Horse chestnut is found everywhere in parks and streets. Tall deciduous tree, grows up to 25 meters in height. It is inedible, but very beautiful. The fruits are used in medicine and industry.
Actually, chestnuts belong to the beech family and the chestnut genus. But horse chestnut represents a completely different family - Sapindaceae. It also includes such well-known exotic fruits as lychee and rambutan.
If you compare the fruits and leaves of all plants of this family, including horse chestnut, you can easily find similarities. Fruits with spikes, similar to round hedgehogs. And the leaves of all representatives are similar to the leaves of Schefflera radiata, only with teeth and on long petioles: like splayed fingers.
Chestnuts are loved for their unique flowering. The so-called “candles” are flowers collected in brushes, which are arranged straight and make you admire a unique spectacle from May to June. After flowering, a fruit is formed. This spiky capsule contains a large seed called a chestnut.
In Russia, horse chestnut received widespread, especially in middle lane. Plantings of this tree are growing from Moscow to St. Petersburg. But large sizes there he does not reach. But in the southern part of Siberia, where horse chestnut is widespread, it grows much larger. In total, 23 species of horse chestnut are known, of which about 13 grow in Russia.
California horse chestnut (Aesculus californica)
This is a native species of flora of the western states of America, including California. It is a compact tree with a wide spreading crown that looks very much like a large bush. Very often, the California chestnut has not one trunk, but several. Its height ranges from 3 to 12 meters.
The leaves consist of 5 leaf blades with a shape typical of horse chestnut leaves. The fruit is oval, with several seeds inside. Some parts of the tree, including the fruit, are poisonous.
For your decorative qualities and fragrant flowers, this type of horse chestnut is grown in parks and on the slopes of ravines to prevent soil erosion. Despite their poisonous properties, in lean years the fruits were soaked and fed to livestock.
Yellow horse chestnut (Aesculus flava)
Grows in North America. Frost-resistant species that can withstand temperatures as low as -29°C. Got its name from yellow tint leaves in autumn and yellow flowers with a pink center. During flowering, the tree is covered with yellow “candles”.
The trees can reach a height of 15 meters, but the most common yellow chestnut tree is no more than 10 meters tall.
Horse chestnut (Aesculus glabra)
Perhaps the chestnut received this name for its loose, loose crown, which opens up a view of the trunk and skeletal branches. But, despite this, horse chestnut is intensively used in park management and plantings on city alleys.
The height of the tree is more than 15 meters. The crown is rounded, but sloppy hanging branches spoil the whole impression. In autumn, the leaves take on a rich red hue. The fruit is covered not with thorns, but with pimples.
Indian horse chestnut (Aesculus indica)
Indian horse chestnut is common and grows in North India. A giant tree 20-30 meters high with 7-fingered leaves of a reddish hue and pink flowers collected in panicles. Like most horse chestnuts, it is poisonous and has only decorative value.
Horse chestnut (Aesculus parviflora)
Small-flowered horse chestnut is a shrub, three meters in height. Its drooping arched branches create a wide crown that is much wider than it is tall. Such a chestnut grows upward only up to 4 meters, and then continues to grow due to shoots extending from the roots in breadth.
The small-flowered chestnut lives up to its name: its candle-shaped clusters are very loose, and the flowers are graceful, thin, on high stalks. This bush tree grows in partial shade or the shade of other trees due to its short stature. The fruits do not have thorns.
Red horse chestnut (Aesculus pavia)
This is perhaps the most decorative of all horse chestnuts. The red chestnut pavia is notable not for its size or leaves, but only for its carmine-red flowers. During the flowering period, the tree takes on a very elegant appearance.
Japanese horse chestnut (Aesculus turbinata)
So named because it is endemic to Japan. Over time, it was transported to other countries, including America. It is distinguished by elongated leaves and beautiful lush “candles”.
Meat-red horse chestnut (Aesculus carnea)
Like the red chestnut pavia, the meat red stands out for its flowers. During the flowering period, the tree has a decorative appearance due to candle-shaped inflorescences of different shades: from pink to red.
Growing from a nut
Once you decide on the variety, you can start growing. Some of the listed horse chestnut species grow in city parks and alleys. Here you can start collecting fruits. Another tried and tested option: obtain seed material from breeders.
Preparation of chestnut planting material
In order for planting to be successful, the “nuts” need to be prepared after harvesting. Under natural conditions, without the use of additional effort, one out of 20-30 seeds grows. The preparation algorithm is as follows:
First of all, horse chestnut fruits need to be collected from the ground. Do not pick them from the tree under any circumstances, they are unripe.
Go through and select the best ones, without damage, dents or signs of disease.
The prepared fruits are peeled (with or without thorns) and soaked in a small amount of water. It is advisable that the water does not completely cover the “nuts”. The water needs to be changed every day to prevent it from turning sour. A damp cloth or gauze is placed on top of the fruit.
After 2-3 days, the swollen fruits can be placed in the refrigerator for stratification. For autumn planting it lasts 10-14 days. In this case, the chestnuts are sprinkled with slightly damp sand.
For stratification, you need to take coarse river sand. Before use, it must be calcined in the oven or microwave to kill pathogenic bacteria.
Planting chestnut nut
For planting, prepared “nuts” are placed in a furrow at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. The furrow should be no more than 10 cm deep and well watered with warm water and potassium permanganate. After this, the crops are sprinkled with old leaves or sawdust. And in the spring, when the snow melts, the mulch needs to be raked away to allow seedlings to emerge.
If the fruits will be stored all winter until spring planting, then the storage temperature should not exceed 5-7C. A month before planting, the seeds are prepared in the same way as for autumn sowing. The difference is that the stratification time can be significantly increased, and after planting the ground can be covered with film.
Chestnut fruits are very popular with mice. If you plant seeds in the fall, use a mouse repellent. For example, lubricate the fruits with Vishnevsky ointment. Or bury lumps of paper smeared with this ointment around the plantings.
Rules for caring for chestnuts
After the seedlings have appeared, you need to carefully loosen the soil around them. The treatment must be carried out so that when watering, the water does not flow in different directions, but remains in the circle around the trunk. A month after the shoots appear, the plant needs to be fed.
Take a complex mineral fertilizer or any of the organic fertilizers:
- infusion of manure;
- “green” fertilizer (infusion from grass);
- ash;
- dolomite flour;
- compost or humus.
If the fertilizer is dry, then it is scattered around the seedling. For better formation of the root system, water with a solution of nitroammophosphate or superphosphate. Why do they take it? matchbox fertilizers and diluted in a bucket of water.
Watering a young chestnut
While the chestnut is small, it needs to be watered frequently, since the root system is at the formation stage. The plant cannot feed itself and obtain water from deep-lying groundwater. In addition, chestnut is moisture-loving, and it needs to be watered regularly so that the soil does not dry out.
Planting a chestnut tree in a permanent place
Chestnuts are transplanted 3 years after they were sown in the ground. For a successful landing, you need to choose the right time and place of landing.
In order for chestnuts to take root better, there is no need to delay replanting too much. It's better to do it a year earlier than later.
A large plant gets sick more when transplanted to a permanent place, since the root system is damaged. The chestnut stops in growth and development in order to build up the root that is necessary for a plant of this age.
Selecting a location
Chestnut loves the sun's rays, but it is better to shade it with something at first. For example, these can be annual tall or climbing plants. You need to keep in mind that over time, when the chestnut grows, nothing should interfere with it. There should be no bushes nearby that could shade it.
Landing dates
As soon as the soil warms up in the spring, you can transplant the horse chestnut seedlings to a permanent location. In terms of timing, this is the end of April - the first half of May. Autumn replanting of the plant is also possible. This should be done as soon as the constant air temperature does not rise above 12C.
Soil preparation
The soil at the planting site should be moist and fertile. It is best if it is well-fertilized loam. Chestnut lives for a long time, so we prepare a large planting hole in advance (maybe six months before planting) so that it is saturated with oxygen.
The hole should be at least half a meter deep. Its width and length are 50-60 cm. Having dug a large hole, lay various plant remains layer 20-40 cm (depending on the depth of the pit). These can be branches of different thicknesses, as well as grass, pine cones, manure and turf. Before planting, you need to add ash and sand so that the roots of the plant do not come into contact with unrotted manure and plant debris.
Next, compost or fertile soil is poured up to the intended root. Add soil from the sides to the chestnut seedling. It is best if it is rotted sifted compost or humus. Before adding soil, you need to add ash (half a liter per bucket) and superphosphate (2 tablespoons per bucket). Mix well.
How to plant a chestnut from a seedling
It is best to plant chestnuts together, when one holds it over the hole, and the other prepares it and adds soil. But, if this is not possible, then the hole is filled to the brim a few days before planting so that the soil settles. Optimally - two days.
Then a small hole is dug in the center with a depth equal to the length of the root system. The hole is thoroughly watered and the seedling is placed with one hand, and the earth is raked with the other and compacted well. Then the soil around the seedling is properly spilled again.
Caring for planted chestnuts
Care comes down to regular watering, fertilizing, and loosening. If there is a danger that the seedling will break, then it needs to be tied up. The stake is placed so as not to damage root system. Tie carefully, without pinching or rubbing the bark. Use soft rope or special twine.
When growing any seedling, including horse chestnut, while it is still small, you can mulch the soil with any organic material. It could be:
- fallen leaves;
- sawdust;
- mown grass;
- needles;
- tree bark.
Mulch retains moisture at the soil surface. Decaying, she works like a slow organic fertilizer. Mainly as a source of nitrogen. A soil crust does not form under the mulch and remains loose for a long time. It quickly grows with earthworms, which help loosen and enrich the soil with organic matter.
If you use pine needles or bark and sawdust from coniferous trees as mulch, be sure to neutralize the acidity of the soil. This can be done by adding ash, dolomite flour, and lime.
Feeding and fertilizer
Fertilizing is necessary, especially at first, but make sure there is no excess fertilizer. When replanting, you need to add superphosphate - a source of phosphorus, ash - potassium, phosphorus, calcium, compost and humus - nitrogen.
If necessary, seedlings are fed with complex mineral fertilizers every summer. They do this about once every month and a half. We must not forget that in the fall the application nitrogen fertilizers no need.
It is better not to apply fresh manure when digging around, as it can “burn” the thin roots of the plant.
How to properly prune chestnut and crown formation
Chestnut grows very slowly at first. In the first 10 years, he gradually increases in height every year. After this, at the age of 10-25 years, the fastest growth of horse chestnut begins. Therefore, you need to not miss it and form the crown before active growth. In addition, every spring you need to trim dry branches.
In the first year, all shoots should be cut in half. Next year in the spring you need to remove the shortened side branches. This operation is repeated until a standard of the required height is formed.
Then leave a few skeletal branches to form the crown, remove the rest. Cover the cuts with garden varnish or regular oil paint. This procedure should be carried out a few days after pruning, when the cut has dried a little. Thin, thickening branches can be pruned even in summer.
Preparing for winter
Preparing young seedlings for winter differs from how to prepare an adult horse chestnut for cold weather. Young trees need to be covered in the first years. First, mulch the soil under the chestnut tree with a thick layer.
Then, using burlap or spunbond, we form a shelter for the seedling in the first year. You can use spruce branches, which will not only retain heat, but also protect the tree from rodents.
In subsequent years, when the chestnut grows, it is necessary to clean the tree of lichens and, in case of damage, lubricate it with garden varnish.
The tree trunk circle can be mulched with manure in the fall. Fresh manure will not harm the roots of an adult plant.
Reproduction by cuttings
Horse chestnut cuttings are effective way vegetative propagation plants. The most important thing is to find a reliable source of planting material. Cuttings are carried out in the spring. It is better to prepare the area for planting cuttings in advance, in the fall.
Soil preparation
To plant cuttings you need loose and moderately nutritious soil. Soil preparation begins in the fall and is somewhat reminiscent of preparing a mixture for seedlings. The composition requirements are the same.
The soil in the area intended for planting cuttings is dug up using a shovel and thoroughly cleared of weeds. To prevent this place from being overrun by weeds, it is sown with mustard, which disinfects and enriches the soil. Before the start of winter, the soil does not need to be re-cultivated. The area goes under the snow along with the growing green manure.
In the spring you need to dig up the area again and loosen it. To create favorable conditions for rooting, you need to create a drainage cushion. To do this, the top layer of soil, 20-30 cm, is removed and fine expanded clay is laid at the bottom in a layer of 5-7 cm. The soil is mixed with sand, ash and superphosphate and returned to its place.
Harvesting cuttings
Cuttings are taken from chestnut trees that are 5-10 years old. Best time for cutting cuttings - flowering. Just don’t take cuttings from branches that already have flowers. Cuttings are taken semi-lignified. Cuttings should have 3-5 internodes.
Pre-planting treatment of cuttings
An oblique cut is made on the prepared cuttings. This technique is used to increase the area of nutrition and formation of the root system. In order not to confuse the top and bottom of the cutting, some experienced gardeners make the lower cut oblique, and leave the upper one straight.
The lower cut of the cuttings is treated with growth stimulants, the most famous of which is Kornevin. Before processing, the cut needs to be dried for several hours. Additionally, you need to dip the lower part of the cutting in crushed coal to prevent rotting.
If the cutting does rot some time after planting, then it must be urgently removed, and the place where it took root should be sprayed with a fungicide or any disinfectant solution. For example, a dark solution of potassium permanganate.
Identifying a cutting that has not taken root is very simple. Leaves don't grow on it and it dries out a little.
Planting cuttings
The cuttings are planted at an angle in small grooves. They are laid in advance, filled with a mixture of sand, perlite and sifted earth. Composition of the mixture in which it will be dipped bottom part cuttings, should be very light and breathable.
We shed the furrows with a solution of potassium permanganate and plant the cuttings, deepening 2 buds at a time. We squeeze the earth around thoroughly, adding new earth. Plantings need to be covered with spunbond.
Firstly, cuttings need a little shading. Too bright rays of the spring and summer sun can dry out both planting material, and the soil. Secondly, soil moisture should be maintained at approximately the same level.
Caring for cuttings
Caring for cuttings comes down to timely watering, loosening and weeding. Until the cutting takes root, it does not need to be fed. There should not be excess fertilizers in the soil, especially nitrogen ones. For better rooting, the soil is dug up with superphosphate. Phosphorus is actively involved in the formation of the root system.
There should not be a single weed in the cuttings. The soil must be clean. You need to especially carefully monitor areas that are in close proximity to chestnut trees. Weeds interfere with development cultivated plants, suppressing them. Therefore, you need to get rid of them in a timely manner.
Diseases and pests of chestnut
In order for a tree to grow healthy, you need to follow the rules of pruning and shaping, so that the leaves are ventilated and there is no stagnation of moisture inside the crown, which leads to the spread of diseases. Horse chestnut has three main enemies:
- mining (chestnut) moth;
- wood mite;
- powdery mildew.
To prevent chestnut from being damaged by moths, it is necessary to collect and burn all the leaves that have fallen from the trees in the fall, where the pest larvae usually hide. You can try using another material as mulch.
When a chestnut tree is infected by a wood mite, the leaves acquire a reddish tint and small bright dots appear on them. Branches that are heavily damaged by mites should be collected and burned. Healthy parts of the plant are sprayed with special means.
Powdery mildew is a scourge not only of chestnuts. It spreads especially during prolonged humid weather at low temperatures. Fungal spores powdery mildew love such conditions and quickly spread throughout the garden.
A grayish coating appears on the leaves, as if dusted with flour, hence the name. Subsequently, the leaves and the tree become covered with growing brown spots, which are growing. During this period, the tree is sprayed with fungicides, simultaneously destroying the affected areas.
Horse chestnut is a very beautiful tree. Having planted it, in 5 years you will get a slender tree with spectacular unusual leaves and beautiful flowering. And in another five years it will become everyone’s favorite.
Even at the dawn of mankind, chestnut trees grew almost everywhere, including Greenland. In Europe it is grown as decorative tree more than five centuries. Much later, the medicinal properties of chestnut became known. A deciduous tree with a dense crown does not require special conditions for planting; caring for it is easy.
Features of growing chestnut
Chestnut is a tall tree that can decorate summer cottage plot. The umbrella crown provides dense shade, and delicate flower candles bring joy every spring for 2 weeks. In autumn, fruit pods covered with green thorns appear. When ripe, they crack, and from there hard, glossy brown nuts fall to the ground.
This perennial tree has many medicinal properties. IN different parts plants contain coumarins, glycosides, tannins, vitamins C and thiamine, carotenoids, pectins, flavonoids. They help treat thrombosis, eliminate edema, and are useful for cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, anemia, bleeding and many other problems.
Horse chestnut grows up to 36 meters high
It grows wild in many southern countries, but is often found in the middle zone as a garden and ornamental crop. Correct fit and caring for a chestnut tree is not as complicated as it might seem to a beginner.
You can often find information on the Internet that chestnut is a variety, which is not true. This is absolutely different trees from different families. The plane tree has characteristic maple-shaped leaves, a very specific trunk and inconspicuous flowering, unlike the chestnut.
Horse chestnut flowers have beneficial properties
Having decided to plant this spreading tree in your garden, you need to take into account that for the normal development of its crown you need space: the distance to buildings, structures or other green spaces must be at least 5 meters. Even grass does not grow under its thick crown, but it is an excellent protection from scorching sun rays.
In what climate does chestnut grow?
Despite its southern origin, chestnut is quite winter-hardy. At favorable conditions some specimens survive centuries. Thanks to its branched and powerful root system, the tree can grow even in a rather harsh climate, needing shelter for the winter only at a young age.
In summer it can withstand thirty-degree heat, but the best temperature for it is moderate warmth from 20 to 25 ⁰C.
With good snow cover in winter time the tree survives twenty-degree frosts, but suffers from cold, piercing winds.
Chestnut also does not tolerate a polluted atmosphere and dry winds. Therefore, it is often possible to observe the withering and drying foliage of trees on the streets of industrial cities in the midst of a hot summer.
Breadfruit, have you heard of this? An exotic plant with which the inhabitants of Oceania first became acquainted. It is of high value because it can replace regular bread:
What soil is preferable for it?
Horse chestnut is sun-loving and drought-resistant. It prefers moist, fertile loams or chernozems with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.
Soils should be loose, with good drainage. It grows poorly on poor, quickly drying sandy soils.
Popular varieties
The most common representative of this plant in our country is horse chestnut. As an adult, it grows up to 30 meters, has large palmates (5 or 7) compound leaves with well-defined veins. Racemose inflorescences directed upward appear in May. They have double white, yellow or pink flowers with red spots in the center. The fruits ripen in September - October.
The main use of chestnut is in folk medicine- treatment of blood vessels
Besides this, there are other types:
- Californian. It grows in the western United States, its height is up to 10 meters, and the flowers are white and pink.
- Meat red. Crimean variety with large racemose inflorescences of dark red color. The tree, which grows up to 30 meters, absolutely does not tolerate drought and loves abundant watering.
- Yellow. An Eastern American variety with a pyramidal crown, yellow inflorescences and golden toothed leaves. It is considered one of the most cold-resistant species. It blooms a little later than its relatives.
- Small-flowered. A shrub form with complex small leaves, colored grayish on the underside. They grow up to 5 meters tall.
- Pavia, or red chestnut. A shrub or tree native to the eastern United States. It grows up to 10 meters and is distinguished by rich red flowers and smooth fruits.
- Japanese. A tall, upright tree with very large leaves and yellow-white flowers. Its fruits are pear-shaped.
The Japanese generally have a lot interesting plants. These include an incredibly beautiful shrub called Japanese Quince or Chaenomeles:
How to plant a chestnut tree
Planting a chestnut tree is a simple matter, but you should take into account the condition of the soil on the site. If the soil composition is unfavorable for this tree, the planting site is first prepared: a hole is dug and filled with a mixture of three parts turf soil, two parts humus and one part sand.
Horse chestnut fruits are a valuable raw material for the preparation of medicines
The best time for planting is considered to be autumn or early spring; it is not recommended to shift these dates, because there is a possibility that the seedling will not have time to take root.
Horse chestnut is widely used in park landscapes
Three-year-old and slightly older specimens are excellent planting material.
Work order:
- Dig a hole more than half a meter deep and wide.
- Humus and a glass of superphosphate are added to the soil. Excessively acidic reaction of the soil composition is neutralized with dolomite flour.
- Chestnut roots do not tolerate waterlogging, so for good drainage, the bottom of the ditch is covered with a layer of about 15 cm, consisting of sand with the addition of small crushed stone.
- When planting, the root collar is placed at ground level.
- To prevent subsidence of the root collar, the hole is not only tightly filled with a nutritious soil mixture, but also a small mound is made around the trunk.
- Each seedling is watered with 3-4 buckets of warm water. After planting, practice daily watering.
- For better rooting, the seedling is tied to a support. The support can be removed when the chestnut tree has taken root and the tree can withstand the winds.
Caring for a seedling in the garden
Under natural conditions, the chestnut tree prefers loose, fertile soils
Caring for a tree planted in a permanent place in the garden is simple. At a young age, it needs to be constantly taken care of, but a mature tree requires almost no care.
You should not leave a newly planted tree in the hot rays of the sun; it can overheat and get severe burns. When growing chestnuts in the open sun and with high temperature air in the first year of life, the chestnut tree should be watered intensively and additionally covered.
After planting, the following agrotechnical measures are carried out during the season:
- Watering. For young specimens it should be constant, while mature ones are watered only as needed. It is better to use settled water. Water the plants at the same time - early in the morning or before sunset.
- Weeding. It is done only at first, since the overgrown dense crown of the tree does not create conditions for the appearance of foreign vegetation in the tree trunk area.
- Mulching. To ensure that the soil around the chestnut remains loose and does not dry out, it is mulched with a 10-centimeter layer of wood chips or peat with the addition of compost.
- Feeding. Fertilization is a mandatory ritual to achieve good growth tree. After wintering, manure and urea, ammonium nitrate and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used for feeding. In autumn, nitroammophoska is used for this purpose. A layer of mulch made from wood shavings and peat is also a beneficial option for additional feeding of young trees.
- Preparing for winter. It is only needed in the first couple of years after planting. The trunk is wrapped in several layers of burlap, and the trunk circle is mulched. This prevents the bark from cracking in the cold. The frost holes that appear are treated with an antiseptic and covered with garden varnish.
- Trimming. It is necessary to stimulate a lush and beautiful crown. When pruning in spring, the shoots of young trees that have grown back are shortened by half. In summer, thin branches are removed to avoid excessive growth of the crown. Be sure to leave at least five strong side shoots intact. Places where branches were cut are covered with garden varnish. For mature trees, only spring sanitary pruning of dry and damaged branches is done.
A decoction of the prickly shell of chestnut is used in the treatment of gynecological diseases.
Prevention and control of diseases and pests
Although the tree, which is traditional for landscaping city streets, rarely gets sick, sometimes it suffers from fungal diseases, beetles and other pests.
A diseased tree with dry, reddened leaves should be immediately sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or Fundazol, which helps in almost all cases.
In recent decades, chestnut trees have been attacked by previously unknown pests - the chestnut or Balkan moth. At the height of summer, the leaves dry out and fall off, blooming again in autumn. Then the chestnut begins to bloom late, and because of this it faces the winter unprepared. This leads to its freezing and even death during wintering.
Escin in combination with flavonoids, which are contained in chestnut fruits, prevents the formation of blood clots and strengthens the walls of blood vessels
It is difficult to combat this pest; you have to inject a special chemical into the trunk of the affected tree. An effective preventive measure is the timely removal of fallen leaves, in which moth pupae prefer to overwinter.
A dangerous enemy of chestnut is the mite. To prevent its occurrence, you can treat the tree with Karbofos or Fitoverm 2 times a month. From folk remedies The most effective are decoctions of dissected hogweed and black henbane.
Detailed instructions for use of the drug Fitoverm:
Problems encountered when growing chestnuts and their solutions
Growing chestnut trees in most cases brings little trouble. But sometimes you have to face some complications:
Propagation by seeds
Growing chestnuts from nuts is discussed on forums. It's challenging, but accessible and cognitive method getting a new tree in your garden.
When growing seedlings from nuts, to increase the effectiveness of the event, you need to plant at least 5–10 pieces at a time. There is always the possibility of planting immature or damaged nuts that will not produce normal sprouts.
A valuable feature of seeded chestnut is its edible fruits.
The most interesting tips are:
- Plant nuts in flower beds, for example, next to tulips. In this case, dry grass is laid in several layers in the grooves, and covered with earth on top.
- Spraying Fufanon helps save young branches from aphids.
- It is effective against mice to lubricate the nuts before lowering them into the ground with a clay mash with the addition of red pepper, tar or kerosene. Then you can spray the soil at the planting site with kerosene.
- For better growth, young shoots should be treated monthly with Mycorrhiza, Trichodermin or Fitosporin. This is additional nutrition and protection of plants from various pests and infections.
- When planting chestnuts with seeds, it is better to immediately choose a permanent place for them. This prevents damage to the root system during subsequent replanting and thereby increases their resistance to unfavorable wintering.
For medicinal use, horse chestnut leaves are collected when they are green and juicy.
Chestnut has a wide crown. It prefers to grow in sunny places, tolerates shade well, but does not bloom well without exposure to direct sunlight.
For normal development, there should be no buildings or plants within a radius of 5 m from the chestnut tree.
Timing
Seedlings are planted early spring or in November, and sprouted nuts are planted in early May or left in the ground in the fall.
Soil preparation
Chestnut has a superficial root system.
To prevent the roots from rotting and the water from stagnating, the tree is planted in moderately moist, neutral or slightly acidic conditions. loose soils With good drainage. Suitable chernozem or loamy substrate with an admixture of lime and sand. You can add a little clay to sandy soil.
Features of planting seedlings
When growing chestnuts, there should be no plants within a radius of 5 meters from the seedling.
Dig a cubic hole, 50-60 cm deep and wide.
At the bottom, lay a 30 cm thick layer of sand mixed with crushed stone. This will ensure drainage.
If necessary, add humus to the soil mixture, increased acidity– dolomite flour.
When installing a seedling in a hole, make sure that the root collar is at soil level.
To avoid exposing the trunk, make the planting hole 10 cm higher. Upon completion of planting, water the tree with plenty of water (3-4 buckets).
Install supports around the seedling on four sides - this will protect the fragile tree from gusty winds.
Reproduction
Chestnut is propagated by cuttings, layering, root suckers and seeds. The latter method is used more often; growing a tree from a walnut is not difficult.
Features of seed propagation
Fully ripe fruits are suitable for germination. Use whole and undamaged nuts that have fallen to the ground.
Seeds germinate only after stratification, which can be done under natural conditions - at the end of autumn, plant the collected fruits in open ground and insulate the top with dry leaves. Many seeds will germinate in the spring.
With this method of propagation, there is a risk of damage to the nut by rodents.
For artificial stratification, the fruit is placed in a tightly closed container filled with wet sand in a cold place for a period of two to five months.
Five days before planting, the fruits are soaked in warm water, which is changed from time to time. This allows the hard nut shell to soften and promotes further germination. Treated chestnuts are planted in the ground to a depth of 8-10 cm.
Growing chestnuts from walnuts in late autumn
At the end of winter, you can plant chestnut nuts in pots, and in May, plant them in open ground, pinching off the tap root, which will allow the plant to develop a strong root system.
In the first 3 years, and in colder regions - 5 years, the tree is grown in greenhouses, exposed to the street for the summer.
You can learn about fast-growing tree species.You can find out how to properly care for thuja using this link.
Care
Care in the summer consists of weeding, shallow loosening of the soil, and fertilizing.
Young individuals need regular watering, adults - only in the hot, dry season. Water in the evening.
Top dressing
The tree is fertilized in early spring with the following solution: per 10 liters of water - 1 kg of mullein and 15 g of urea.
in autumn– add 15 g of nitroammophoska to the same volume of water. For fertilizer, the tree trunk circle is also mulched with a 10 cm layer of wood chips, peat or peat compost.
Trimming
Chestnut is formed in the form of a standard tree with a main trunk. To make drooping branches look better, the trunk should be at least 2-3 meters in height.
A central trunk with evenly spaced branches is formed from the main shoot, which is maintained as long as possible.
When the crown is formed, the tree practically does not need pruning. At the beginning of spring, cut off damaged and dry branches.
In summer, if the crown has grown excessively, young shoots are removed. All summer cuts are covered with garden varnish.
Winter care, preparation for winter
The tree is frost resistant.
Only young trees need additional protection in the first 2-3 years after planting. Their trunk circles are mulched with a 20 cm thick layer of fallen leaves, and the trunks are insulated with burlap. If cracks appear on the bark due to severe frosts, an antiseptic is applied to the damaged area and covered with garden varnish.
As the tree matures, its winter hardiness increases.
Pest and disease control
Most often, chestnut is attacked by chestnut (or leafminer) moth, wood mite and powdery mildew.
The chestnut moth primarily damages tree foliage
When attacking moths Diseased chestnut trees shed their leaves in mid-summer, and new foliage and flowers grow in the fall. As a result, the tree becomes very weak and may not survive the winter.
Special chemicals help in the fight against this pest. For example, the drug Lufox 105 EC, which destroys insects at all stages of development.
Leaves that have fallen as a result of the disease over the summer and autumn are collected and burned, as the moth lays larvae in them.
A fungal disease often affects chestnuts - powdery mildew.
A white-gray coating or rusty-brown spots form on the upper side of the leaves, the leaves turn yellow and quickly fall off. The disease is treated with fungicides. They also treat the tree for preventive purposes, and also feed it with nitrogen or phosphate fertilizers.
To prevent the appearance wood mite The chestnut is treated with karbofos or fitover every two weeks.
Do you want to plant heather in your garden? Find out how to do it correctly in this. Varieties
For temperate climates, the most suitable varieties are American, European and horse chestnut. They are resistant to sub-zero temperatures and are quite unpretentious.
American chestnut, also jagged, has a bark brown, yellowish shoots on which there are many long lentils.
The leaves are large with sharp teeth. The nuts are edible, covered with fluff, and taste sweet. The tree grows quickly, but requires a lot of sunlight.
Sowing European The chestnut tree has brown bark and ribbed reddish or olive shoots. The branches are covered with glandular hairs.
The leaves are oblong with crescent-shaped teeth, covered with grayish down below.
Male dense spikelets-inflorescences reach 35 cm in length, female ones - short and knocked down. The fruits are edible and covered with a spiny shell.
Horse chestnut is very decorative. It has a spreading dark crown and cone-shaped inflorescences.
Leaves with long petioles, five- or seven-fingered.
The fruits are inedible, round, hidden in spiny pericarps. This variety prefers to grow in loamy soils mixed with lime. Horse chestnut is an excellent natural air filter.
Photos of chestnut varieties can be viewed in the gallery:
It so happened that in my native Western Siberia the bulk of the forests are small-leaved, consisting of birch and aspen. On the one hand, I like birch forests. They are light and spacious and are inhabited by a huge number of birds. There are many mushrooms and berries in birch forests, which provide food for both people and animals.
But the birch tree itself does not produce any berries, nuts, or acorns. Moreover, the maximum lifespan of a birch is only about a hundred years. For such short term The birch does not have time to turn into a huge, thick, hollow tree and ingloriously dies from the wind and rot. Therefore, there are no centuries-old birch forests. And since there are no old forests, then there are no fairy tales and myths associated with them. In England there is Sherwood, in Germany there is the Black Forest, but in the Irtysh region there is nothing (may the singer of the Artyn Forest, comrade, forgive me sibariana
).
The reason is simple - both Sherwood and Black Forest forests are broad-leaved. Such forests do not grow in Western Siberia. Scientists believe that the culprit is the harsh continental climate, which is incompatible with delicate oaks, beeches and ash trees. The most populated forest-steppe strip of the West Siberian Plain is covered almost exclusively with birch with small patches of aspen. True, willows grow along the banks of reservoirs, and pine forests are very rare on the hills, but in percentage with birch their number is negligible.
Millions of years ago, during the Holocene, almost the entire territory of Northern Eurasia was covered with dense mixed forests with a predominance of broad-leaved species. A sudden climate change radically changed the botanical map of the Old World - oaks, beeches, hornbeams, maples and other ash trees remained only in Europe, and Western Siberia, after the departure of the glacier, became the territory of small-leaved forests - birch and aspen.
The current West Siberian Plain, compared with prehistoric times, is extremely biologically poor. The heat-loving broad-leaved forests that once grew here have disappeared, and along with them the animals that inhabited them. There are no more bison, argali, or musk oxen in Siberia. I'm not even talking about the aurochs and tarpans, which were completely destroyed over the past centuries.
Currently, in Eurasia there remains only one more or less large fragment of the primeval relict forest that once covered the plains from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This is the famous Belovezhskaya Pushcha, located on the Polish-Belarusian border. In terms of biological diversity, the Pushcha is comparable to modern equatorial forests - on its very small area 958 (!) species of vascular spore and seed plants grow, 260 (!) species of mosses and bryophytes, more than 290 (!) species of lichens and 570 (!) species of fungi are registered (I quote Wikipedia). And this is just, as they say, a remnant of former luxury. Can you imagine how many plant species grew in ancient forests before the glacier and the woodcutter's ax reached them? How many species of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, insects and arachnids found shelter under the shade of thousand-year-old trees?
In Western Siberia, only microscopic islands remain of the primeval lowland forests - these are small groves heart-shaped linden, the only species of broad-leaved tree growing in Siberia and, by some miracle, surviving ice age. In the Omsk region, hundred-year-old linden trees can be seen in the Ust-Ishim region, in the floodplain of the Bicha River (the so-called Baksheevsky linden forests); in the Novosibirsk region, several dozen relict linden trees grow on a mane island in the middle of the large Senchensky swamp (not far from the village of Verkhnee-Rovensky Kargatsky district). Scientists discovered these linden groves only in the 18th century and for a long time sincerely believed that these were wild plantings of abandoned apiaries (linden is an excellent honey plant). But, as further study showed, no one planted these linden trees, and they have been growing in these places for millions of years. The reason for such fantastic survival is still unknown.
Why did I write all this? And it seems to me that what is happening in recent years climate change makes it possible to begin work on resuscitating Western Siberian nature. I have absolutely no knowledge of forestry, but I have seen oak trees successfully growing here with my own eyes. Under Omsk Agrarian University there is a large park in which trees grow normally, which have always been considered heat-loving (you can see a photo of an oak grove). There is a hundred-year-old Komissarov Garden with plantings of oak, ash, maple, linden, Turkestan elm and even almonds with wild grapes. Right in the center of Omsk there is a dendrological park with no less exotic plants. The example of wild Baksheevsky linden forests also clearly demonstrates the possibility of a successful existence in Siberia of a natural population of broad-leaved trees.
There are references on the Internet that in the Stalin years there was a program (almost authored by the famous Trofim Lysenko) of mass planting of oak trees in Western Siberia. Unfortunately, I don’t know the details of this program and I don’t know anything about its implementation either. Although I had to read that there are significant numbers of oak trees on the northern shore of Lake Chany.
It seems that it is pointless to plant southern species in the Siberian climate - they will die from winter frosts. However, there are a considerable number of broad-leaved trees that are quite suitable for Western Siberian latitudes. The same pedunculate oak tolerates our winters well, and the following is written about the Mongolian oak in plant growing encyclopedias: “Grows slowly, is moderately light-loving, quite frost-resistant, sometimes suffers from late spring frosts. Suitable for the south and southeast of Siberia, the middle and southern parts of the Far East, including Sakhalin, in the form of single and group plantings, small tracts and alleys".
And here is the Amur linden: “It has significant shade tolerance and high frost resistance. Thanks to its powerful and well-developed root system, it is wind-resistant and requires moderately moist, rich soil. It grows slowly, reproduces by seeds and layering, produces abundant growth from the stump, and tolerates replanting, pruning and shaping, and urban conditions well. Lives up to 200-300 years» .
Or jagged chestnut: "Widespread in coniferous-deciduous forests North America. Refers to light-loving, fast-growing breeds. It usually grows along the edges of plantings, in clearings, occupying dry locations, avoiding calcareous soils. In the northern regions of its range, it tolerates frosts down to -27 degrees, thus being the most cold-resistant representative of the genus". Minus 27 is, of course, not enough, but you can try.
What are the benefits of oaks and chestnuts? They produce extremely nutritious fruits that serve as food for a huge number of animals - from mice to bears. All these acorns and nuts are a rich source of vegetable protein, which the inhabitants of small-leaved forests are deprived of. Therefore, we need to try to introduce as many similar trees and shrubs as possible into the Siberian flora - hazel, for example. Or maybe a wonderful tree called Siebold nut. The following is written about him: “Widespread on the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, and in the mountain forests of Japan. Tree up to 20 m tall... Fruits are round or ovoid, up to 5 cm long, with a hairy, sticky surface, in hanging clusters, up to 20 pieces. Nut (up to 4 cm) with a sharp top and rounded base, the seed kernel has good taste. A highly ornamental plant capable of purifying the air from gasoline and acetylene vapors, surpassing other species of the genus in this indicator. Grows fast winter-hardy. Propagated by seed, cuttings and grafting. Used in single and group plantings, along roads in the European part of Russia, mainly up to the latitude of Moscow. Durable» .
What about gray walnut? I've never seen him, but: “Tree up to 30 m tall. It is less demanding on soil than walnut and black walnut, less moisture-loving than Manchurian walnut. Durable, lives up to 200 years. There are hybrids with walnut (J, x quadrangulata Rehd.), as well as with Manchurian nut and Siebold nut. All of them are characterized by high frost resistance. It is very decorative with large odd-pinnate foliage and an openwork crown; it can be used in gardens and parks to create alleys, small groups and single plantings. Due to its high frost resistance, it is suitable for cultivation in the forest-steppe and central zones of the European part of Russia, as well as in the southern zone of the taiga and forest-steppe of Western Siberia".
Of course, now no one will plant broad-leaved forests in Siberia. Neither the state nor private business needs this. A project like this requires a lot of money, labor and time. And if under Stalin such tasks were at least discussed, now no one is interested in this.
Eh, if only I had a few extra million dollars, a few extra thousand hectares own land and a lot of free time, I would probably try to create a mini-analog of Belovezhskaya Pushcha in the Irtysh region. I would find a suitable place and fence it with a fence with barbed wire in order to protect myself from hunters and other lovers of drinking in nature. First I would plant the empty lands with broadleaf and coniferous trees, I would bring several bison with deer, and release beavers into reservoirs. I would name scientists - foresters and soil scientists, zoologists and botanists, to whom I would assign the task of re-acclimatization in the harsh Siberian conditions of animals and plants that once inhabited the vast Trans-Ural plains. Let them test their knowledge in practice; they have no business sitting in departments and torturing students.
Who knows, maybe one of the scientific botanists will be able to grow a real primeval forest on the Siberian black soil, which will have its own Tsar Oak, no worse than the Belovezh one:
And later I would transform the resulting oasis into the Siberian Pleistocene Park - a scientific and entertainment complex with the flora and fauna of prehistoric times. However, I won’t get ahead of myself - I’ll write about the Siberian Pleistocene Park some other time, since this idea is still very crude and requires careful thought. But I am sure that this will be a unique environmental experiment. And if you do business correctly, you can also make good money from this park.
Manilov is a good one, isn't he?
(variety description, photo)
Horse chestnut- a tall (up to 30 m) deciduous tree with a wide, dense crown. The leaves are opposite, long-petiolate, palmately compound with 5–7 sessile, obovate, elongated, pointed leaves. The flowers are irregular, white with red-pink spots, collected in erect pyramidal panicles. Blooms in May. The fruit is a round capsule up to 6 cm in diameter, covered with large soft spines, inside which there are 1–2 large brown shiny seeds. The fruits ripen in September–October.
Decorative. The plant is an excellent honey plant. Has decorative value. Chestnut leaves turn yellow, brown, purple, and crimson in autumn. Inflorescences are large, pyramidal, erect racemes.
Usage. A very beautiful tapeworm that goes well with tall conifers.
Characteristics of the plant. Horse chestnut is winter-hardy, but young individuals can freeze slightly in severe winter conditions. Sensitive to dry winds. Loves fertile, moist soils.
How to buy horse chestnut seedlings
in the nursery "Siberian Garden"
In our nursery, you can buy horse chestnut seedlings on open trading floors and in nursery stores. For addresses, opening hours, and phone numbers of retail outlets, see the section "Contacts"(in the top menu).
The Siberian Garden nursery delivers seedlings throughout Russia. You can order plants in our online store at: zakaz.site or follow the link in the top menu. You will also find information about the conditions for placing orders, paying for them and delivering seedlings throughout Russia in the online store in the relevant sections.
The Siberian Garden nursery sells seedlings wholesale and invites organizations involved in the sale of seedlings to cooperate, landscape design, as well as organizers of joint purchases. The terms of cooperation can be found in the section "Wholesalers"(in the top menu).