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Small chestnuts

 
Laurel Finch
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Hi All,
I found a small chestnut tree growing in the park! More of a bush than a tree. I noticed it only because it had burrs on it. I took a few burrs home, and they had nuts, but very small and not filled out. What would cause this?
P1070952.JPG
chestnit pips
chestnit pips

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Jd Gonzalez
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Could they be chinquapins?

We can green the world through random acts of planting.

 
Jay Grace
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what did the husk look like? Did you pull it from the tree? Was it still green? Was the husk round or triangular?

what was the shape of the leaves?
 
Laurel Finch
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Jd Gonzalez wrote:Could they be chinquapins?



I don't think so. This isn't their natural range, and the nuts don't look at all like acorns.

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
Laurel Finch
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Jay Grace wrote:what did the husk look like? Did you pull it from the tree? Was it still green? Was the husk round or triangular?

what was the shape of the leaves?



Here's a picture of an unopened husk. Seemed pretty round to me. This one is greenish, but I saw some on the tree that had already opened, and also had very small nuts. I put my finger in so you can see size.
P1070953.JPG
husk
husk

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Jd Gonzalez
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/oikostreecrops/4403791431/in/photostream

Chinquapin Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea pumila hybrida.

Kind of looks similar.

We can green the world through random acts of planting.

 
Jay Grace
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I know the leaves on the Chinese chestnut trees I'm familiar with are more serrated along the edges and the leaf it's self doesn't come to a point that fast.

Could this be an actual native chestnut tree? I've never seen one in person so I have nothing to compare it to.

Never the less I believe if you can find some of the nuts fully formed it would be worthwhile to plant them and get a few seedlings. Never know that could be a naturally blight resistant native chestnut. But that would be like winning the lottery without ever buying a ticket.

 
Akiva Silver
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Those chestnuts did not get pollinated. That is why they made blank shriveled empty nuts.

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Bryant RedHawk
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Lori Ziemba wrote:

Jay Grace wrote:what did the husk look like? Did you pull it from the tree? Was it still green? Was the husk round or triangular?

what was the shape of the leaves?



Here's a picture of an unopened husk. Seemed pretty round to me. This one is greenish, but I saw some on the tree that had already opened, and also had very small nuts. I put my finger in so you can see size.



That is an American Chestnut, small shriveled nuts indicate several things; 1) not enough water got to the roots during the growing of the nuts and 2) there was not sufficient pollinator activity.
If you see large, almost base ball sized burrs those will have good nuts in them, usually only one will develop fully per burr. Burrs generally have four nuts available for pollination but only one will grow to full size.
If you find some full sized nuts, and you want to grow a tree from them, you would need to stratify the seeds in moist peat moss at a temp of 40-36 degrees for 120 days then plant one inch deep and water. The seed should be laid on its side, not like you would plant any other seed.

List of Bryant RedHawk's Epic Soil Series Threads We love visitors, that's why we live in a secluded cabin deep in the woods. "Buzzard's Roost (Asnikiye Heca) Farm." Promoting permaculture to save our planet.

 
Laurel Finch
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Jd Gonzalez wrote:https://www.flickr.com/photos/oikostreecrops/4403791431/in/photostream

Chinquapin Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea pumila hybrida.

Kind of looks similar.



Wow, you're right! It does look like it! Do "real" chestnuts have that little feathery topknot?

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
Laurel Finch
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I went back yesterday to take more pictures. Good thing I did, almost all the burrs are gone.
20151005_172458.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172458.jpg]
20151005_172522.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172522.jpg]
20151005_172605.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172605.jpg]

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
Laurel Finch
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more pix:
20151005_172658.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172658.jpg]
20151005_172712.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172712.jpg]
20151005_172818.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172818.jpg]

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
Laurel Finch
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And a few more:
20151005_172839.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172839.jpg]
20151005_172903.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20151005_172903.jpg]

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
Laurel Finch
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I found a small stand of 5-6, much larger chestnuts growing around a lake.  Same deal as above, the nuts are small and not filled out.  Why are they not being pollinated?   Shouldn't 6 trees be enough for cross pollination?   This mystery is killing me!

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
Marlo Mattson
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Could it be that the trees are not receiving enough water?
 
Mike Barkley
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chestnut project

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Laurel Finch
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Marlo Mattson wrote:Could it be that the trees are not receiving enough water?



Well, they're growing right on the edge of a lake, so I don't think water is a problem.  

Are they self fertile?   Could it be that they are clones, so there is no cross pollination?

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
Eric Thompson
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My American chestnuts will usually have 2 filled out nuts and one little sliver like that.  Between the squirrels and the deer, I usually only find the husk and the little sliver with the meaty nuts long gone.
 
Lise Pettigrew
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I read this whole thread.  I have a couple chestnut trees in my yard.  one of the trees has copious amounts of the smaller chestnut, and the second has larger chestnuts.  Both have the three chestnuts inside, and both produce the small shriveled chestnuts.  Occasionally I will find a nice healthy puffed out chestnut (1/500), but mostly  shriveled.  I would love to have producing chestnuts, but I have no idea how to make that happen.  

Given what I read, it's either pollination or water.  Since i have the occasional plump one (very occasional), is it more likely water or pollination?  
 
greg mosser
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my guess is pollination.
 
bruce Fine
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it could have something to do with weather and how much rain or moisture tree gets while nuts are growing. I read in earlier post about bushy chestnut tree, my Chinese chestnut trees are very bushy compared to the Dustan Hybrids Ive got growing.
hopefully in next year or 2 I'll have a bit of a crop. Ive become almost obsessed with chestnut trees after learning about how important a role they played with Native American and  pioneer live here in eastern United States and always look for more information on them.
hopefully this winter I can get some of the latest American chestnut blight resistant trees that have been developed.
 
Valerie naiman
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Im just now seeing these chestnut posts. I have 1 enormous tree and pick up all the burr balls. I managed to get a few pounds of developed nuts but mostly they're the undeveloped sliver of a nut. Ive been harvesting those too because my dwarf goats love them. Its a labor of love peeling back the burrs and picking them out. I want to know if anyones ever tried cooking with the undeveloped ones.
Scouring the net I haven't found any info on that.
Valerie in Asheville
 
Hester Winterbourne
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There are lots of chestnut trees round here.  They simply have good years and bad years, so one tree that yields really well one year can have silly little shrivelled nuts the next and you'd be going "hmm, what is wrong with this tree?" if you didn't know.  The main culprit is probably the weather being just right when they are pollinating (not much to be done about that), and then rain or drought later when the nuts are swelling (again, not much you can do to water a huge forest tree).  It may also be a natural cycle of the tree, so it has a really good year and then rests for a while, like biennial fruiting in fruit trees but on a longer term basis as the trees have a longer lifespan. If you have a variety of food plants to go to this is not a problem.  

Of course it's also possible if your tree has never had decent fruit that it is in the wrong place, and I'm talking guff.
 
Les Everington
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Not small but flat or thin nuts, two years together now. Tree bought from a reputable dealer. Any ideas?
 
Joe Vastine
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Can you plant the small nuts, or just the larger filled out ones?  Thanks
 
Michael Cox
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UK based.

We have extensive chestnut forests, which have been managed for hundreds of years for coppice poles and firewood.

The chestnuts were imported originally by the Romans from the Mediterranean region. In the med the same trees provide massive nut crops which were a traditional staple carbohydrate. Cooked, dried and powdered they make a passable flour substitute.

Here in the UK yields are much smaller and less reliable. Some trees may crop, while others essentially fail. My understanding is the the growing season isn’t as long, so the nuts are under developed.

My hunch is that the small nuts you describe are due in part to shorter growing season than the original range of the species.

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Laurel Finch
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Michael Cox wrote:UK based.

My hunch is that the small nuts you describe are due in part to shorter growing season than the original range of the species.



I'm just seeing your post now.  Go figure.  Anyway, the situation has not changed, still lots of burrs, shriveled up nuts.  I'm in San Francisco, where the growing season is pretty much all year round.  Frosts are rare, and hard freezes almost unknown.   So I don't think it's that.

Some of these trees are growing right next to a lake, so I'm thinking their roots can tap into the lake water?  OTOH, the lake is in a park and man made, so maybe it's lined and the water can't leach out?

I have no idea what kind of chestnut they are.  I actually sent specimens into the chestnut project, and even they didn't know!  

I wrestled with reality for 36 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.

 
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