This is a stratification pack of 20 Chestnut
seeds ready for immediate shipment. ALL OF THE STRATFICATION PREP WORK
HAS BEEN DONE FOR YOU! (Chestnuts have to be cold stratified in order to
reliably sprout and grow into trees). Once delivered, you just have to put them in the fridge and keep them moist until spring potting or planting.
These seeds were floated to ensure viability, packed in a soil-less mixture, and placed in climate control at 35-39 degrees for the stratification process. These vented gallon bags of 20 nuts simply need to be put in your refrigerator and kept moist. By March they will have sprouted and will be ready for potting (or planting as long as the threat of frost has past for your area). Instructions for potting and/or planting will be included with the shipment. **NOTE** Sprouting success is very high for this method, but there is no guarantee that ALL 30 nuts will sprout, sometimes a few can go bad during stratification (they'll turn moldy and you simply remove and discard them). Dunstan chestnuts are strong 15/16th american x chinese chestnut hybrids (Castanea dentata x mollissima), fast-growing trees that often produce nuts in 3-5 years. Best planted in groups of 5 (for pollination and nut production) with 25' spacing. These are TOUGH, well-adapted trees for USDA zones 5-8 (map pictured). I recommend tubing and/or caging them to reduce deer browse and damage from rubbing. Caring for Chestnut Trees: Nurturing Natural Elegance Germination Procedure:
To germinate Chestnut seeds, soak the nuts in water for 24 hours
to soften their outer shells. Next, plant the soaked seeds in a
well-draining potting mix, ensuring they are covered with a layer of
soil. Keep the soil consistently moist and maintain a warm environment,
ideally around 70°F (21°C). Germination can take several weeks, and once
the seedlings have developed, they can be transplanted into larger
containers or directly into the garden. |