How to Germinate Chinese Chestnuts

Chinese chestnut is the common name for Castanea mollissima, a deciduous species of tree native to temperate areas of northeastern China. It's sometimes cultivated as a shade tree for its broad, spreading crown of leaves, which are ovate in shape with lightly toothed edges. Chinese chestnuts produce a crop of large, spiny fruit in summer, each of which contains two light-brown nuts that can be germinated and used to grow new trees. Germinating Chinese chestnuts takes little effort since they sprout effortlessly if planted when fresh, but the seeds must be protected from foraging animals during the winter.

Flathead screwdriver
1-gallon nursery container
Loam
Coarse sand
Cold frame
Wire mesh

Instructions

- 1
  Collect fruit from a mature Chinese chestnut tree in autumn once the spiny green hulls split open. Pry off the hull using the tip of a flathead screwdriver.
- 2
  Fill 1-gallon nursery containers with a soil mixture of four parts loam to one part coarse sand. Fill the containers to within 2 inches of the top.
- 3
  Sow one Chinese chestnut tree inside each container. Sow the seeds at a depth equal to two times the diameter of the seeds, which is approximately 3 inches.
- 4
  Pour water into each container until the top 4 inches of soil are wet. Maintain light to moderate moisture at a 4-inch depth for the duration of germination.
- 5
  Place the nursery containers inside a cold frame with a secure door, or cover them with wire mesh and place them outdoors in a partially shaded spot.
- 6
  Watch for germination in the spring, six to eight weeks after daytime temperatures reach 70 F. Move the Chinese chestnut seedlings to a warm spot with filtered sunlight after they sprout.
- 7
  Transplant the Chinese chestnut seedlings into a large, sunny bed with slightly acidic soil once they grow to 6 inches in height. Spread a 2-inch-thick layer of mulch around the seedlings to protect their roots during the winter.

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