

Just planted 80 bitazac 8 marval Good luck

[@johnsangl]

That’s a lot of work! Where are you located?

[@kmichal9648]

@@johnsangl Slovakia :)

[@johnsangl]

Wow!! Best of luck with your trees!@@kmichal9648

[@stefanr570]

John, thank you for this excellent and informative video. I am looking to buy some bare root trees this winter (by mail order). Primarily Chinese varieties since I just want them for eating by ourselves. Can you give us the some names of sellers you have done business with? Stefan

[@johnsangl]

I've purchased bare root trees only from Route 9 Cooperative in Carrolton, OH. They are doing very well. Depending on where you live, I've also purchased a few grafted trees from Burnt Ridge Nursery in Washington. Be careful buying from Burnt Ridge if you're on the East coast/Midwest though - make sure you avoid European trees that will have more blight susceptibility. Best of luck growing!

[@stefanr570]

​@@johnsangl I just had my first harvest from four trees that I raised from seeds that I bought from a nearby Farm. I started with 12 seeds and four trees are left. Most were lost due to squirrels and deer. Located in North Georgia. These chestnuts are excellent to eat! From their appearance, they are full or mostly Chinese variety. That's all I know. Good advice on not buying a European variety. I'll stick with Chinese. I do not want to start from seed again so I'm going to try to buy some bare root trees. Thank you for your reply and your videos.

[@stefanr570]

​@@johnsangl I meant to add that my four trees are seven to eight years old and I collected about 130 chestnuts from them, plus several dozen unfertilized kernels, and the taste was excellent. So I was pretty happy.

[@johnsangl]

Very nice harvest for sure! Sounds like you avoided the late frost!

[@krismatthieu8767]

I don't know if you're familiar with Bone Sauce but it really works ! You can buy it or make it yourself . I don't have any cages around my fruit trees. The deer did not touch them even though the apples were at eye level. It smells super nasty ! @@stefanr570

[@christostsiatsos5160]

Nice information, BUT..! You did not mention anything about grafting or diseases. I live in Europe, Greece, with a long history of chestnuts and the problems of diseases .. After the grows to a certain height, it must be grafted or else the nut will taste bitter. I realize that the ones that are purchased from the nurseries. are grafted but the ones you grow from a nut are nut the same ... Or have you discovered something around the grafting of these home-grown siblings?? I enjoyed your video and was hoping to pick up some new information...

[@johnsangl]

Sorry I’m not able to provide much insight into growing chestnuts in Southern Europe. This is more of my experience growing in the northern US, not Europe. Grafting is NOT a viable option where I’m located due to the mentioned delayed graft failure we experience. I mentioned blight, deer, voles and other problems. I’ve yet to experience gall wasp so didn’t mention that. Our nuts are primarily Chinese(mollissima), not sativa so we don’t have the same problems you might experience in Greece.

[@cbvickers4044]

Life long gardener/volunteer.....running joke....I get this question all the time, "When is the best time to plant a fruit tree?" My response is always - 10 years ago. 😅

[@johnsangl]

Exactly!

[@christopherlockard6346]

Where do suggest getting the seedlings from?

[@johnsangl]

I've obtained bareroot trees from Route 9 Chestnuts in Ohio & from Burnt Ridge Nursery in Washington. They've done well. There are other smaller resources around as well. Their reliability & quality varies. Join a Facebook Page called "Chestnuts as a tree crop - Castanea species nut trees" and ask for sources & you'll get a lot of information.

[@christopherlockard6346]

Thank you, Seedlings have been ordered. Qing and mossbergers, for central KY. Planning on using 6’ tree tubes, I have a big deer problem. Was considering adding a wire cage as well. Is this over kill? Planting around 70 trees in early May. Appreciate any advice.

[@NKYHoneyBees]

Now you need you a few hives there to pollinate and collect very high prized honey.

[@johnsangl]

I can't take on any new hobbies such as beekeeping but maybe someday I'll work with a apiarist and collaborate with them to do so.

[@rmh3093]

Hi John, do you have a way I can contact you? I live close to you in Guys Mills and was hoping I could get some seeds or seedlings from you.

[@johnsangl]

[e-mail]

[@keithraeder7612]

John , I'mm inspired as well, can I buy chestnuts from you? When is the best time to purchase the chestnuts if I want to stratify over the winter 2024, to plant in spring 2025? Unfortunately, I'm not of facebook

[@johnsangl]

Late September/October would be the best time to purchase chestnuts for stratifying. I'll make some announcements via YT around that time if the crop turns out as good as I'm expecting.

[@ethanraw1132]

I’m on year five I have lost 5 out of 40 dunstan , I got them on sale root bound trees I have a few that are 20’ pluse

[@johnsangl]

You are having great success!! None taken out by deer yet? Did they produce anything this year?

[@ethanraw1132]

@@johnsangl the ones I lost were one mole 2 to wet feet one. Was blight and deer mix and I don’t really know why the other died , I’d say 60-80 nuts on most trees , I put ashes as fertilizer three feet from the truck I’ll have to send you a picture of the biggest ones there is one that has almost 6” diamet

[@tomgable1650]

You can plant them at 30 ‘ and on third year transplant every other tree

[@johnsangl]

Lots of options for sure.

[@algonquin83]

Hi can it buy some american chesnut saplings off you ?

[@johnsangl]

Sorry - I don’t grow any pure American chestnuts.

[@codymcveigh9444]

washington county pennsylvania planning for a first planting in 2025

[@johnsangl]

Nice! Best of luck! Great place to grow them.

[@timcastle6996]

How are the chemtrails affecting your trees with the excess aluminum and barium?

[@johnsangl]

I don’t understand your question? What is a chemtrail?

[@timcastle6996]

@@johnsangl the national geological society is allowing the spraying of our atmosphere " to combat climate change" . Do to so many complaints, they have explained they will be focusing heavily in our area for the next 6 months. Airline are being paid to spray per gallon as they travel. I was curious is you are seeing sickness like we are. After spraying heavily for a week, we see heavy sickness in chickens and cattle here, also people. Was curious if you see it effecting the trees. Air testing shows heavy aluminum, boron , along with other chemicals. I can't tell for myself other than fruit tree die off seems higher this year than previous

[@donaldwalker3838]

Garbage. Not true

[@LegacyFarmandHomestead]

I'm getting some chestnuts from an actual American chestnut tree that's 120 years old.

[@johnsangl]

That's cool. Good luck - I haven't grown any pure American due to their blight susceptibility.

[@neokane]

Dont forget racaoons who will tear into your tubes to get the wasp larvea

[@loquat44-40]

In our area the armadillo will take yellow jacket nests and so I assume if they can reach they would tear up things for wasp nests. I have never used the tubes since want the trees as near the ground as possible due to high winds from hurricanes. I hope we are completely missed this year. But not till the middle of Nov will we be past hurricane season in NW FL.

[@johnsangl]

I've heard of the raccoons but to my knowledge haven't had that problem yet. I have had a few wasps & of course, the one bald-faced hornet nest build inside the tubes. Lots of fun!

[@johnsangl]

Interesting to hear that Armadillos eat yellow jacket nests!

[@loquat44-40]

@@johnsangl IIRC so can bears and perhaps raccoons too.

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

I never understand why people plant trees in a straight line. Nature never does this. Shouldn't we be mimicking nature? 🤔

[@johnsangl]

Not if you're growing them to sell. That's why all farming fields are done in rows. If only growing for nature or developing natural habitat - I'd agree with you that I wouldn't plant in straight rows in that circumstance. Nature doesn't always know best --> that's why apple trees are grafted & pruned --> they produce much better & desirable fruit when cultured rather than letting them grow naturally.

[@briancass5124]

Thanks!

[@johnsangl]

Thank you Brian - I really appreciate it. Hope the info helps!

[@briancass5124]

@johnsangl Andover ny. Going to try county tree arbor surplus to start new chestnut trees with bees wax infused soil.