Growing chestnuts at home. Walnut chestnut: growing and care at home and in open ground. Growing chestnuts from walnuts at home

Lovers of a healthy lifestyle should definitely pay attention to such a useful plant as chestnut. This tree will not only be a magnificent decoration in your summer cottage, but also a wonderful remedy for various diseases. Edible fruits are used to prepare dishes according to various recipes, while inedible fruits are mainly used for medicinal purposes.

What types of chestnuts are there?

The plants in question are not at all the ones that we are all used to seeing in parks and in the gardens of our neighbors in the country. In some cases, experts even classify these trees as completely different families.

Typically, the height of the tree reaches from 1 to 35 meters, which depends on the specific species. Its beautiful pyramid-shaped inflorescences decorate gardens for two months - from May to June. To know how to properly grow a chestnut from a fruit, you need to understand its structure.

Each fruit of this plant is in a shell, which is surrounded by a peel with spikes. As a rule, you can find from one to three small nuts in one shell. It should be remembered that chestnuts create a dense shadow due to their crown.

In addition, they have very strong surface roots. These are the main factors that influence the growth of surrounding crops, which rarely grow near this tree. It is very simple to correct this drawback - you need to put several benches here, turning the space around the chestnut tree into a cozy corner.

Many people ask how to grow chestnuts from nuts. The first thing you need to do is to allocate a place for planting the future plant, the diameter of which should be at least three meters. Moreover, the chestnut should be planted in loamy black soil.

It is very resistant to frost, and is not at all afraid of strong winds.

We plant seedlings

Two-year-old seedlings are best suited for planting. First of all, you need to prepare strictly square holes 50 cm long, wide and deep. The dug soil should be mixed with sand and humus, and also add a little dolomite flour.

Before placing the seedlings in the holes, add 200 g of fertilizer consisting of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. Small pebbles are poured onto the bottom, which is a drainage layer 15 cm thick.

The resulting soil substrate is poured on top, the hole is filled with water, and a seedling is placed in it. A mound 20 cm high should be formed around the seedling. This is done due to the fact that slight subsidence of the soil may occur in the future.

If a tree of large varieties is planted, its root collar should be positioned at least 8 centimeters higher than the planting mound. When planting low or medium varieties, there is no need to raise the soil. Each seedling should be attached to a support, which will protect it from strong winds.

After this, future trees are watered with warm water. If the planting is successful, you don’t have to worry too much about the further successful growth of the chestnut.

Propagation by seeds

Without human intervention, chestnuts can grow just fine on their own. Therefore, a good solution would be to plant the seeds of this plant. Growing chestnut from a nut means that the seeds are planted in the ground in the fall.

At this time of year, you should collect a few fallen nuts and place them in a cool place. This is the so-called stratification process, in which chestnuts are placed in a box filled with sand, which in turn is placed in a basement.

The most optimal temperature is about six degrees Celsius, and the storage time is from ten days to two weeks. After this, the seeds must be placed in previously prepared grooves. They should be recessed by 6 cm.

The distance between each nut should be at least 15 cm. The seeds are covered with dry fallen leaves on top, but not buried with soil. Thus, the seeds will overwinter in the furrows and sprout in the spring.

Growing chestnuts from seeds in the spring is done like this.

The fruits that have fallen in the fall are completely covered with sand. During the winter, they should be stored at a constant temperature of 6° C. Before the planned planting of chestnuts in open ground in the spring, the fruits must be removed from the sand and placed in warm water. They should be stored in it for 5-7 days. As a result, a new embryo will be formed inside the fetus.

A tree planted from such seeds will grow up to 30 cm in height within a year, and in five years it will reach 3 meters.

Tree care

Many gardeners believe that the best time to plant chestnuts is mid-spring. It will take about 10 years for a small seedling to grow into a beautiful and large tree. At the age of 1-2 years, it is convenient to replant the chestnut tree with a ball of soil.

And more or less adult specimens that have reached 10 years of age are transplanted without a coma. The main rule when replanting is to carefully dig up the tree without damaging its roots. Chestnut loves moisture, so it needs to be watered as often as possible.

The best soil for planting is a combination of turf, leaves and sand. With the onset of spring, experienced gardeners recommend fertilizing the plant by adding a composition that includes urea and mullein to the soil. If the summer is too dry, there is almost no precipitation, then the tree needs to be watered even more abundantly than usual.

When weeding the soil, it must be thoroughly loosened, and mulching with peat is carried out around the trunk. The taller the chestnut grows, the more dry branches should be cut down to make the plant feel freer. As soon as winter approaches, absolutely all young seedlings need good shelter, which can be organized by covering them with fallen leaves in the fall.

What types of edible chestnuts are there?

In total, there are more than 30 different species of trees belonging to the chestnut family in nature. The most common types of chestnuts:

European seed; Chinese softest; Japanese (or crenate);

The specific type of plant depends on how chestnuts grow. For example, the European chestnut tree usually reaches 35 meters in height and has a regular egg-shaped crown. Its leaves are very large, more than 30 cm long.

Such trees have incredibly lush inflorescences, and the nuts reach especially large sizes. They are edible and are kept inside a round, slightly fluffy cocoon. Such chestnuts are long-lived.

If you take good care of them, they can live for more than 500 years. Unlike the previous species, the Chinese chestnut is much lower - its average height is 15 m. The leaves of this tree are finely toothed, covered with white pubescence. But the color of the horizontal inflorescences depends on what kind of chestnut it is.

There are many recipes for dishes using the fruits of the softest Chinese chestnut. If a person wonders where chestnut grows, the answer can be - in various parts of the globe. So, there is also a crenate chestnut, it comes from Japan, and is also common in such eastern countries as Korea and China.

It grows incredibly quickly and bears fruit around the third and sometimes even the second year after planting. Among all known edible chestnuts, its fruits are the largest - they weigh 80 g and reach 6 cm in diameter.

Today, more than 100 varieties of this species are known. As a rule, most gardeners choose inedible chestnuts for planting. Basically, preference is given to the most common species - horse chestnut, through the luxurious crowns of which lush white or pinkish inflorescences peek through in the spring.

Beneficial features

The fruits of the common chestnut are used mainly in folk medicine. Most often it is used to eliminate problems such as stagnation of venous blood.

The fruits of this tree contain pectins, flavonoids, healthy oils and various biological components that are beneficial to health. It is these components that significantly reduce the permeability of capillaries, and also significantly reduce the viscosity of the patient’s blood. Various drugs are produced from chestnuts that increase the tone of the veins.

For this reason, many doctors advise using them for patients suffering from varicose veins and thrombophlebitis. These drugs also have an analgesic effect on humans and can also stop inflammatory processes in the body. Thus, chestnut is used both externally and internally.

Application

As a hemostatic agent, a decoction is made from chestnut, which is also taken as a pain reliever. Moreover, not the fruits are used for the decoction, but the bark of the tree, and is taken both internally and used for external use, for example, during the treatment of hemorrhoids or intestinal diseases.

Juice is extracted from chestnut flowers, which can relieve a patient from thrombophlebitis and atherosclerosis. Fruit skins are widely used in the treatment of uterine bleeding, also making a decoction from them. Those who doubt, when wondering how to germinate a chestnut from a nut, that this is a complex process, are advised to think about the benefits that a person who will have in the garden will receive grow a real chestnut.

For example, having grown this tree, you can later use its bark in the treatment of rheumatism and similar ailments. Dried chestnut fruits can also be used as a decoction to treat the respiratory tract.

And the fresh leaves of this plant can save a person from whooping cough. The combination of bark and fruits when preparing a decoction will provide a remedy that can stop severe nosebleeds, as well as relieve swelling. In this case, the liquid is taken orally and is also used for external treatment. This decoction in particular helps with boils - you just need to make a poultice.

The edible chestnut is of even greater interest. Its decorative value is also very great, but in addition, you can also enjoy delicious baked or boiled nuts.

Let’s say right away that the fruits of the edible chestnut, grown within the city, near highways, are categorically unsuitable for food - they accumulate heavy metals and other toxic emissions. But outside the city, in the country, near the fence, it is worth planting this beautiful and useful tree. True, edible chestnut does not have such high frost resistance as horse chestnut.

But, in regions with relatively mild winters it will grow actively. The tree can withstand short-term frosts down to -15-18 degrees. In the first years, it is advisable to cover the young seedling for the winter.

It should be taken into account that the tree grows very large - up to 35 meters, and will shade a large area.

Therefore, it is preferable to grow it outside the garden. Also, all types of chestnuts are good honey plants, but the honey has a bitter aftertaste. It is not recommended to plant it in places where apiaries are kept.

Preparation of planting material

In order to grow horse chestnut, you should select even, strong and beautiful fruits. Only fruits that have fallen from the tree are suitable for planting.

You should collect much more of them than you plan to grow plants. You can start the growing process immediately in the fall, in the year the fruits ripen, or in the spring. Before planting a nut in the ground, all planting material should be stratified.

The essence of this procedure is to place the collected fruits in damp sand, soil or cellar. In modern home conditions, this can also be a refrigerator.

Stratification stimulates growth and increases fertility, since, being in a warm and dry room, the chestnut dries out and loses its ability to reproduce.

If you plan to plant a nut in the spring, then you can place all the fruits in a bag of wet sand and keep them there until spring and planting time. They are planted when warm days arrive, i.e. end of March - beginning of April.

How to quickly grow chestnuts on your own?

Before planting a nut in the ground, its outer shell should be prepared - it should be soft. To do this, the chestnut is immersed in warm water and kept in it for 5-7 days. The water should be changed periodically to avoid stagnation.

The soaking process should end with the appearance of a small white sprout. Next, the fruits with sprouts are planted in the ground. The depth of burial is up to 3 times the diameter of the seed. When planted in autumn, seedlings appear much earlier than spring specimens. Spring planting gives a higher percentage of germination, moreover, the quality of the sprouts is much better and stronger, and in terms of development they are much ahead of their autumn predecessors.

The easiest way to grow chestnuts at home

By choosing a less labor-intensive growing method, the gardener receives ready-made sprouted seeds. In autumn, the collected fruits are buried in a hole between the roots of a large tree. The hole is sprinkled with old leaves on top, and the fruits remain there until spring.

With the arrival of warm days, a hole is dug out and the general condition of the seeds is assessed. Strong specimens with large thick sprouts are selected and transferred to a permanent place of growth.

Experienced gardeners recommend cutting the root of the embryo, thereby forming a compact root system, and the future plant receives a powerful guarantee of growth and health. Many years of growing experience have shown that fruit development is improved by soil taken from under other chestnut trees. Such a substrate has a beneficial effect on the development of sprouts and root systems. For those who do not have a plot of land, we can recommend another way to grow chestnuts from walnuts at home.

In autumn, the seeds can be planted in a flower pot and watered systematically, like house flowers. In the spring, care will be rewarded with the appearance of a white tender sprout, and then it can be transplanted into open ground to a permanent place.

Chestnut bonsai

By the way, horse chestnut (and edible chestnut) is excellent for growing a bonsai tree at home. To do this, you need to germinate the nut as described above, and then trim the root and plant it in a pot to grow the seedling in the first year. In the second spring of life, the young tree is removed, the roots are cut off, and the seedling is placed in a special bowl.

Care and feeding of the sprout

Growing an adult plant from a sprouted nut is labor-intensive and requires patience and strength. Having planted weak, defenseless sprouts at home or in public gardens, they should be protected from careless and careless human feet and movements.

They are fenced with pegs and entangled with bright ribbons or wire. In places of strong wind loads, a thin and fragile trunk is tied up to avoid breakage. A young plant needs abundant watering, since the root system is not yet strong and branched enough.

In the first 10 years, the sprouts grow very slowly, but at the age of 10-15 years, the rapid growth and development of a lush crown should be noted. To form a beautiful crown, you should trim and shape the branches.

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In spring, dry and frozen branches are removed from the trunk. Chestnut prefers loose loamy soil. If the soil does not meet the stated requirements, then the soil is brought to the required consistency - it is refined.

Sand is added to clay soil, and a little clay is added to loose soil. Depleted soil is fertilized with rotted manure or compost mixed with soil. Clay soil will lead to stagnation of moisture in the upper layers of the soil, and the roots of the tree will dry out. If the soil is excessively loose, then water will accumulate in the root system, which will also negatively affect the growth of the tree. At home, young plants should be fed 2 times a year: in spring and autumn:

In the spring, you should add a solution of 15 g of urea diluted in 10 liters of water, 1 kg of mullein. In the fall, use the chemical fertilizer nitroammofosk: per 10 liters of water up to 15 g of the substance.

Young sprouts are watered regularly, since their root system is still quite weak. Adult plants are watered only during dry periods. After watering and fertilizing, the soil surface near the ground is mulched with peat or wood chips.

The plant requires special care and attention in the first few years after planting; care is no longer required for adult plants. Knowing the secret and method of how to grow a chestnut from a nut at home, the owner of the plot can not look for young shoots in nurseries and gardens, but grow healthy ones himself and a strong young plant.

How to grow chestnut from a nut

The chestnut tree inspires many. People like its unusual, fan-shaped large leaves, candle-shaped flowers that appear every spring, and in the fall the tree entertains with its fleshy hedgehog fruits, which open and drop shiny brown nuts to the ground. The chestnut is a powerful tree, it is often planted for landscaping cities , parks, squares, it is very popular in landscape design because it provides a lot of greenery and shade.

If you want to plant a chestnut, then you do not have to look for a ready-made seedling; you can grow a chestnut yourself from a nut. Now is the time for chestnuts; in order for the experiment to end successfully, you can pick up a whole bag of fruits. Growing a chestnut tree is a very exciting thing, invite your children to do it - they will gladly support you or your friends - you can arrange a competition to see who will sprout first, and then plant the trees on your own friendship alley.

How to grow chestnuts at home?

First, you need to collect raw materials for planting. When picking chestnuts, take only smooth, beautiful fruits that have ripened on their own and fallen to the ground.

It is better to collect nuts with a reserve, since not all of them can hatch, sprout and grow into a seedling - you need to play it safe and grow several copies. This will allow you to choose the strongest and healthiest plant in the future. Then you can proceed in different ways. Chestnut nuts can be planted immediately in the fall or wait until spring, but in any case, they must undergo a procedure called stratification.

To do this, the fruits just need to be placed for a while in a cool place, for example, on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. As you know, for many plants, winter cold is the key to rich fruiting and health; low temperatures activate the program for further growth and reproduction of offspring.

For a chestnut, this condition is mandatory - in a warm, dry place it will dry out and become unsuitable for planting. In order to plant nuts in the fall, they are placed in a container or bag with wet sand and sent into the cold for 10 days. This will be enough.

To plant spring chestnuts, keep the fruits cool all winter, this preserves them until March-April. Before planting a nut, it needs to be helped to soften the dense top coating.. To do this, chestnuts are placed in a container with warm water for five days.

The water needs to be changed regularly, but there is no need to heat a bowl of fruits over a fire or in the microwave - there have been cases when nuts were simply boiled this way. In less than a week you will see a white sprout appear on the wrinkled surface of the already soft nut - the process has begun.

Processed nuts are planted in the ground to a depth of 2-2.5 times the diameter of the fruit., not deeper. Autumn seedlings are the first to emerge in the spring, but not all of them survive frosts.

Spring ones appear a couple of weeks later, but it is believed that they are stronger and stronger, their root system develops faster and they take root better, grow, gain strength and subsequently survive their first winter. A young chestnut seedling must be fertilized, this will help him grow faster and become stronger.

When planting a tree in a crowded place, at the entrance, in the front garden, do not forget to make a fence for it - the small plant is very fragile and can be easily broken by both people and animals. There is another way to grow chestnuts from walnuts. In the fall, you can place fruits between the roots of a large tree and cover them with fallen leaves. And in early spring, dig up your “treasure”, select a few sprouted nuts and plant them in the place you need.

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How to plant and grow chestnut from a nut?

Stock up on two plastic bags and sand. Fill the bags with sand and wet the sand. The sand should be damp, but not wet. Place chestnut nuts (3-4 pieces) in the sand. Tie the bags tightly and place them in the refrigerator. After 1-2 months, the packages can be obtained. As a rule, during this time the chestnut will germinate.
It often happens that not enough time passes for the sprouted chestnut to be planted in open ground - it is still cold outside. Therefore, we do not pack the bags again, but transplant the chestnut into a pot and grow it at home, as a houseplant. When the weather permits, you will plant the chestnut in open ground.

Caring for planted chestnuts

How to care for sprouted chestnuts at home? Yes, very simple! Chestnut is a wild plant that gets used to absolutely any vagaries of weather.

At home, it is only important to provide the young seedling moderate watering, moderate humidity and good lighting. But while the chestnut is very small, do not place it in open sunny places. Don't do this in the future. Fertilize should be done periodically, alternating inorganic fertilizers with organic ones. It’s good if the pot contains soil taken from the place where you are going to plant the chestnut.
According to summer residents and those who have already grown walnut chestnuts, it is best to plant two-year-old seedlings in open ground. However, if you are sure that your tree is strong and will take root well in the wild, feel free to plant it. It is better to choose a sunny place for planting. There should be no trees within a radius of three meters from the chestnut tree. Chestnut is a depressing plant; no one gets along next to it. Therefore, plan your summer cottage so that the chestnut tree cannot harm the fruit trees. Any soil is suitable for chestnuts, but preference remains for loamy soils containing limestone. Chestnuts should not be fertilized very often. However, there should be enough organic matter and minerals in the soil. Chestnut does not like excessive moisture, so it suffers in rainy years. He doesn't like drought either. During dry summers, water it more often and, if possible, provide a shower.

Already in May, a ripe tree will delight you with unusually beautiful flowering! So don’t hesitate, find chestnut nuts and sprout them! A self-grown chestnut will give you a lot of unforgettable impressions and pleasant emotions!

May is the time of flowering of chestnuts. What could be more beautiful than the white candles of this beautiful tree? And then, in its hedgehog-shaped balls, brown shiny and smooth nuts ripen, from which this miracle grows.

Everyone should plant one tree in their life, and it doesn’t have to be a man. In this way we can contribute to the greening of the earth and the revival of nature. Chestnut requires attention and care, it is not so easy to germinate, but if you have patience and learn some features, growing it will not be difficult. If you decide to plant a chestnut tree, all that remains is to find out how best to germinate it so that it grows into a real beauty and delights everyone around.

Chestnut can be sprouted in several ways: which one to choose depends on where you want the tree to grow and where it will be easier for you to care for it.

For For a faster method, but unfortunately less effective, you will need several large chestnut nuts. It is best to select those that have been lying under the tree for a long time; such chestnuts are best suited for germination. They germinate faster, because they have a thin peel that quickly cracks into 3 parts.
Then choose a place to plant. The soil here should be loam or sand and not too wet - chestnut does not like it when it is damp.
Having chosen a suitable soil and location, dig a hole 5 cm deep and place the chestnut in it. Fill it in and compact it a little on top.
Cover the planting site with leaves that have fallen to the ground.
The chestnut will take root faster if 1 cm of the top layer of soil comes from the place where you collected the chestnuts.

If you decide to give preference to this method of germinating and planting chestnuts, then make sure that rodents do not dig up the chestnuts. To do this, spray the area with a special liquid that repels rodents.

To sprout chestnuts at home, use a medium-sized pot. Add slightly damp sand or sawdust to the loam, which you have previously steamed.
Place the collected chestnuts in the ground to a depth of 4 cm.
Place the pot of soil in the refrigerator or on the balcony for a month to keep it cool.
After this, place the pot on the windowsill, and as soon as the soil begins to dry out, water it.
When the young chestnut tree has its first 2 leaves, transplant it into the garden or a large pot. Replant together with a lump of earth that will protect the tender roots.
If you wish, you can trim the roots, just a little. In general, when transplanting, take care of the seedling; the chestnut is quite sensitive.

Chestnut seeds should not be too dry, otherwise they may not germinate.
For that to make sure chestnut seeds germinate, place them in a container of water. If the nuts float, then they have a minimal chance of germinating. The best chestnut nuts to plant are those that have sunk.

If you want to plant several chestnuts, remember that a large tree needs about 5 m of area around it. This will allow the tree to form a beautiful spreading crown.
It is best to choose a sunny place, but the tree will also tolerate partial shade.
Choose a place for germinating chestnuts that is protected from the wind. The trees themselves need to be fertilized once every 3 years, and do not forget to water them on time.
If you want to grow chestnuts that will be edible, after the chestnut has matured, it must be grafted.
In the 7th year after planting, chestnuts begin to bloom.

How to germinate chestnuts in the garden?

Carefully choose the future location for the chestnut tree. At the end of autumn, decide where a mature tree will look best. In order for the chestnut to germinate, it must be kept in the cold for 2 months.

First in the shape of a cube dig a hole 60 cm square. Then mix the earth with half a kilo of dolomite flour and humus. After preparing the substrate, make the edges of the hole 5 cm higher. Place a little sand and sawdust on the bottom. Place the chestnut nut in the hole. Sprinkle with soil, leaves and sawdust, press the soil lightly. Or you can wrap the nut in cheesecloth soaked in water and put it in the refrigerator, where it will sprout. After this, you can plant the sprouted chestnut in the hole prepared as described above.

To germinate chestnuts using the traditional method, select large chestnuts, prepare half a kilogram of sand and several plastic bags.
It is best to pick chestnuts under trees in the fall. They must be whole and undamaged.
Place sand in a double bag and pour water over it until it is damp. Now put the chestnuts in there and tie the bag tightly. This will prevent moisture from evaporating.

Then place the bag of chestnuts in the refrigerator for 3 months. After 2 months, see if the chestnut has sprouted. If necessary, add a little more water to make the sand moist again.
As soon as the chestnut sprouts, if it is still cold outside, plant it in a pot. Opt for a plastic pot: when the time comes for replanting, you can simply cut it and remove it without damaging the roots.
Place drainage in the form of small pebbles at the bottom of the pot. Place some soil, place the chestnuts and gently cover with soil.

Chestnuts in bloom - it’s hard to find a more beautiful sight in spring. Snow-white candles, patterned green leaves, everything creates a feeling of warmth. And the brown chestnut nuts that fall in the fall, attracted by their brown skin, just beg to be picked up and planted.

I have always believed that every person should plant at least one tree in their life. I decided not just to plant, but to initially germinate the chestnut tree, which in principle turned out to be quite simple.

For germination we need:

Several chestnuts;
- several dense bags;
- about half a kilogram of sand.

So:

1. First you need to collect several chestnuts so that everything will definitely work out; it is clear that this is done in the fall, just when the chestnut flowers turn into fruits. It is necessary to collect only whole chestnuts, preferably from the ground, so they will definitely be intact both inside and outside.

2. Now we pour sand into a double bag, add water in such an amount that the sand is wet, but nothing more. We put the chestnuts in a bag and tie it very tightly so that the moisture does not evaporate. Next, place the bag of chestnuts in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.

3. It is best to check after 2 months whether your chestnut has sprouted. I got such a miracle of nature :-). Now all that remains is to plant it in a pot if it is not yet warm enough. To do this, it is best to take a plastic pot, then it will be easier to replant. We fill the bottom with drainage and some soil, put the sprout in the pot and carefully dig in.

4. That's all, there is one tree, keep up the good work!)))

From personal experience:

It is better to plant the chestnut as soon as spring warming arrives, otherwise it will not survive in your pot for long.

In the article we discuss how to grow horse chestnut, its varieties, methods of care and reproduction in temperate and cold climates. You will learn how to plant a tree with seeds and seedlings, how to trim young shoots and prepare the plant for winter.

Horse chestnut can be planted in a summer cottage. This tree is easy to care for. It grows quickly, reaching a length of 15−25 m. The wide spreading crown, on which flowers in the form of candles are visible once a year for 2 weeks, turns the tree into a beautiful giant, decorating parks, squares, personal plots and purifying dozens of cubic meters of air from harmful impurities and heavy metal particles.

At the end of October - beginning of November, fruits ripen on it, covered with a peel with thorns, inside of which nuts are hidden. Edible chestnut species produce a crop that can be eaten. Horse chestnut is not one of them. Its fruits contain a bitter component that makes the nuts unsuitable for nutrition. But pets willingly eat them.

Planting and caring for horse chestnut occurs from early spring to late autumn. In winter, the tree sleeps, and in the spring it produces young shoots, from which a crown emerges. Depending on the height of the trunk required (trunk from the root collar to the branches of the lower tier), the first order branches are pruned.

Varieties and varieties of horse chestnut

A mature horse chestnut can reach a height of 30 m. The tree lives up to 300 years. Chestnut, which grows up to 25 meters, is a deciduous tree species. In total, 28 species of horse chestnut are known, 13 of which grow in Russia. Common types:

Californian;
yellow;
red;
meat-red;
Indian.

Depending on the variety of horse chestnut, white, pink or red flowers bloom on it once a year for 2 weeks.

How to grow chestnuts at home

For seed germination and full development of horse chestnut seedlings, special conditions must be created. If you do everything correctly, the tree will bloom at home, and you won’t have to wonder how to grow horse chestnut in your garden or in the house.

Selecting a location

Please note that horse chestnut should be planted in a free and well-lit area. Do not plant garden crops within a radius of 5-6 meters from the tree. The powerful root system of the chestnut tree is 6-7 meters long, so other plants will not have enough nutrients.

The tree needs sunlight, but if you plant it in a shaded area, this is not critical. Horse chestnut gives the landscape a special color and beauty - on hot days, the shade under its crown will be a reliable refuge from the scorching rays, and at the end of summer this place will become a blooming oasis.

Which nut to choose for planting

Growing horse chestnut depends on the quality of the seeds you take for planting. In autumn, when the nuts begin to fall from the tree, collect them from the ground and carefully examine them. Select undamaged, whole fruits and prepare them for stratification. It will take from 2 to 5 months to harden the seeds. If you collect nuts in the fall, you can plant them in the spring. Pour wet sand into a wooden container and place the seeds there. Place the box in the basement or other cool place.

When to plant horse chestnut with this method of stratification? Seeds are planted in spring after soaking them for 7 days in warm water. During this time they sprout.

You can prepare the seeds for planting in another way: collect the nuts in the fall and place them between the roots of the tree. Fill it with fallen leaves, tamp it down and leave the nuts to “overwinter” until spring. When the snow melts, clean the fruits from dirt and plant particles and place the nuts in warm water for 5-7 days.

Before growing horse chestnut, make sure the seeds are not dry. Fruits that have no moisture left will not sprout.

What if you need to plant horse chestnut urgently, and there is no way to wait for the long winter months? Reduce the stratification period: mix the nuts with wet sand or sawdust and put them in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Then repeat the procedure with warm water so that the fruits sprout.

Growing from seeds in the garden

Chestnut is planted with seeds or seedlings. In black soil or loamy soil, the seeds feel “comfortable”. If sandy soil doesn't have clay, add some. If the soil is clayey or heavy, mix it with sand. In loose, fertile black soil, gardeners plant vegetables and berry bushes. In October the beds are already empty. Use this soil for growing seedlings in beds or for winter stratification.

Scatter nuts over the surface of the black soil, press them into the ground 7-10 cm. If you dig them up when the snow melts, soak them in warm water for 1 week before planting. By leaving them in the garden bed, you will be pleasantly surprised that some of the seeds will sprout without soaking. Select strong seedlings and plant them in separate areas of the dacha.

Planting seedlings

How to plant horse chestnut seedlings? To do this, follow these steps:

Dig a hole with sides 50-60 cm.
Fill the bottom with a layer of sand 10-15 cm, spread a layer of crushed stone or gravel 10 cm high on top. Excess moisture will go into the ground, and the roots will not rot if there is excess moisture.
Having provided drainage, place the seedling in the hole and fill the hole with soil so that the root neck of the tree rises 5-10 cm above the ground surface. Then the soil will settle and the underground part of the plant will be at the required depth.
Strengthen the seedling on all sides with supports. When a strong wind blows, he will stand thanks to their support.

How to plant horse chestnut seedlings in soil with a high level of acidity? Pour 150−200 g of lime into the hole. Fertilize the soil that you will fill in the hole with sod and compost.

Horse chestnut care

Young seedlings just starting to sprout side shoots may die if they are not cared for. Make sure that the tree receives a sufficient amount of nutrients and moisture and is at least 4 meters away from other seedlings if you decide to make a whole alley of chestnuts.

Watering

When transplanting horse chestnut into the soil on the site, water the seedlings every day in the evening at sunset or after sunset. Young trees need moisture constantly, but they should not be overfilled with water. With proper care, rapid development of the root system occurs.

Knowing how to grow horse chestnut from seedlings, make sure that the soil does not dry out and is always slightly moist.

Top dressing

When watering, add 1 kg of compost and 15 g of uric acid per 10 liters of water. If the soil is very depleted, add humus to it when planting. In autumn, use the following composition to feed chestnut: 15 g of nitroammophos, dissolved in 10 liters of water. Water the chestnut tree regularly for the first 3-5 years. Mature trees store a sufficient amount of moisture in their roots - they only need watering on dry days.

Preparing for winter

Trim excess side shoots from a tree if its crown has become thick and bushy over the summer. Prepare burlap, wrap it around a chestnut trunk, and secure with twine. Cover the roots of the tree with a thick layer of fallen leaves.

If the tree bark cracks during winter frosts, treat the cracks with lime and garden varnish. How does horse chestnut grow in winter? During these months he sleeps and hardly grows. But with the onset of heat it grows 2-3 times faster.

Trimming

When the tree is still young and sends out many side shoots, remove excess branches of the first order to form a crown of the desired shape and density. Leave the top shoots as is. Shorten the lower side branches by half in the autumn, and remove them in the spring, depending on what kind of stem you want - high or low.

In the spring, inspect the tree and cut off any dried branches. For seedlings 2-3 years old, leave 5-6 shoots. This amount is enough for the appearance of a lush, beautiful crown in the future.

Transplanting horse chestnut

Planting and caring for the horse chestnut tree in the photo occurs first at home. You can follow the same procedure:

Plant the seeds in containers after making a drainage layer.
When the tree begins to take root, carefully remove it from the soil.
Trim them horizontally.
Plant the seedlings in a larger container.
When the trees begin to grow again, transplant them to the site along with a lump of earth from the container.

For more information about transplanting horse chestnut to a new location, watch the video:

Diseases and pests

The main enemies of horse chestnut are powdery mildew, leafminer moths and wood mites. When attacked by the chestnut moth, the foliage darkens and falls off in the summer. In winter, the tree may die. To combat this pest, use the drug Lufox 105 EC. Burn the fallen leaves - moth larvae remain in them.

When affected by powdery mildew, a grayish-white coating appears on the leaves. The leaves turn yellow or have dark brown spots on them. The crown disappears on the tree. Use fungicides against powdery mildew. To prevent wood mites from appearing on the tree, treat the chestnut every 2 weeks with karbofos or fitover.

What to remember

Horse chestnut is undemanding to conditions, but it needs wide space, good lighting and moderate watering.
Seeds must be stratified.
By trimming the roots of young trees, the growth of horse chestnut can be regulated.
The crown is formed in the first years of the tree's life.

Chestnut is an ornamental plant. Thanks to its lush crown, this tree helps people hide from the scorching sun on hot days. Many are attracted by their amazing appearance and fruits; the question even arises: how to grow chestnuts from walnuts at home and whether it is possible.

Chestnut can be grown from a nut

Growing chestnuts from nuts is very popular. This is the most common method of planting chestnuts used by gardeners. Therefore, if you decide to get such a tree at home, then you should know how to plant a walnut chestnut tree correctly.

Preparing a nut for planting

Before preparing a chestnut fruit for planting, it is necessary to select it correctly. This should be done in the fall, when the crop ripens. Only those fruits that do not have mechanical damage and are not affected by pests are selected.

There are two types of landing:

in open ground;
at home.

Chestnuts are planted in open ground both in spring and autumn. Most gardeners plant fruits in the fall, so it is recommended to pre-treat them. This procedure is called stratification: the nuts are kept in a cold place for two weeks. The temperature should not exceed 5 °C.

After stratification, the fruits are planted in the ground. Chestnut seeds are planted to a depth of no more than 6 cm. During this period, the seeds need to be watered abundantly.

In the spring, it is necessary to place the seeds in a cold place, but only for five days, and then immerse the fruits in warm water for the same period. After the nuts have swelled, they are planted in the ground in fairly warm weather.

Planting a nut at home is easy. First, you need to select chestnuts suitable for this in the fall and store them until the temperature outside rises above 0 °C.

Only sprouted chestnuts should be planted in a pot.

As soon as the outside temperature drops below zero, the seeds should be placed in a box and sprinkled with damp sand. After the nuts have swelled, you can plant them in open ground. But it is worth remembering that several leaves should already form on the fruits.

Many gardeners grow not only chestnuts, but also hazelnuts in this way. Most often, these nuts are planted in the country house or garden. But those who have been breeding such trees for several years recommend keeping young seedlings in the house for several years and caring for them like houseplants.

Planting sprouted chestnut seeds

The chestnut tree should not be exposed to direct sunlight, but the tree should be placed in a bright place. Other plants should be at least three meters away. Chestnut loves loamy soil, which contains lime. If you don’t have such soil, you can make it by mixing clay, sand and lime with the existing soil.

For planting, a hole is prepared, the depth of which is determined by the size of the roots of the seedling: it should be slightly larger. The sprouted nut moves into the hole along with the soil. The plant is covered with soil, peat and humus from above. In such conditions, chestnut grows very well.

Chestnut seedling prefers bright places

Young tree care

Almost everyone now knows how to grow a chestnut from a nut. After planting, the plant needs care. First you need to protect the crop using special tape or slate. In case of strong wind, tie the plant to some kind of support; this will keep the tree intact.

A chestnut from a nut grows slower than a chestnut from a seedling. In the second year after planting, the plant reaches 25 cm in height, and with proper care, by the fifth year of life the tree grows up to 1.5 meters.

The most important thing in the first year is watering. A young chestnut loves water very much; an adult tree needs less watering. After each watering, the soil around the crop must be loosened so that oxygen enters the root system. The plant requires feeding for good growth and quality fruits.

In the spring, fertilizing is carried out using urea. But in the fall they use nitroammophoska. Organic fertilizers must be applied. With the arrival of autumn, the chestnut is prepared for wintering, covered with humus and dry leaves.

When three years have passed since the chestnut planting, the crown begins to form. The first pruning is carried out in the spring. During this period, the tree needs to be trimmed to ¼ of its height. Only those branches that grow in the center are shortened, and the rest are slightly cut off. In subsequent years, it is necessary to carry out such pruning regularly until a mature tree has formed.

Walnut chestnut grows quite slowly

Pests and diseases of chestnut

Young trees are at risk of disease infection or pest attack. Even with proper care, pests can appear.

Most often chestnut is affected by:

mite;
mole;
powdery mildew.

It is necessary to carry out disease prevention and pest control. Prophylaxis is carried out twice a month. It is advisable to have special preparations constantly on hand in order to help a diseased tree immediately, having first established the cause of the disease.

There are special means to control pests. In the store you can find toxic and non-toxic drugs. Experienced gardeners recommend using non-toxic ones. They are safer for the plant and will not harm the bees. All pests must be eliminated immediately to save the tree.