tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post3469013464718624682..comments2023-08-26T08:36:32.116-05:00Comments on The Badgersett Growers Blog: Hazel Tubelings: Shipping, and Sold OutPhilip Rutterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041935672454266013noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-88506581408807564582010-06-28T17:14:13.795-05:002010-06-28T17:14:13.795-05:00Well with determination our 10 acre forest will be...Well with determination our 10 acre forest will be "half-chestnut" as well! haha. Thanks so much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-45013539294832473232010-06-24T10:10:13.085-05:002010-06-24T10:10:13.085-05:00Spiraldance- yike. You have indeed found a great ...Spiraldance- yike. You have indeed found a great glaring hole in our available information. I'm afraid it's because chestnut pollination was one of my earliest research focuses; I was the one who finally; after 3 years of abysmal failures in controlled pollination, finally figured it out. The "Chestnut Pollinator's Handbook" I put out is still the basis of most of the pollinations done by TACF.<br /><br />So far back there, and so much second nature- to US - I just forgot to lay it out. That and our making the assumption that most folks growing our hybrids are going to be planting them in orchard type situations-<br /><br />Quick basics (and yeah, we could use a whole post) - chestnuts are both wind AND insect pollinated; and quite bad at both. The reason being, wild chestnuts all over the world tend to exist in forests that are half chestnut, at least; they've never had to be good at it.<br /><br />Rule of thumb for most chestnut orchardists- if a chestnut tree is more than 50 feet from any others; its nut set will be VERY significantly reduced.<br /><br />For your specific situation; I'd pretty strongly recommend planting at least 3 chestnut trees per site; around 15 feet apart; or 20 if you have the room.<br /><br />You CAN actually plant two trees essentially in one hole. You should wind up with what looks like a "double trunked" tree. Even so- it would often happen, due to variations in timing of pollen shed, that a setup like that would result in one tree that usually has a good crop, and one that doesn't. <br /><br />Think of them as a "herd animal". They are just not designed to be loners.<br /><br />And I'm glad you asked before planting! :-)Philip Rutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11041935672454266013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-11803550617852910302010-06-24T00:13:50.477-05:002010-06-24T00:13:50.477-05:00Wow -- Thanks for my Nut-Type Chestnuts tubeling o...Wow -- Thanks for my Nut-Type Chestnuts tubeling order!! I started planting right away but then I just got this clarification:<br /><br />http://www.ppws.vt.edu/griffin/grow.html<br /><br />"Chestnuts have both male and female flowers on the same tree but are not self-fertile. At least 2 trees are necessary to make nuts, and they should be no more than 200 feet apart for efficient pollination. For a grove planting we recommend 10 foot spacing."<br /><br />So I was going to plant my trees in our 10 acres of woods -- where ever there was a space in the canopy for sun, with a clearing in the forest. I have been clearing out all the buckthorn trees, etc.<br /><br />But now I realize I better make sure that at least a few of the trees are fairly close together so that nuts are produced!!<br /><br />This is obviously a very critical point so maybe you all want to clarify this for others who might not think that doing grove planting is necessary?<br /><br />Please confirm that this is the case and please advise me as to how important this is -- how many trees should be grown nearby, how close, to ensure fertilization so nuts will be produced! <br /><br />I noticed you state this "self-fertilization" issue in your information for the hazelnuts but not for the chestnuts.<br /><br />http://www.badgersett.com/info/hazelnuts/hazel2.html<br /><br />Pollination: Wind; will not self-pollinate.<br /><br />I will be happy to plant to ensure that the nuts are produced -- still I just thought this was a critical detail which should be better clarified for the newly initiated. <br /><br />Thanks again -- the tubelings are awesome!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-90734948851781018272010-06-02T09:48:03.382-05:002010-06-02T09:48:03.382-05:00It looks like we might not start shipping until ne...It looks like we might not start shipping until next week. Reasons: 1) box shipment came in late. 2) Philip got a stomach bug bad enough for the emergency room. 3) Meg and Elly then caught that stomach bug. 4) Ryan's nose lost an argument with a wrench. 5) Brandon (me) is on the road for a trip visiting growers.<br /><br />I am at least as aggravated about this as you are- but we'll start getting them shipped soon.Dr. Brandon Rutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08759767940846314198noreply@blogger.com