Chestnut Trees
My neighbor once again this year generously offered us chestnuts from his tree. We enjoyed them thoroughly last year, with our favorite use in a fabulous lentil chestnut soup. We made it for Christmas Day and are looking forward to it again this year.
We didn’t have chestnuts around Ohio where I lived before moving here, so last year was the first time we’d experienced them other than from a pushcart of roasted chestnuts at Christmas. They’re tricky to get out of the shell, but well worth the effort.
My neighbor mentioned that his tree isn’t producing as well this year as previous years and that the nuts don’t seem as large. The only guidance I’ve found suggests that frequent, heavy rains during the time the female flowers are awaiting pollen usually results in poor pollination.
Does anyone else have any experience or guidance to give?
BTW, they continue to have good experiences with crossing a small amount of Chinese chestnut DNA with American chestnut DNA to produce an American chestnut that’s blight resistant. Many people involved in research believe that the American chestnut can one day populate this area again.
October 4, 2012 - 6:04 PM
You could contact the American Chestnut Foundation–they have a farm in Meadowview/Washington County. Website: act.org/meadowviee.php.
The Garden Club and Roanoke Parks and Recreation recently reintroduced five American Chestnut trees in Mill Mountain Park that are blight resistant, just outside Discovery Center. There’s also an interpretive panel there that gives more information.
This tree is a Chinese chestnut and is definitely not suffering from blight. I was just wondering if anyone else had experience this year with chestnuts not performing as well as last year.
Several chesnuts here on da Knob and they aren’t loaded as heavy and aren’t dropping as early. Same for a nest of pecan trees I rouge each year. They are scarce. Chinkypins were almost non existant and never found any hazel nuts in usual locations. Def a link somewhere
I would like to know where chinkapins are available. . . .several years ago, you could purchase them by the cup at some local stores. . .any ideas where today??
WD, my chinquapins have about the usual number of burrs but it has been several years since I beat the critters to any. Did you plant the pecans? I’ve seen hardy varieties advertised but don’t know how they’d do here (elevation 2700+). I also have a couple of Chinese chestnuts but am considering cutting them. Karen’s tip in an earlier article about removing apple trees from her yard that were attracting deer made sense.
DR, the pecans are in the city and huge and more or less in a grove. I didn’t plant them. All I know of are in the city or lower elevations like Bedford/Roanoke county area.Years ago, we would go to a farm in Floyd Co. and pick chinkypins by the bagfull. Haven’t been there in years. They were thick around a pasture field. Don’t know whether the pecans are hardy enough to stand your weather or not but will do some checking.
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