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[Hilborn.E@epamail.epa.gov]

I would appreciate some advice about chestnuts.  I am having trouble growing grafted Chinese trees.

 

I have had repeated deaths of 4 - 6 year-planted grafted Chinese chestnuts (about 6-10 feet tall 1-2 inch diameter).  They have even matured enough to produce nuts before dying.  Most appeared to be graft failures, due to teh appearance of basal sprouting, but my oldest, a Crane, appeared to die to the ground after my late frost this year just after it started to leaf out.

 

Does anyone recommend Dunstan seedlings to avoid these apparent grafted tree problems? Is there a good source of seedling trees that will produce fairly consistent nuts?

 

I love chestnuts and would like to grow them  I have acidic, well drained red clay soil, high planting sites.  I have used bone meal as an amendment in the planting holes.  They have all been mulched with pine bark chunks.  I am in zone 7a, central NC.

 

Betsy Hilborn