Thanks, all, for your comments. Sounds like grafted chestnuts and even seedlings are unavailable most places. I wonder if the weather was a big factor in that. I can’t imagine a huge run on them all exhausting the supply.
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Perfect Circle farm still has some 1-year seedlings available. The owner, Buzz Ferver, is a great source of information on cold hardy trees, so it might be worth calling him to ask which varieties he has might work for you. Seed nuts do sell out fast every year and many seedlings go quick as well.
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Demand simply overwhelms supply every year. Weather was not a factor. Grafted trees always sell out fast because there aren’t many to begin with, but grafted trees are a bad idea anywhere environmental conditions are harsh. Seedlings are much better options.
Most seedlings are usually sold out this time of year except for two types:
Seedlings that have to be picked up, like those at Red Fern Farm in Iowa, and
Seedlings that have just been overlooked, like some of Perfect Circle’s trees.
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Some of the ones I put in the fridge this fall don’t know its not spring yet. That is part of the danger of getting nuts from a southern source… they’ve been stratifying so long they are convinced it must be spring by now.
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Another source for small chestnut seedlings with very good genetics that is apparently still shipping this Spring:
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I’m in UP of MI. 4b and I have @ 170 growing since 2018. I have Dunstan which were planted first at 10’ tall and the rest are Lovalls Monster, Mossbarger, & early ripening open pollinated varieties from Route 9 cooperative. No production yet but they are handling the weather and anticipate seeing some catkins this year
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Good luck!
It’s rare to see Dunstans survive in zone 5 or colder.
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That’s what some say. Not my experience
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You’re the exception that proves the rule.
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putting in some chinese chestnuts in a few weeks. not cultivars but selections for nut size and production. going on slightly sloping land that runs north to south.
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Hi Castanea,
If I understand properly, Gillet was exposed to -30F and survived. That is impressive! Did you osberve any damage? Tips dieback? No harvest?
Thanks
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I haven’t grown it at that temperature but others have. That temperature doesn’t seem to bother it at all in the middle of winter.
The problem Gillet can have is that it is slow to harden off in the Fall and a hard freeze in November or December can do some damage.
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Thanks for the info. According to my local nursery friends, early winter hard freezes is the most limiting factor for our climate.
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For some other chestnuts, late Spring freezes do the damage, but Gillet leafs out pretty late so that’s usually not a problem.
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Yeah late spring freeze was -2C to -5.6C this May 20th. One chestnut seedling started from the 3rd bud. Either mossbarger OP or a dentata x mollissima hybrid from southern Qc. I am not that good at ID yet. If it bears fruit one day the ID might be easier.
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im just north east of you in northern Maine. z3b/ 4a on the Can. border across from Edmunston , N.B. have some unnamed Chinese chestnut seedlings i planted last spring as a test to see if they will make it here. ill post their performance on here over time. my hybrid hazelnuts made it through 3 days of -40 and colder, 2 winters ago with no damage and normal nut production so that gives me hope with the chestnuts.
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That looks great. What region are you growing that chest nut tree? Are you in U.S?
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Those nuts were grown in Sacramento county, California.
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Thats a hardy bush! Hazelnut are certainly cold hardier than chestnuts. Hardiness of the male catkins during springtime while they bloom would be another trait to evaluate.
Please keep us informed of your experiments!
Here is the seedling.
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good luck to you as well Victor. wouldn’t that be something if we could get them to grow and produce nuts here. im putting in some butternuts next spring as well. most nurseries that sell them say they are z3 hardy but grow slower than chestnuts.
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