Proof That Chestnuts Can Be Grown In Pots Without Going Through Stratification
Five months ago, I conducted and experiment about growing chestnuts my way. You can read about it in this post. How are they now?
Chestnuts are supposed to be grown by letting them go through stratification so they say but I have learned from my grandparents that the best way to grow any seed is to plant them right after you eat or harvested them. That's exactly what I did here.
I found these on this hotel's parking space, took them home, peeled them up and planted them right away. If I follow the stratification method it would take quite some time and I will have to put them peel and all in the fridge. As you can see, one of them is even wrinkled so had I done that it would have grown mildew.
I let them grow outside and had no results - two months should have been enough but it was winter and we had a cold age effect so after nearly three months, I checked them out in the pots and saw they're actually growing. As you can see, their main seed coat is still on the cotyledons but they're rooting.
I transplanted them in a pot of loam soil and covered its top with sand so flies won't manage to hatch from however many eggs there are in the loam soil. I placed the pot on top of the heating in the kitchen, watered every 4 days and after 10 days - probably at dawn - a baby chestnut plant broke through the sand. I took this picture on the 11th day.
Two days later, there were two and they're growing faster. I've always used the teaspoon on the picture to check the rate of their growth.
Fifteen days later they've doubled in height.
Fifteen days more and here they are now. Very bushy and ready for transplanting in individual pots. I haven't decided which part of the backyard they should be and hub really isn't a fan of having them so for now they'll stay in separate pots till I get him convinced to let go of the conifers on the fence next to the parking lot and grow these two as thick bushes there and some bananas instead. Besides, those conifers don't really give us much.
I promised to post the result of this experiment but I kept forgetting. Anyway, to conclude, it's possible to grow chestnuts in pots without letting it go through stratification. I actually think that their leaves are these healthy because they were grown indoors and are not prone to scorching from the sun. They are pretty sensitive so I will have to find a shady part in the garden to place them later.
Have you ever grown chestnuts from seeds?
How did you do it? Please share below.
I took some of the pictures with my Samsung Galaxy A3 2016 .
You don't really expect me to put sources do you? This is a result of my very own experiment.
Here you can find how to grow chestnuts from seed different to how I did it.
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Here are my other gardening articles:
Aid in Identifying Flower Buds From Leaf Buds of Your Fruiting Trees
A Chart of Plants That Are Compatible or Can Be Planted Next to Each Other
Ooopssss .. I Planted the Onions Close to the Radishes ! (panic)
Where Would Avocado Seeds Germinate Faster - in Soil or in Water?
An Open Notes Gardening Quiz on Some Flowers That Look Alike
Grow Your Own Tropical Mangoes in Western Europe and Other Countries with Hard Winters
How and Which Tropical Plants Can You Actually Grow in Cold Countries
My Log in Growing My Own Moringa Plant Indoors in A Cold Country, Half a Year Later
Gardening Hacks : On Planting Tomatoes and Other Nightshade Plants
Follow My Experiment Log on Planting Chestnuts and Walnuts From Seeds
- Flowers That Are Still In Bloom in Late Autumn, 2016
- Firethorns in Autumn
- Mispel or The Medlar Fruit
Hi dear @englishtchrivy. Very funny and you are a much too tricky lady for a lot of Steemians. I never saw them growing „bushy“. Chestnuts have very less branches in the begin of growing, because they are real big trees in the end. So the branches will come later on. I understand the feelings of Bud because they grow big and make a lot of dirt in autumn and their roots will lift his car during the night, if he don't pay attention.
BUT!
If you would have grown up a edible nut of Castanea sativa, in autumn it would be like to have a treasure!
My first question: what is the purpose of this funny spoon? An earthwire?
BUT!
I bet you know it anyway!!! It is not a chestnut at all, what you are growing. It is an Avocado. And I give you fully respect, because it is not easy to bring them to germinate. You never did it by just laying down the nut on soil. You have to hang them close above water, hoping for weeks before they wrinkle and you have to start a new experiment. They doesn't grow up very often and now you are a lucky one, again. Mining bees, an avocado, you are born under a unusually star, maybe. What will come next? Magic beans?
@afrog hi, unfortunately it really is chestnut - they really are chestnuts. I won't bury my avocado this way as you can see in this post those are my avocado seeds and they also don't have the same shape :D
am certain they are chestnuts because I actually harvested them and picked them up as I mentioned on this post that shows where this experiment all started.
As for the spoon - it's supposed to be a spoon to stir coffee or take honey for tea but I have quite a lot of them so I decided to use them to measure the height.
As for the chestnut - my hubby doesn't have to worry about it growing roots that could uproot the house or fall on the garden as I plan to bonsai it for 8 years first. It would take it 10 years at least to get it to flower. By that time, I probably have already managed to design its branches and trained it enough that it will understand that its not allowed to grow so huge like I did with my apple mango - it hasn't grown too tall despite that its already 4 years old - oh almost 5 as you can see in this post
as for magic beans - not a fan of eating beans cause like potatoes they make me fart a lot hahahaha
Yes, unfortunally. Excuse me for suspicion. I never noticed chestnuts have such leaves with only one part. I thought they must have five parts like the horse chestnut tree. I'm really blind! We go every autumn to a secret place to gather them. Never realized they have only one parted leaves.
Magic beans are not for eating at all, @englistchrivy. You put them into soil and they are growing up in the sky.
Anyway, have fun with your new bonsai–students.
@afrog no worries I know you mean well :D
you know we actually eat and boil horse chestnuts in Asia. We got them from China - we just boil them and they taste a bit like sweet potatoes but here I couldn't dare pick up horse chestnuts in the church I featured here because people automatically say they don't eat those.
Next year I pay that church a visit I won't care anymore. I'm going to collect them and make a pie out of them or a horse chestnut cake :D
as for magic beans - I've met the giant he said they broke the code so those beans won't be growing anymore hahaha :D
Nature keeps me amazed. Plants can do tricks we can not. And you have the magical green fingers to make it happen.
I read and hopefully even learn something in the proces.
@oaldamster oh .. my bestie!
Thank you for reading! Mousy quiet since the comments don't get paid anymore. I appreciate it a lot!
It is my pleasure @englishtchrivy!
Comments do get payed though. Maybe because the new reward pool it is too low right now. But it will pick up in height the next few weeks.
Hope the replies will get going shortly Ivy!
@oaldasmter I see
I hope so too - it's a bore - feel like walking on ghost town
where's everyone?
Have no clue, it will pick up again in time Ivy.
Aw wow, that's a really good tip with the sand! I usually microwave my soil to kill eggs but it does smell a bit. Same on top would be so much better!
@meesterboom thank you - microwave? that's new too!
but I have always used sand and so far it hasn't failed me except when I accidentally overwatered the pot then the sand gets shoved to the side and the soil mixes with it which happens too hihih -
I will remember the watering thing. And yeah, you can blast soil in the microwave for two minutes to kill off fly eggs. Works a charm!
I'm always fascinating to see plants that grow up! I think It's magical! I don't have the green fingers, so I really appreciate to read and watch about the gardening ! Thanks for share this beauty!
@silviabeneforti thank you for reading .
I think I've just acquired my green fingers too so there's always hope.
Cheers!
Good to know! :D At the moment, I have my old plum tree full of small fruits, maybe in the future I'll try to grow a chestnut from seed ^_^
I wish you good luck!
It's really good posting.
First of all, let's say what I enjoyed watching your post.
How did you think of growing a pretty tree that grows from seeds?
It seems to be good with such a delicate hand.
is.
And the spoon that you put in order to see the growth is very cute ^^
Ah good, you can post me some of your homegrown chestnuts when they're ready :-) Lovely!
This is wonder-full!! Thank you for sharing :)
Right now I am growing some Sequoia from seed <3 None have sprouted yet..but when they do..I will share pictures!
Bright Blessings and thank you for confirming something my intuition had been telling me about the cold stratification process <3