Transplanting Horsechestnut

[Ralph Slate]

I'm on a quest to grow a horsechestnut tree to replace one that is on my property and will eventually have to be cut down. My existing horsechestnut does not drop nuts, leading me to believe it is of the baumannii (seedless) variety. I've tried to find a local nursery that can get a baumannii horsechestnut, but no one has been able to find one.

I have a lot of questions here, and if someone knows of a book that can answer them, a pointer would do the trick. Or if you have personal knowledge that you'd like to convey, that would be greatly welcomed.

I gathered some seeds from another tree last fall while in Rhode Island, and followed instructions I found on a website to prepare them -- I soaked them in water for 24 hours, then planted them outside in a mixture of peat moss and dirt, covering the spot with wire mesh so that squirrels wouldn't get at them.

In early April, I opened up the earth and several of the nuts had sprouted. I took 3 of them and planted them in potting soil inside the house (to protect them from squirrels and the frosts).

After about a week 2 of the 3 of the seeds have thrived; I now have 2 1-foot tall horsechestnut seedlings, and they are now both sprouting leaves at the tip. I'm amazed at how fast they've grown! I have one in a cut 1/2 gallon milk carton, and the other in a regular flower pot (allegedly the milk carton allows the roots to grow deeper).

My questions are:

- At what point should I plant these outside? They are curving towards the sunlight coming in through the window, and I have to believe that a bent stalk can't be a good thing. I'm thinking that they should go outside in the next few days.

- When I do plant them outside, what should I do to minimize the shock to these seedlings? How should I prepare the soil, etc.

- I would like to plant these trees in a "holding area", for future permanent transplanting probably next year. Is there anything I should do to make that process easier, particularly with the roots?

- What kind of protection should I give these plants when I initially plant them? We have deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc. I'm thinking of some kind of wire mesh enclosure.

- What kind of care will these seedlings require once they are outside? How often should they be watered? I've read not to fertilize until the fall, but outside of that advice I have no idea how to care for these trees.

To get a feel for the climate, I live in Massachusetts.

My eventual goal is to graft a cutting from my existing horsechestnut onto these stalks once they get big enough (I figure next year), thereby reproducing my baumannii horsechestnut. Of course, I have the only horsechestnut around, so my existing tree may just be a regular horsechestnut that doesn't drop nuts because it isn't being pollinated from other horsechestnuts, so we'll see what happens when these new trees start flowering.

Thanks,

Ralph Slate
Springfield, MA

 

[Jay Banks]

Ralph,
I think you max'd the length of text for this forum.

Here's my two cents.

Two years ago I found a red Buckeye, same family, smaller tree. I gathered the nuts/seeds in the fall (with permission from the owner). Next I cut a 1/4 inch square in the shell, careful not to cut into the "meat" of the nut. Planted in pots with regular garden soil.

Come winter I place the whole pot in the ground and cover with leaves. In the spring I increase the pot size. I now have two two foot red Buckeye ready for planting.

I will set them out in well turned soil and ring them with a 4' high fence until they reach several feet tall.

While in the pot stage you need to water almost daily if you don't get rain. And keep them outdoors. Mine are in the basement right now because I just moved ( I needed more room to grow trees).

I have used the above techniques on yellow buckeye as well. I cut the shell, pot them up, over winter in the ground and use them for my talks with kids. They can see the big nut/seed and I knock out the soil so the can see how it sprouts. They love it.