Growing your own chestnuts is a lengthy but doable task. As a plant lover, you will certainly enjoy watching the little tree grow in a special way. However, you have to wait 15 to 30 years for the harvest.

Sweet chestnuts are quite easy to grow yourself

How do I grow my sweet chestnuts myself?

You can grow a sweet chestnut yourself from seeds or cuttings. Both methods are quite easy to implement. However, only one cutting guarantees varietal purity. Avoid excessive moisture in the substrate both when sowing and when setting cuttings. The sweet chestnut reacts very sensitively to this, even as an adult tree.

The sowing of the chestnut

The seeds must be sufficiently moist for sowing. It is therefore advisable to soak the chestnuts for about one to two days after storage. The seeds are placed about one centimeter deep in nutrient-poor substrate and then kept only slightly moist. When wet, successful germination is difficult.

Cuttings from the sweet chestnut

For cuttings, use freshly cut shoots with three to four dormant eyes. The shoot is cut diagonally at the lower end, while the shoot tip is cut straight and then placed in a mixture of sand and peat. If the moisture is evenly distributed, rooting should take place fairly quickly. If the first leaves appear next spring, you can assume that the roots are developing well.

How to deal with the young tree?

After about a year, it's time to repot the seedling. The soil should be slightly acidic, as chestnuts do not tolerate lime very well. Be sure to protect the young plant from frost in the first year. Also think about possible late frosts. The little sweet chestnut likes to spend its first summer outside in the garden, but in a sheltered place.

The essentials in brief:

  • Sow fresh seeds immediately
  • Soak dried seeds before sowing
  • nutrient-poor substrate
  • keep slightly moist
  • Cut the cuttings at an angle
  • at least 3 to 4 sleeping eyes per cutting
  • avoid excessive moisture
  • repot at about 1 year
  • Protect young trees from frost

tips

If you want to grow a specific variety of chestnut, use cuttings. Seeds do not provide varietal purity.

Category:

Trees