How to grow a chestnut from a nut at home: conditions and best varieties

Growing a chestnut from a nut is considered quite an exciting activity that everyone can handle. At home, it is quite possible to get a decorative culture or a fruit-bearing specimen. However, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the plant, the technology of planting and the rules for further care. So, how can you grow a chestnut tree at home?

Popular chestnut varieties

Chestnut has many features, the main of which is considered to be rapid growth in favorable conditions. Until old age, the tree brings nuts that are suitable for obtaining new specimens.

Currently, there are more than 30 species of this crop. However, not all of them are suitable for self-cultivation. It is permissible to grow the following species at home:

1. Japanese - this chestnut is characterized by a rapid development rate. Literally 3 years after planting, the plant begins to bear fruit and brings large edible nuts.
2. City - This tree does not grow as a shrub. This culture is characterized by a powerful trunk, which reaches a girth of 1-1.5 meters.
3. American - is resistant to temperature fluctuations and weather factors. Mature trees reach 28-30 meters. Varieties adapted to the climate produce large fruits with a sweet taste.
4. Chinese softest - representatives of this species reach 15 meters. They are distinguished by beautiful small leaves and edible fruits.
5. Sowing - this tree can live for more than 50 years. In height, it reaches 35-37 meters. The fruits of sowing chestnuts cannot boast of an exquisite taste, but they are quite edible.
6. Short - the height of this tree does not exceed 12-15 meters. It has a rounded crown. There are also specimens in the form of shrubs with a maximum height of 2 meters. Low-growing chestnuts are undemanding to the soil. They are able to grow even in conditions of moisture deficiency.

Features of the plant

Chestnut is considered one of the most ancient plants on the planet. The distinctive features of this culture include the following:

• rapid growth - observed in favorable conditions;
• the ability of stumps to germinate even in extreme old age;
• deciduous form;
• diversity of species - there are shrub varieties and trees over 45 meters high;
• brown-brown bark - sometimes it has a reddish tint, is covered with deep furrows and has thickenings on the trunk;
• oval-elongated foliage with a pointed end - it is located on the branches in a spiral, forming 2 rows;
• spherical fruits in the shape of a nut covered with a dense peel - they are distinguished by a dark chocolate color, but other shades are possible depending on the variety.

How to choose nuts for planting

Cultivation of chestnut will be successful only if quality planting material is used. In this case, the seeds must meet the following requirements:

1. The fruits must be ripe and fall from the tree on their own. Small unripe nuts will not germinate.
2. Seeds are taken from a strong perennial crop.
3. It is important that the nut is firm and whole. It cannot be dented or damaged.

When preparing planting material, it should be borne in mind that out of 5 pieces, only one nut will sprout. Therefore, the number of seeds is required to be taken with a margin.

Preparation of earth and nuts

For chestnut cultivation to be successful, it is important to properly prepare the seeds. Stratification is essential. If you collect nuts late in the fall and plant them in the soil, nature itself will do everything. However, at home, chestnut seeds need to be stratified.

To do this, after harvesting, the nuts must be placed in a container with sand and put in a cool place. A basement or refrigerator is perfect for this. Experienced gardeners advise burying a container of nuts in the garden under the snow. In this form, they need to be stored until spring. You can get the container a week before planting.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionChestnuts do not impose special requirements on the soil. They can be planted in a ready-made universal substrate intended for garden plants. By the time of planting, the soil must be well moistened.

Growing conditions

Fruit chestnuts have been grown in Russia for many years. During this time, the culture received strong immunity and the ability to endure harsh climatic conditions. However, the initial requirements for landing conditions remain the same:

1. Sufficient amount of light - in dark places, the seedlings are stunted and weak. Therefore, seed pots are recommended to be placed on the sunny side.
2. drought-proof.
3. Moderate soil moisture.
4. Exposure to heat. Pots should be protected from hypothermia, and plants that have made their way outside from drafts. A suitable temperature regime is + 17-26 degrees.

Boarding process

After choosing a place and preparing planting material, you can start planting a plant. To do this, you need to do the following:

1. It takes 6-7 nuts to get one crop. For them, you need to prepare holes in the ground with a depth of no more than 5 centimeters. It is important to leave an interval of 15-20 centimeters between seedlings.
2. Sprinkle the holes with a mixture of ordinary garden soil and coarse sand.

This completes the landing process. In winter, planting material is dormant. With the arrival of spring, he needs to provide quality care.

Can I plant at home

Chestnut can also be grown at home. Subsequently, the culture can be moved to open ground. To plant a plant, you need to do the following:

1. Put the collected nuts in layers in a common container filled with moist soil. After that, they need to be sprinkled with wet sand and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
2. At the end of winter, check the seed. At this point, all the fruits should swell and give small sprouts, which will lead to the rupture of the shell.
3. Even if there are no sprouts on the nuts, they can be transplanted. This will require another container filled with a mixture of garden soil and sand. Sowing material needs to be deepened by 4-5 centimeters.
4. During the first 2 months, the soil needs to be systematically moistened. It is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
5. After the sprouts reach at least half the size of the little finger and the first leaves appear on them, you can transplant. However, gardeners advise performing this procedure no earlier than May.

Further care

After planting a seedling, he needs to provide full care. It is important to consider the following:

1. Young plants located in the public domain should definitely be protected with pegs. This will help protect the culture from humans and animals.
2. Tie up the plant so that it is not damaged by powerful gusts of wind.
3. Young seedlings need regular and abundant watering.
4. Every year in spring, the tree must be cleaned of dry and frozen shoots.
5. Trees over 10 years old need regular pruning and crown shaping.

Besides this, a young growing tree requires regular fertilization. The soil is recommended to be fed with compost. In addition, every spring it is worth using a solution of 1 kilogram of manure, 15 grams of urea and 10 liters of water. Trees older than 10 years do not need special care. If desired, you can engage in the formation of their crown.

Transplant instructions

Chestnut sprouts can be transplanted into open ground in May. At the same time, it is important to ensure that even warm weather is established and the threat of frost has passed. Before transplanting, plants sometimes need to be taken outside so that they adapt to the street air and become stronger.

When choosing a landing site, consider the following:

1. The root system of the plant is superficial and grows horizontally. Therefore, it is not worth deepening it too much.
2. The tree prefers moderately moist soil. Dryness or waterlogging are not the best options.
3. When choosing the composition of the soil, it is better to give preference to black soil.
4. As the culture grows, it will acquire a tent-shaped crown, which will create a dense shadow. Therefore, light-loving plants should not be placed near the chestnut tree.
5. Chestnut has a strong growth. Therefore, you should not plant many small crops near it.

It is important to consider that chestnut trees can absorb a lot of toxic elements. Therefore, they should not be grown in ecologically polluted regions. Cottages, suburban areas, quiet places in the city are much better suited for this.

When transplanting a chestnut to a plot, it is recommended to take into account the following features:

1. This plant is quite large. Therefore, the minimum interval between seedlings should be 3 meters.
2. If after 2 years it is planned to plant grown seedlings, in the first summer they can be placed with an interval of 60-85 centimeters.
3. Protect young plants from direct sunlight.
4. The depth of the planting hole should match the size of the plant's roots. On average, it should be 35-60 centimeters. The width of the hole should be 55 centimeters. It is important to give the recess a cubic shape.
5. Trees can be planted in groups in one line. Usually this is the perimeter of the territory or the contour around the tracks. You can also plant chestnuts pointwise, given the overall design composition of the site.
6. Don't plant chestnuts in pairs or plantations. Such trees create a large shade and can overlap each other. This will slow down their development.

For landing work, it is important to strictly follow the instructions. When transplanting chestnut seedlings into open soil, do the following:

1. Cover the bottom of the wells with a drainage layer. Its thickness should be 10-15 centimeters. Pebbles, sand, gravel are suitable for this.
2. Make a root substrate. To do this, mix humus, sand and soil from the recess in a ratio of 1:1:2.
3. Add slaked lime to high acid soil. This helps to improve the development of the root system at the initial stage. It is enough to add 500 grams of the substance to each well. Dolomite flour brings the same effect.
4. Apply fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus to the soil. 1-2 handfuls are enough for 1 plant.
5. Lower the seedling into the hole. In this case, the root neck should be located at the level of the ground surface. At the same time, the sprout needs to be sprinkled on all sides with a substrate and slightly compact the top layer near the growth point of the trunk.
6. To protect the seedling from the wind, tie it to a peg. The support is recommended to be installed 5-7 centimeters from the root.
7. Slightly increase the height of the planting hole. Thanks to this, it will be possible to avoid exposing the trunk during the shrinkage of the soil.

Growing a chestnut from a walnut is considered a very exciting activity. To get a strong and viable plant, it is necessary to carry out planting work correctly and provide the culture with quality care.

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