11 of the Best Chestnut Varieties to Grow at Home

Chestnut timber as soon as thrived within the majority of the forests in japanese North America.

They are often towering shade timber, flowering shrubs, or petite food-producing timber, relying on the variability you select.

Earlier than you plant a chestnut tree, there are a number of elements you want to remember. In fact, your USDA Hardiness Zone will dictate which selection you may develop. Dimension may even be an enormous issue.

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On high of that, whereas chestnuts aren’t notably liable to pests, there are a number of ailments that may be an enormous drawback, together with the notorious blight.

If blight is an issue in your space, you’ll wish to concentrate on selecting from a number of resistant species.

Our information to rising chestnuts discusses methods to domesticate species within the Castanea genus in your panorama.

On this information, we’ll speak about all probably the most glorious cultivars, hybrids, and species for dwelling growers. Right here’s the lineup:

Chestnuts are an necessary a part of human historical past, showing in fossil information and lore going again centuries.

Throughout the Castanea genus there are 13 species, 4 of that are generally cultivated for meals and wooden, together with many hybrids.

Hybrids might be created by means of intentional breeding or they’ll occur naturally. The truth is, a few of the greatest hybrids presently in cultivation have been naturally-occurring.

There are over 1300 cultivars and new ones popping up on a regular basis. For probably the most half, chestnuts are hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9, however we’ll level out the place this isn’t the case.

Be aware that you simply received’t see horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum) on this checklist.

These timber aren’t even shut kinfolk of these within the Castanea genus. Buckeyes, as they’re additionally recognized, are within the lychee and soapnut household, Sapindaceae, and whereas the spiky capsules look just like these of chestnuts, they aren’t edible.

Chestnuts within the Castanea genus are monecious, which implies that the male reproductive components (the catkins) and the feminine components (flowers) seem on the identical tree.

Which means that the pollen from a single specimen can pollinate itself and likewise different timber within the neighborhood. So in concept, you solely want one tree to provide nuts.

Nevertheless, it typically occurs that on the time the pollen is being produced, the flowers on the identical tree aren’t but mature sufficient to be pollinated. Because of this, many growers typically preserve two totally different timber, to facilitate pollination of each.

Moreover, some cultivars aren’t self-fertile, so it’s a good suggestion to examine earlier than buy.

Let’s begin our journey by discussing the American species and one of many saddest and most devastating ecological disasters in North American historical past.

1. American

Chestnuts have grown in North America for over 50 million years and C. dentata was as soon as one of many dominant species within the forests from Maine to Florida.

They’ll develop over 100 ft tall with trunks that measure 12 ft or extra in diameter.

Wildlife as diversified as bear, deer, squirrels, turkeys, and the extinct woodrat relied on them for meals and habitat.

As people unfold throughout their vary, they started to depend on the nuts, as properly. Later, with the arrival of Europeans, the wooden turned necessary and was used to make furnishings and constructing constructions.

After which chestnut blight arrived. Attributable to the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, the illness arrived in New York Metropolis from Japan in 1904 and rapidly killed nearly all the wild chestnut timber in japanese North America.

By the Nineteen Fifties, over 30 million acres of timber had been fully worn out by the illness, which girdles the trunk at its base.

It’s laborious to think about, however the japanese forests used to look vastly totally different only a few generations in the past than they do at the moment. It was one of many worst ecological disasters in North American historical past.

The chestnut meals business was additionally worn out and at the moment, many North People don’t know what contemporary American chestnuts style like.

You should purchase imported sorts, which have a distinct taste from American ones, and, hardly ever, you would possibly discover locally-grown fruits from new American hybrids or one of many few surviving timber.

That’s proper. A number of current timber survived the blight of their unique vary and there are some rising outdoors of their unique vary, so all isn’t misplaced for the American species.

Scientists are working to breed genetically modified timber which might be immune to the illness to be planted within the wild to repopulate the decimated areas.

There’s additionally work to cross breed Chinese language species with American species to provide a resistant hybrid that’s genetically primarily American however with the blight resistance of the Chinese language species. Time will inform what turns into of those efforts.

Because the blight kills the trunk and cover however not the roots, some century-old roots nonetheless survive and often ship up shoots.

However these shoots inevitably turn into contaminated with the illness and the trunks turn into girdled earlier than they attain maturity.

Some gardeners plant the species and luxuriate in it for a number of years realizing that it’ll ultimately succumb to the illness.

American chestnuts produce eight-inch catkins in white or cream, and the nuts are small, with about 75 to150 nuts per pound, however intensely flavorful, candy, and straightforward to peel.

The timber are extremely productive by the point they attain eight years outdated or so, however will produce a smaller yield earlier than that.

Many individuals take into account American nuts to be the very best tasting, which makes it much more of a disgrace that they’re so troublesome to search out.

American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)

You should purchase this species at Nature Hills Nursery. Simply remember that these timber aren’t proof against blight and also you run the chance of dropping yours, notably for those who stay in japanese North America.

In case your tree does present resistance, make sure you let your native extension know. They could wish to add the tree to their breeding program.

2. American Hybrids

Wild chestnut timber hybridize with each other, and there are a number of pure hybrids which have been introduced into cultivation. The chinknut, C. × neglecta, is one instance.

However people have helped the method alongside, as properly. Plant breeders have crossed quite a few species with the aim of making a hybrid that mixes the very best traits of our favourite timber.

Typically you will notice a plant listed as a generic “hybrid” chestnut. These are often a cross between American (C. dentata) and Chinese language (C. mollissima) timber.

Many native breeders and universities make their very own American/Chinese language hybrids, so there isn’t a set customary throughout the board. Some will develop as much as 100 ft tall, whereas others keep underneath 30 ft.

Some produce heaps of small nuts, with round 100 nuts per pound and others have fewer however bigger fruits, as much as 20 per pound. Relying on the hybrid, the catkins could also be white or yellow and as much as 9 inches lengthy.

American Hybrid Chestnut

Be sure you learn the grower’s description to grasp what the traits are of the tree you might be buying.

For instance, Nature Hills Nursery has a hybrid that grows as much as 60 ft tall.

3. Belle Epine

‘Belle Epine’ is in style as a pollinator and resists root rot so it could tolerate heavier soils than most different chestnuts.

This European (C. sativa) cultivar comes from France and the nuts ripen later within the season than most different chestnuts.

Not solely does it produce flavorful nuts, nevertheless it’s partially self-fertile. The nuts are medium to giant in measurement, at 22 per pound and straightforward to peel.

In the event you like having a show bowl of nuts in your kitchen or as a centerpiece, the shiny, mahogany pores and skin is extraordinarily enticing.

The catkins are gracefully arching with cream-colored flowers, and the timber can develop as much as 100 ft tall.

‘Belle Epine’ begins producing good sized yields in simply three years or so.

4. Chinese language

Chinese language chestnuts (C. mollissima) hail from japanese Asia, although they’ve been in cultivation for therefore lengthy that it’s not sure the place they originated.

We all know they’ve been grown for at the very least 6,000 years. In the present day, the chestnut business in China is flourishing, and the nation is without doubt one of the largest producers and customers of the nuts.

A bit extra petite than American and European chestnuts, these timber develop to about 40 ft tall, although they’ll attain as much as 65 ft in optimum circumstances.

The leaves are oval and thick, with a lighter underside due to the white hairs that cowl the floor. It’s this bushy underside that helps us differentiate Chinese language sorts from American and European.

The nuts are flavorful, medium to giant in measurement, with 30 to 50 nuts per pound, relying on the cultivar. They aren’t fairly as candy and pungent as American sorts, however they’re scrumptious in a barely totally different manner.

The style can range barely from cultivar to cultivar, so make sure you learn up on the flavour for those who’re searching for a selected profile. They’re typically straightforward to peel with a yellow nutmeat inside.

The lengthy yellow and cream coloured catkins that seem within the spring are notably enticing, although the flowers don’t precisely have the very best perfume. Some folks prefer it, however others suppose it’s foul. However the floral show is spectacular and far showier than different species.

C. mollissima additionally tends to be extra adaptable than many different species. You’ll discover these timber thriving in something from sandy to clay soil.

This species is immune to chestnut blight. The timber aren’t immune, however once they contract the illness, the signs are minimal if there are any in any respect.

That stated, resistance varies, and also you would possibly discover one tree turns into closely symptomatic, whereas others by no means present any indicators in any respect. The cultivar ‘Crane’ tends to be prone whereas ‘Jenny’ is never troubled, for instance.

For probably the most half, if a tree is contaminated, it’d lose a limb or one thing, however not a lot else will occur.

There are a lot of glorious improved cultivars obtainable available on the market. ‘Beth’ has nuts with a superb taste and ‘Bouche de Betizac’ is warmth tolerant and gall wasp resistant.

‘Benton Harbor’ is high-yielding and very giant. ‘Crane’ provides you medium-sized, tasty nuts that retailer properly. ‘Hong Kong’ has extraordinarily candy nuts and is vigorous.

Chinese language Chestnut (Castanea mollissima)

Hardy in Zones 4 to 9, these are glorious timber if you wish to harvest tasty chestnuts however don’t wish to fear about blight an excessive amount of.

Quick Rising Timber carries species timber in single or 4 packs in quite a lot of sizes.

These timber are in style within the southeast, however they’ll develop nearly wherever within the US and southern Canada.

5. Colossal

‘Colossal’ is a broadly grown cross between C. sativa and C. crenata that produces large nuts, with simply 11 to fifteen per pound and as much as 50 kilos per tree.

The nuts don’t retailer properly, so that you’ll must eat them inside a number of months. The timber begin producing when younger, simply three or 4 years outdated. At maturity, they attain as much as 40 ft tall.

That is the cultivar that business growers are specializing in in western North America. You’ll discover it in most business chestnut orchards alongside the Pacific coast.

It originated within the late 1800s in Nevada Metropolis, California, the place it was bred by grower Benjamin Tonella. The yellow catkins can develop as much as eight inches lengthy and are pleasantly aromatic.

Whereas ‘Colossal’ is reasonably prone to blight, it’s way more in a position to face up to the illness than the American species.

Its different downside is that the wooden might be weak and liable to breakage when laden with nuts, particularly in windy climate.

‘Colossal’ Chestnut

Nevertheless it’s excessive manufacturing and flavorful nuts make it properly value having round. Need one? Discover yours at Nature Hills Nursery.

6. Dustan Hybrids

After nearly all of American crops have been killed throughout the blight, horticulturalists began to take inventory of the remaining timber.

One grower discovered a promising specimen that lends its genetics to many fashionable hybrids and cultivars. In the present day, lots of the current American chestnuts are bred from Dunstan timber.

The unique Dunstan tree was a single specimen that survived in a grove of dying or useless blighted chestnuts.

Dr. Robert Dunstan, a plant breeder and member of the Northern Nut Growers Affiliation, tried to contaminate the tree with the spores of the fungi that trigger the illness and it continued to face robust.

So he grafted scions taken from the tree onto wholesome rootstock and cross-pollinated that tree with a number of totally different Chinese language cultivars rising close by. These have been ‘Kuling,’ ‘Meiling,’ and ‘Nanking.’

By 1962, a number of of the cross-pollinated seedlings began placing out fruit and he crossed these again with the American mother or father.

The ensuing timber have been in cultivation for the reason that Seventies and might be bought throughout the US. Whereas they aren’t precisely just like the American species, they’re shut.

Dunstan Chestnut

Dunstan hybrids produce big nuts, with simply 15 to 35 nuts per pound they usually begin showing only a few years after you plant the tree. The six-inch catkins are white or cream in colour.

Yow will discover Dunstan chestnuts obtainable at Nature Hills Nursery.

Common Dustan cultivars embody ‘Skookum,’ ‘Lyeroka,’ and ‘Myoka.’

7. Dwarf

American chinquapin or dwarf chestnut (C. pumila) produces fruits, nevertheless it’s not the one you’d select if you need excessive yields just because the nuts are so small.

As such, some folks select to develop it as a decorative tree or shrub that simply occurs to provide a little bit of meals.

Whereas it could develop as much as about 25 ft tall, most keep half that measurement.

As a decorative, it’s a charmer, with reddish and gray-brown, scaly bark. The lanceolate leaves are inexperienced on high and paler on the underside with faint hairs. Within the early summer season, six-inch catkins of yellow and white blossoms seem.

While you harvest the fruits, you’re in for a deal with. They’re even higher than their shut relative the American chestnut. The small nuts are sweeter and each bit as flavorful – and on a very good yr you may harvest as much as 500 kilos from a single tree.

The crops are immune to blight and whereas they are often contaminated, most get well with none everlasting harm. When contaminated, you’ll probably see decreased development and yields. There are a number of cultivars on the market, together with ‘Fuller’ and ‘Rush.’

8. European

The European or Spanish chestnut (C. sativa) is indigenous to the Caucasus area surrounding the Black Sea in fashionable Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey.

The tree was extremely necessary within the area, showing in historical Greek and Roman texts. Romans grafted the timber to enhance each the wooden and the fruits.

There are even a number of cities within the area named after these timber. As Romans moved all through Europe, they introduced chestnuts with them and now the timber might be discovered from the tip of Northern Scotland to the toe of Italy.

In 1773, it was imported to the US by Thomas Jefferson. In the present day, Italy is the first chestnut exporter in Europe they usually have a small presence in North America.

There are two principal sorts of European chestnuts.

The primary is marroni, which produce giant, candy, flavorful nuts – about 15 per pound – which might be straightforward to peel. Marroni chestnuts can hint their lineage again to the cultivar ‘Marrone Fiorentino’ which was bred in northern Italy within the 1500s.

The second is castagna, that are smaller, much less flavorful, and more durable to peel. That is used as a broad time period to explain the inferior European cultivars bred in Italy.

Each have white nutmeat and may develop as much as 100 ft tall with large trunks as much as seven ft in diameter. The catkins are yellowish inexperienced and about six inches lengthy, relying on the cultivar.

Whereas these timber are much less affected by chestnut blight than American species, they’re nonetheless prone. Nevertheless, the illness general is much less damaging in Europe, so the rising business has been a lot much less impacted there.

There are a lot of cultivars which might be improved variations of the species. ‘Borra’ is a favourite for these wanting notably giant, flavorful nuts. ‘Fowler’ has extraordinarily high-quality fruits which might be straightforward to peel. ‘Silverleaf’ has giant, candy nuts.

9. Japanese

The Japanese or Korean chestnut (C. crenata) has narrower leaves and is smaller than the European and American species.

When mature, it solely reaches about 50 ft tall at most, although it’s often nearer to 30 ft tall.

It’s extraordinarily immune to blight, Phytophthora, and ink illness, so it’s a preferred species to hybridize with the extra disease-susceptible American timber.

The nuts themselves lack the deep taste of European and American species and are medium in measurement.

They’re just like Chinese language chestnuts, with about 35 to 50 per pound, and with an analogous taste that may be a bit milder and fewer candy.

That’s why the Japanese species isn’t sometimes grown for the nuts alone however as a decorative with a bonus of nuts within the fall. The slim, eight-inch white catkins develop in an upright method and progressively arc downwards.

It was launched to the US in 1876 by Thomas Hogg and George Rogers Corridor. Each horticulturalists frolicked in Japan and independently despatched again specimens that they discovered throughout their travels.

There are a lot of glorious cultivars on the market together with ‘Ginyose’ and ‘Tsukuba,’ that are each immune to gall wasps and produce giant, flavorful fruits.

Japanese chestnuts are hardy in Zones 4 to eight.

10. Okei

‘Okei’ is a wonderful pollinator that produces large fruits at 15 per pound. They are often even greater than these of ‘Colossal.’

It’s a quick grower and begins producing at a younger age, nevertheless it prefers a heat local weather to provide greatest. The long-lasting, cream coloured catkins develop as much as eight inches lengthy.

In cooler climates, ‘Okei’ makes a beautiful decorative, however the manufacturing will probably be vastly decreased. Because it’s not a heavy yielder to start with, that would imply a reasonably paltry harvest. It’s able to rising in Zones 4 to eight.

‘Okie,’ as it’s generally spelled, was developed by combining a Japanese and European ‘Silverleaf’ cultivar on the College of California Davis. It’s typically used as a companion to pollinate ‘Colossal.’

11. Sleeping Large

‘Sleeping Large’ is an American, Chinese language, and Japanese cross with giant nuts with about 40 per pound on a particularly vigorous tree, with eight-inch cream coloured catkins.

It’s additionally blight-resistant. Bred by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in 1937, the flowers ripen later in spring than different cultivars, which implies they emerge after the late frosts that may plague some areas. The nuts ripen mid-season.

Along with the wonderful fruits, it makes a stellar decorative. It grows about 60 ft tall with attractive shiny, serrated leaves.

Stunning and Scrumptious

When you could have a chestnut tree in your yard, it’s the last word two-for-one – a good looking decorative with the bonus of scrumptious nuts.

Blight has made rising chestnuts a problem, however we have now choices now for those who dream of creating it occur.

Which type are you considering of rising? Are you searching for a decorative or a supply of meals? Perhaps each? Tell us within the feedback part under.

And for extra details about rising nut timber in your panorama, try these guides subsequent:

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