Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) is a deciduous tree that reaches 20 m in height. It grows natively in China and the Korean Peninsula. The nuts are edible and generally sweeter than American chestnuts. Chinese chestnut grows best in acidic, loamy soil in regions with frequent full sunlight.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Castanea mollissima, also known as the Chinese chestnut, is a species of chestnut tree in the family Fagaceae that is native to China, Taiwan, and Korea.
It is a deciduous tree growing to 20 m tall with a broad crown. The leaves are alternate, simple, 10–22 cm long and 4.5–8 cm broad, with a toothed margin. The flowers are produced in catkins 4–20 cm long, with the female flowers at the base of the catkin and males on the rest. The fruit is a densely spiny cupule 4–8 cm diameter, containing two or three glossy brown nuts; these are 2–3 cm diameter on wild trees. The scientific name mollissima derives from the softly downy shoots and young leaves.
When cultivated close to other species of chestnut (including Japanese chestnut, American chestnut and sweet chestnut), Chinese chestnut readily cross-pollinates with them to form hybrids.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Chinese chestnut tree needs sufficient sunlight to grow. plant in an open space with over 6 hours of sunlight daily. When sunlight is insufficient, its branches become slender and fragile, sometimes making it hard to support blooms and fruit.
Temperature
plants of the Castanea genus are distributed in the mountains of Northern temperate and subtropical zones. They like warm, moist habitats and grow best in temperatures between 10 to 20 ℃ , though they can also tolerate a certain level of cold. They don’t require much moisture, are quite drought-enduring, and usually don’t need excessive watering.
Watering
Chinese chestnut tree doesn’t require much moisture. Once adapted to its growing habitat, it becomes very drought-tolerant. Usually, watering once per week is enough. Fruition does require sufficient water, so when the plant is ready to fruit, increase watering frequency. Watering can stop after the plant sheds its leaves. Resume next spring, before new leaves bud.
Soil
Chinese chestnut tree likes moist, fertile, slightly acidic (pH value at 4.5-6.5), sandy soil. Clay, which has poor air permeability, is not recommended. Chinese chestnut can endure drought, but standing water can cause breathing difficulty in its roots and affect healthy growth. Therefore, the soil needs to stay properly drained. Sloping land offers good drainage, so when planting on a slope, soil with a slightly poorer water-draining ability can still be used.
Fertilizing
In the first year after planting a chinese chestnut seedling, apply a little fertilizer to promote the growth of the plant’s root system. From the second year on, chinese chestnut’s need for nutrition increases and requires nitrogen-rich acid fertilizers, such as those with a 30-10-10 or 20-10-10 NPK ratio. Before it blossoms and fruits, apply more phosphate fertilizers to facilitate the growth of flowers and fruits. Water after fertilization to help the roots better absorb the nutrients. Do not fertilize in the fall or winter, as it may affect the plant’s growth in a bad way.
Planting Instructions
Choose an open, elevated spot to plant chinese chestnut trees. Before planting, clear surrounding trees and weeds to allow chinese chestnut the best chance of sufficient sunlight and nutrition, so it can grow exuberantly and fruit in abundance. Because its fruits are spiny and fall off when ripe, chinese chestnuts should not be planted along the streetside.
You can transplant chinese chestnut seedlings in the spring. Dig a pit 1.5-2 times wider than the plant’s root ball and plant level to its root collar (the juncture of the aerial and underground parts of a plant). During the transplant, protect the root system to avoid damaging the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. After the transplant, water the plant sufficiently and use a shading screen until the chinese chestnut tree is well established.
Pruning
Chinese chestnut tree likes sufficient sunlight. Its flowers often bloom on external new branches. Pruning its internal branches make it look more beautiful, increase internal ventilation and light, promote flowering and fruition, and reduce the chances of pests or diseases. When the plant blossoms, only keep early blooms to concentrate nutrients and make fruits plump; trim the rest. Prune old, dried, or pest-or-disease-infested branches are found at once. Do not prune on rainy days, as rain can help transmit pests and diseases and infect the pruning incisions. After pruning, apply fungicides to the incisions.
Propagation
You can propagate chinese chestnut tree by sowing seeds. Seed in early spring to allow ample time for the plants to grow. Seeds can be sown in pots indoors; the depth of the pots needs to be 30 cm or more. Fill the pot with soil and dig a 3 cm-deep hole. Place a chestnut in its flat side downward. Cover with soil and water every day until the seed buds. The budding seedling will grow towards the light, so rotate the pot from time to time to make sure the seedling grows up straight. When the chestnut shell falls off naturally and the frost season is over, move the pot outdoors on an overcast, rain-free day.
Transplanting
The optimum period for transplanting chinese chestnut is from late fall to early spring, as it allows the plant ample time to establish roots before the new growth season. Transplant chinese chestnut in well-drained soil, preferably in full sun to partial shade. Always consider the plant’s mature size in choosing the transplant spot. Remember to maintain soil moisture after transplanting for best results.
Overwintering
Paint the chinese chestnut tree trunk white in the winter to reduce solar heat absorption by the dark-colored trunks. Sunlight causes the trunk temperatures to rise, while at night the trunk temperature drops drastically. Such alternating heating and cooling fissure the bark and damage the plant. To make picking up chestnuts easier, it’s a good idea to remove ground weeds by the end of summer.
III. Uses and Benefits
The nuts are edible, and the tree is widely cultivated in eastern Asia; over 300 cultivars have been selected for nut production, subdivided into five major regional groups: Northern, Yangtze River Valley, Sichuan and Guizhou, Southern, and Southwestern. Besides that, the Dandong chestnut (belonging to the Japanese chestnut – Castanea crenata) is a major cultivar in Liaoning Province. Some cultivars, such as ‘Kuling’, ‘Meiling’, and ‘Nanking’, have large nuts up to 4 cm diameter. The nuts are sweet, and considered by some to have the best taste of any chestnut, though others state they are not as good as the American chestnut. The nuts also provide a significant food source for wildlife.
IV. Harvesting and Storage
Chinese chestnuts (Castanea mollissima) have varying maturation periods. Wait to harvest until the chestnuts fully mature and fall off to the ground naturally, as those harvested this way are plump fruits that taste the best and store the longest. Don’t make the chestnuts fall off the tree by shaking the trunk. If you want to harvest the chestnuts to sow next year, place them in a cool shady corner, wait for the surface moisture to evaporate, and put them in dry, low-temperature storage (the temperature should not go below 0 ℃).
Find Where to Buy the Best Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima)
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