Chestnut

Varieties we offer:

**Please note that our seedlings are named after the female parent tree and that the cultivar descriptions below refer to the ortet/original tree, not the seedlings! Chestnuts grow relatively true from seed and seedlings are likely to resemble their parents, but since chestnuts cross-pollinate and the male pollenizer that accounts for 50% of a seedling’s genetics is unknown, some variability should be expected. The upside to this approach is that some seedlings may perform better than either parent.

All the complex and Chinese hybrid seed nuts we source come from high quality mother trees that are open pollinated in orchards planted with productive, blight-resistant trees. The seedlings we offer represent some of the most promising genetics currently available for growers in the Northeast. We are planting out selections of each variety in our chestnut orchard and are confident that many will grow to be healthy and productive trees. That said, the NY Champlain Valley (USDA zone 4a/5b) lies at the northern edge of chestnut’s growing range and is not the most hospitable climate for chestnut trees, so some tree mortality should be expected and accounted for when planting chestnuts in our region. To account for some expected loss, we plant our chestnuts on 20 x 20 ft spacing (recommended final spacing of mature trees is typically 40 x 40 ft) with the intent of selecting the best individual trees and removing less productive trees as the stand matures.

American — C. dentata **blight susceptible**; seed source = Sheffield Seed Co.; American chestnuts were once the dominant tree in forests across the eastern US - a commonly reported estimate suggests that as many as 1 in 4 trees in eastern forests were once chestnuts! The demise of this forest giant at the hands of an introduced blight from Asia (Cryphonectria parasitica) in the early 20th century is an oft told story that highlights the devastating impact human actions can have on the surrounding environment. (If you’re outta the loop with regard to the story of the American chestnut, a quick online search can bring you up to speed). If you’re interested in planting American chestnut, keep in mind that they are blight susceptible and will most likely succumb eventually. Though they are capable of re-sprouting from the base, this is a tree to plant for wildlife and posterity, not nut production.

Amy — seed source = Buzz Ferver, Perfect Circle Farm; Description coming soon!

AU-Homestead — C. mollissima; seed source = Greg Miller, Route 9 Cooperative; A late-ripening, exceptionally flavored chestnut with variable nut size, AU-Homestead is a selection from a USDA cooperative planting established at Auburn University.

Eaton — seed source = Buzz Ferver, Perfect Circle Farm; Description coming soon!

Empire Elite — C. mollissima & complex hybrids; seed source = Greg Miller, Route 9 Cooperative; The plants in this mix comprise some of the best genetics available from Route 9 Cooperative and come from numerous good parents that are not yet producing enough seed to sell by themselves. Many of these are expected to perform better than the named cultivars. Greg Miller tends to one of the most established (40+ years!) and high quality chestnut plantings in the Eastern US, and the seedlings in this mix represent the next generation of high performance chestnut genetics. This is a great option if you’re overwhelmed by the task of selecting individual varieties of chestnut seedlings.

Hansen — complex hybrid; seed source = Greg Miller, Route 9 Cooperative; From Greg: “In 1983, I planted numerous seeds obtained from Norm Hansen in SE Iowa. One of these seedlings has grown into a tree that I’ve named ‘Hansen’, which has unusual and interesting traits. It is a tall, “timber-type” tree with an open, tiered branching structure that I associate with high productivity. Indeed, it has been a productive tree over many years, but garnered special attention [in 2020] since it bore a huge (probably too huge) crop when its neighbors were frozen out. It has been absolutely free from gall wasps when its neighbors were heavily infested. It’s blight free, and maintains healthy foliage, being relatively unaffected by potato leafhoppers and other leaf-feeding insects. Its nut characteristics are predominantly Chinese, but its leaves, vigor, and growth habit indicate some hybrid ancestry, probably including Japanese, and maybe even American. On the downside, its nut size is widely variable, from small to very large depending on crop load. And, the nut flavor is bland – nothing objectionable, just sweet and almost flavorless. It’s these nut qualities that have kept this tree from moving very high on my list. But it’s other redeeming characteristics combined with its production of over 100 lb of nuts this year, means I have a lot of seed that should be planted, especially by those interested in dual-purpose trees (nuts and timber); its offspring seem to maintain an upright timber-type growth habit. It is surrounded by (pollenized by) unrelated trees with better nut flavor.”

Liu (Ortet) — seed source = Buzz Ferver, Perfect Circle Farm; Liu is a gorgeous tree with stunning red foliage and burs. This unique trait is passed on to a % of the progeny. For our current batch of seedlings, about 33% exhibit red foliage.

Payne — C. mollissima; seed source = Greg Miller, Route 9 Cooperative; A mid to late-ripening chestnut with large nut size and good flavor. Originates from the old orchard at the Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research laboratory in Byron, GA. Selected for large nut size and high yields.

Peach Qing Kohr (PQK) — C. mollissima; seed source = Greg Miller, Route 9 Cooperative; From Greg: “This is a mix from the University of Missouri. It is from a block of grafted trees comprised of the cultivars, ‘Peach’, ‘Qing’, and ‘Kohr’, which were judged to be among the best in the U of MO collection. As far as I know, these cultivars are unrelated to each other, but produce chestnuts of similar size and quality in early mid-season. Seedlings from this mix have progeny tested well. Assuming equal contributions from each cultivar as a parent, 2/3 of the seeds should have ‘Qing’ as one of the parents, 2/3 should have ‘Peach’, and 2/3 should have ‘Kohr’. That is to say, PQK is a good substitute for ‘Qing’ or ‘Peach’ or ‘Kohr’.”

R9 Mix— C. mollissima & complex hybrids; seed source = Greg Miller, Route 9 Cooperative; A mix of ‘lost label’ seedling trees from Route 9 Cooperative including Sleeping Giant, Payne and more. This is a great option if you’re overwhelmed by the task of selecting individual varieties of chestnut seedlings.

Sleeping Giant — complex hybrid; seed source = Greg Miller, Route 9 Cooperative; An early to mid-season ripening chestnut that produces consistent crops of medium sized nuts with good flavor. Sleeping Giant originated as a seedling from breeding work at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in 1937. Growers report good adaptability to a variety of growing environments.

Qing — seed source = Buzz Ferver, Perfect Circle Farm; Description coming soon!

West Danby Hybrid — complex hybrid; seed source = Akiva Silver, Twisted Tree Farm; These seedlings come from select blight resistant trees growing in a 40 year old chestnut orchard in West Danby, NY. Some of the mother trees include the cultivars Willamette, Armstrong, Jersey Gem, Eaton, and Mossbarger, as well as many other outstanding hybrids. Hardy to zone 4 / -25F, these genetics represent some of the most proven strains for northern growers.

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More info on Chestnut:

Chestnuts are unique among nut trees in that they begin bearing at a young age and produce a consistent and heavy crop of high-carb, low-fat nuts. These unique characteristics have led to chestnuts being labeled the “Bread Tree” in some parts of the world. Indeed, the nuts can be processed into a tasty flour that can be used in a number of baked goods! Another common comparison promotes chestnuts as the perennial tree crop equivalent to corn. While not a like-for-like replacement, the steady yields and high carb : fat ratio allows for increased intake by both humans and animals, and chestnuts could theoretically replace or supplement corn in human and livestock rations.

Aspiring chestnut growers are often overwhelmed by the plethora of information and conflicting opinions when it comes to growing chestnuts in the U.S. It is widely accepted that chestnuts hybridize freely between species and grow best in full sun on acidic, well-drained soils (though some growers have reported success applying a mounding technique on heavy clay soils), but the agreement usually stops there.

When discussing which chestnuts are best suited for planting in a given area, the importance of INTENDED USE and GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION cannot be overstated! So with that in mind, here is our two cents regarding recommendations for growers in the northeastern US in USDA zones 4-5 interested in nut production: plant hybrid seedling trees with predominantly Chinese genetics sourced from cold-hardy, healthy and productive blight resistant parent trees that are raised/overwintered as close to your geographic location as possible.

Here’s the rationale behind this approach:

Blight resistance — Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) and Japanese chestnut (C. crenata) co-evolved with the chestnut blight and are blight resistant. Conversely, European (C. sativa), American (C. dentata) and Chinquapin (C. pumila) chestnut evolved without blight and are all blight susceptible. Therefore, growers in the eastern US should focus on trees with predominantly Chinese and Japanese genetics.

Cold hardiness — American chestnut (C. dentata) hardy to zone 4; Chinese (S. mollissima) and European (C. sativa) chestnut hardy to zone 5; Japanese (C. crenata) chestnut hardy to zone 6.

Seedling vs grafted — Whether or not to plant seedling or grafted trees is a topic of much debate in the chestnut world. Again, LOCATION and INTENDED USE will determine where you come out on the topic. Without getting too far into the weeds, here is the concise synopsis for growers in the Northeast: plant both seedling and grafted trees if you’re interested in chestnut improvement and intend to sell select seed nuts. Otherwise, plant seedling trees. Seedlings of superior parent trees are less expensive and tend to be more vigorous and cold hardy compared to grafted trees. And since chestnuts grow relatively true from seed, the advantages of grafted cultivars vs hybrid seedlings is diminished compared to other species of fruit and nuts. In addition to being expensive and hard to find, grafted trees are subject to a costly phenomenon called ‘delayed graft union failure’ in which a seemingly healthy tree suddenly dies back to the graft union.

DO YOUR PART TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF CHESTNUT PESTS & DISEASE! Some states with little to no prevalence of blight, chestnut gall wasp or chestnut weevil restrict the import of chestnut plant material (see list above), but there are pest-free pockets in states without restrictions. Our nursery is located in a region where blight and gall wasp/weevil pressure is relatively low (for now), however, given our geographic location we know that these pests are lurking in our midsts. We routinely monitor for any sign of pests, and our shipments are subject to inspection by NYS Ag & Markets to ensure that our plants are not contaminated. However, if you are going to plant chestnuts in an area where blight, gall wasp or weevil are not present, please consider ordering trees from your local chestnut nursery to minimize the risk of spreading pests and disease.