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Thread Like Summary
4CornersPuddle, azteca, catscratch, esshup, FishinRod, jludwig, lmoore, RAH
Total Likes: 25
Original Post (Thread Starter)
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
Have about 77 chestnut trees (about 14 producing), 12 apple trees producing, a couple pear trees, several persimmon and mulberry trees. I do not have enough experience yet to conclusively say if helps as much as advertised; but we have lots of grain crops, oak trees, and such in this area. What are everyones' thoughts? Are they worth the cost and effort?
Liked Replies
by RAH
RAH
In my opinion, every bit of wildlife habitat restoration is a step in the right direction.
2 members like this
by Augie
Augie
Originally Posted by catscratch
Do peaches stay true to parent form?


I can't definitively answer that, but I'm leaning towards a no.

I've sprouted peaches three times using the seeds from Arkansas-grown peaches that I bought at the Amish grocery.
I have no idea what variety they were, but the trees that grew from them produced fabulous peaches. The oldest of
them are getting on towards 15 years of age. I lost one to blight and there's another that's probably not going to leaf
out come spring.

Peaches are tough to grow here even when you buy good quality nursery stock. I think our tight clay soils don't agree with them.

Of the ten peach trees I have here now, eight of them were grown from seed. The other two are what's left of seven
nursery stock trees, and neither of those are very healthy now. Might get two or three more years out of them before they croak.


On the bright side, yesterday I ordered a ten-pack of Dunstan chestnut trees for spring delivery.
www.chestnuthilloutdoors.com

Brighter yet, blight-resistant Ozark Chinquapin trees have been discovered in the Misery/Arky/Okie Ozarks.
Efforts have been underway for several years to propagate these trees.

Ozark Chinquapin Foundation
National Geographic article
2 members like this
by RAH
RAH
The anti-GMO activists are still slowing the regulatory approval process for Darling 58 chestnuts. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa-2022/suny-chestnut Once approved, it will be years before there will be enough for folks like you and me. https://www.esf.edu/chestnut/progress-report/2021.htm
2 members like this
by RAH
RAH
Support the Darling GM chestnut. I am too old to see the results, but this is a good thing.
2 members like this
by FishinRod
FishinRod
I read a good article from a wildlife habitat expert (mostly focused on deer). He is frequently asked, "What is the best thing to grow for habitat?"

He said that there is no perfect answer - but the best things to add to your habitat are the things you are MISSING on your property!

If you have zero mast trees, add a variety of those. If you have hard mast trees (acorns and chestnuts), add some soft mast fruit trees. If you have no water supply on your property, add a small pond. If you have no deep shelter, plant some shrubs and form thickets. If you have no row crops, keep your feeders operating for most or all of the year.

That sounded like excellent advice to me.

Of course, not being an expert, I wasn't exactly sure what I was missing the most, but I have read lots of posts from the good habitat people on Pond Boss and gained more knowledge in that area.
1 member likes this
by RAH
RAH
My solution is to have so much food that my new plantings get minimal pressure. We have losses, but we plant a lot and accept that only some will survive. We (my wife) grow most from seed and we plant at least 100 bare-root seedlings from the DNR each year. I also try to tag out on does every year. Still need a muzzleloader doe to tag out this year, so I will be out there when the season comes in. Even so, we have a lot of deer. Trying to keep lots of smaller bucks for future years. My herd control is mainly to reduce the chances of a disease epidemic. I really only have one person hunting adjacent land that is like minded, so it is an uphill battle. On a positive note, I only found one small buck dead on my property so far this year, but that was before gun season started...
1 member likes this
by DrLuke
DrLuke
We have two, mature Chinese chestnut trees. They produce mast every year (the nut husk is covered in spikes that would make a porcupine proud). The pods pop open and drop out 3-4 chestnuts. The deer absolutely love them. We have lots of burr oak as well. I have observed deer preferentially eating hickory nuts in our hunting timber. We have smooth bark hickory around here.
I have also planted some Dunstan chestnuts, and 3 of the 4 are close to mast bearing size (took about 5 years). Dunstan's are blight resistant. American Chestnuts were all but wiped out by a blight, but a blight resistant cultivar is being worked on still. Chinese chestnuts are also blight resistant.
I think FishinRod is on to something, re: adding some forage or cover that wasn't available before helps attract more wildlife.
1 member likes this
by catscratch
catscratch
Originally Posted by FishinRod
Originally Posted by Pat Williamson
Dr Luke do the deer eat the burr oak acorns?

Deer are passing the feeders for corn and protein going after acorns ( great news) keeping the slaughter down a bit from our neighbors who pay no attention to laws at all.

I have dumped huge mounds of bur oak acorns at our farm. They were all gone before I put up a camera. (I think they were eaten by the deer.)

We have another bumper crop of bur oak acorns in the city this year. I will do another dump this fall and make sure the camera is in place!

If they are a greatly preferred food, I could dump them right before opening day. (I believe that is legal in Kansas, but will have to check.)

It is legal in KS. You can dump anything you want and hunt over it (for deer, migratory birds are another matter).

Deer love Burr acorns. We also have native Chinkapin and DCO that the deer love. Sawtooth also.

I have Chinese Chestnut trees growing but there have been some setbacks and they are going slow. I hope to get some production out of them in the next few years.
1 member likes this
by RAH
RAH
If you want access to truly blight resistant chestnuts, make a positive comment to the USDA environmental impact statement. https://www.regulations.gov/documen...SXbeuLVVea0E6-nCc61kuBzsfzpFx6cx-RL0tETg
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
RAH: Comment in favor of deregulation posted. Thanks!
1 member likes this
by catscratch
catscratch
Pretty good start on our Dunstan Chestnuts, about 70% germination rate. Chinkapin and Sawtooth are close to 100%.

For the apple from seed guys. Most I know who grow apples from seed use crabapple. I believe they are more successful with those than full sized apples.
Attached Images
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
Update:
The seed starts for this year are pretty much a bust. One place recommended soaking the seeds briefly in a bleach solution. That is the main thing I did differently this year vs last.
The seedlings from last year that I transplanted are doing far better than anticipated. We transplanted them into an area of heavy clay soil that doesn't grow much well. Then we didn't water them at all even during several very dry periods. Surprisingly, most survived and some are now near the tops of the tree tubes.
Some of my more mature chestnuts appear loaded so will probably try again.
On the down side... I tried some prepared chestnuts. They were like icky mush with little taste. Hopefully, not all are like that. If so, they'll definitely be for wildlife only and I'll plant more pecans for myself.
1 member likes this
by canyoncreek
canyoncreek
I signed up to get emails about the Darling GM project. This sounds like a great project and I hope it can get through the red tape to get final approval. Thanks RAH.

I think buying some dunstan trees would be good for our area where we are trying to attract deer. Thanks!
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
Some of our transplanted chestnut trees are now above the tubes (like in Augie's picture).
We mowed at the island last weekend and some of the chestnut trees there are absolutely loaded. I bet one of the trees alone has hundreds of nuts.
May try my luck just planting some seeds where transplanted ones died.
Only one of the six trees by the house has any. Same small tree as had the most last year. Neither of the two biggest trees has any... Don't quite understand that.
Have several hundred black walnuts, pecans, and some cherry seeds saved back, have a lot of apples to pick, and will have a lot of chestnuts. Not sure what I'll do with any of them. Not sure I'm up for a mass transplanting effort again. Feel like I need to plant them somewhere; but not sure where. If it all works out, may try to clear off some areas that just have brush and plant seeds. A lot of things would have to come together just right for that to work out (time, money, and equipment availability); but...
1 member likes this
by catscratch
catscratch
I believe I get a much stronger tree when direct seeded in their permanent location. Tap root trees simple do better if their root has been allowed to grow fully instead of in a pot. It takes a little protection to make it happen but I think it's worth it. Of course I do pot starts too as I enjoy growing trees, just don't think it's best.
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
Maybe so. Diggin that hole to bury the four 5 gallon buckets convinced me that people probably didn't bury their dead in a 6 ft hole long 3 feet wide and 6 feet down back in the old days before backhoes and good equipment. I dug that hole using three different steel shovels and a hammer drill with an auger on it and it still took a while digging about a 4 x 4 x 4 hole. Ground is hard around here right now. Have a lot of ideas for property improvements- will just take time, money, and hard work.
1 member likes this
by esshup
esshup
Originally Posted by Augie
We should be swimming in mud right now but it seems the drought
here isn't quite over. If it doesn't start raining soon I'll be ready.

Just North of Oklahoma City is getting pounded right now.
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
Looks like I might wind up with maybe about 180 chestnut sprouts, 40 walnut, and about a dozen apple. No pecans.
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
Well.. another update. The same rabbits that chewed the bark of some expensive trees in my front yard have now decided it is fun to jump up on my 2 gl pots and snip the tops off my trees when they get about four inches tall...

If not for the wife and son, they would be buzzard bait right now...
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
We've sold 15 or so of the chestnuts sprouted this spring. Probably going to plant the rest (about 80 chestnuts, 70 walnuts, and 5 apple) this fall. Nephew has a small excavator with auger attachment. Will likely buy a larger auger for it and use it instead of gas powered auger to save my back, speed it up, and create a larger area of loose dirt for roots.

We visited TreePro and purchased one hundred of the 6' tall tubes and some of that treatment they offer. They gave us a tour of the place and talked with us quite a bit. Not very impressive on the outside; but pretty darn neat.

Some of the initial 61 trees referenced earlier in this thread that were sprouted in Spring 2022 and transplanted fall of 2022 are now about 15 feet tall. Probably around 45 of the initial 61 survived - despite not watering. Much better survival and growth rates for those in the tubes (we didn't have enough). We had a couple of the trees break over when hit by some strong winds so we bought some 10' long 1" diameter schedule 40 PVC pipe. Used a drill and 2" diameter 36" long auger to drill holes to hold a few of the pipes. Tore up some roots on at least one tree and getting drill very hot so relented to use some 5/8" five feet long sections of oil pump rods as posts, drove those down, and then slid the PVC pipe over the top. Much better solution. Less risk of damaging roots, better support for pipe, pipe extends higher (full 10' height), and it is MUCH faster (and easier on the drill and me).

Will replace the chestnuts that died. Probably buy some apples, pears, and persimmons to put in strategic spots. Plant the walnuts along creeks / bottoms where can't really farm. Plant the remaining chestnuts and apple trees at edges of woods and semi-clearings within the woods. Will probably fell some trees to open up more space / use the tubes / stakes / and weed matting. Have some ground that was in CRP and went out this year; but not really great farmland. May see if can put it in tree program where I can plant and choose my own trees.

Some of them are branching out right above the 5' tubes. Several aren't branching and I'm a little worried about those spindly 15 feet tall two year old trees. I put the 10' stake beside them and tied them loosely to it with flagging tape (tied loosely so it'll not break over, move in the wind, and hopefully build a strong stem). Should I be worried about how tall some are getting without branching? Any suggestions?

Mature trees appear loaded with chestnuts. Do I do this again this fall for next year? Not certain yet.
1 member likes this
by Rangersedge
Rangersedge
Bought a 12" diameter 4' long auger bit that goes on hydraulic attachment on mini excavator. Going to use it to drill bunch of holes to transplant chestnuts. Not sure I'm up for doing that again with the gas auger with even more trees.

Existing more mature trees seem loaded with nuts and have picked up a bunch. Will go to island on lake tomorrow and check those. If raccoons haven't gotten them yet, I anticipate picking up at least a couple gallon of nuts. Will probably direct seed some in woods areas and bury some to transplant too. Son will probably sell some small potted ones again next year.
1 member likes this
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