About deciduous forests of western Siberia. And horse chestnuts are blooming in the Urals! Chestnut tree care

How to grow horse chestnut from walnut

The genus horse chestnut (Latin esculus) belongs to the horse chestnut family. It unites 13 species distributed in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere.

Aesculus is a relic of the Tertiary flora, which in the past occupied a vast territory from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The common horse chestnut grows in natural conditions in Northern Greece, Southern Bulgaria, Albania and is widespread in culture. Horse chestnut is one of the best decorative deciduous trees, good honey plant. It grows quickly and is especially beautiful during flowering. Horse chestnut is cultivated in many cities of the former USSR, widespread throughout Ukraine.

In Kiev, the horse chestnut is a landmark of the city and the main element of the decoration of its streets.

The bark, fruits and leaves of chestnut are used in medicine. So, horse chestnut extract (venostasin) is used internally for varicose veins, atherosclerosis. In folk medicine, chestnut fruits and flowers are used in the treatment of articular rheumatism, diseases of the gallbladder, bleeding, chronic and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Horse chestnut seedlings are grown in nurseries (for example, in the Vyborg flower nursery plant). Horse chestnut seeds are frost-hardy, they overwinter under fallen leaves, have a healthy and fresh appearance and are distinguished by high sowing qualities. They can be sown not only in spring, but also in autumn until the onset of persistent winter frosts (autumn and sub-winter crops). When sowing in the fall, the seeds are sown to a depth of 10-15 cm. In the spring, it is necessary to loosen the top layer of the soil where the seeds are sown.

Horse chestnut seeds are large, oval-flattened, dark brown, 3-4 cm long, 2.5-3 cm wide. Deep, fresh loamy soils are required for normal growth, and artificial watering in dry locations. Sandy, acidic and saline soils, as well as excessive moisture, are unsuitable for chestnuts.

The germination of chestnut seeds is maintained at a moisture content of at least 40%. The shelf life of seeds is no more than 7-9 months.

For spring sowing, chestnut seeds must be stratified immediately after receiving them. In the nurseries of the Vyborg plant, the seeds are stored as follows. In an open place, a site is chosen, a layer of sand up to 3 cm thick is poured on it, chestnut seeds are sprinkled on top in an even layer so that they do not come into contact with each other. On this layer of seeds, a layer of sand is poured again, and a second layer of seeds is scattered over the sand. There can be several such layers. The last layer of seeds is covered with a layer of sand and covered with a layer of woody leaf, and from above the whole heap is covered with snow.

So that the snow does not melt quickly in spring, the pile is covered with wood leaves with a layer of 15-20 cm, fine peat, and sawdust. In such heaps, horse chestnut seeds winter well and begin to peck by the time of sowing.

In the middle or at the end of April, when the ridges are already prepared for sowing, the snow is dumped from the heap, and the seeds on the third or fifth day are already pecked completely. After that, they are disassembled and those that have obvious signs of sprouts are used for sowing, and the spoiled or rotten ones are thrown away. Sowing with such seeds gives friendly even shoots, and by autumn the seedlings already reach a height of 35 to 60 cm.

On a ridge 1 m wide, seeds are sown in five rows with a distance of 18 cm between rows and 15-18 cm in a row. At the same time, one seed is sown in each hole to a depth of 6-8 cm.

A. Grintal , candidate of biological sciences

(variety description, photo)

Horse chestnut - a high (up to 30 m) deciduous tree with a wide dense crown. Leaves are opposite, long-petiolate, palmate, 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 box up to 6 cm in diameter, covered with large soft thorns, inside which there are 1-2 large brown shiny seeds. The fruits ripen in September – October.
Decorativeness. The plant is an excellent honey plant. Possesses decorative value. Chestnut leaves turn yellow, brown, purple, crimson in autumn. Inflorescences are large, pyramidal, erect racemes.
Using. Very beautiful specimen, goes well with tall conifers.
Plant characteristics. The horse chestnut is winter-hardy, but young individuals can freeze under 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 marketplaces and in nursery stores. For addresses, working hours, phone numbers of outlets, see the section "Contacts" (in the top menu).

The Siberian Garden nursery delivers seedlings across 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 on the conditions for placing orders, paying for them and delivering seedlings across Russia in the online store in the relevant sections.

The Siberian Garden nursery sells seedlings in bulk and invites organizations involved in the sale of seedlings, landscape design, as well as organizers of joint purchases for cooperation. The terms of cooperation can be found in the section For wholesalers (in the top menu).

The chestnut tree has a wide crown. It prefers to grow in lighted areas, tolerates shade well, but blooms poorly without exposure to direct sunlight.

For normal development, there should not be any buildings or plants within a radius of 5 m from the chestnut.

Timing

Saplings are planted in early spring or November, and sprouted nuts are planted in early May or left in the ground in autumn.

Soil preparation

Chestnut has a superficial root system.

So that the roots do not rot and the water does not stagnate, the tree is planted in moderately moist neutral or slightly acidic loose soils with good drainage. Black earth or loamy substrate with an admixture of lime and sand is suitable. A little clay can be added to sandy soil.

Features of planting seedlings

When growing chestnuts within a radius of 5 meters from the seedling, there should be no plants

Dig a cubic hole, 50-60 cm deep and wide.

At the bottom, lay a layer of sand mixed with rubble, 30 cm thick. This will provide drainage.

If necessary, add humus to the soil mixture, with increased acidity - dolomite flour.

When installing a seedling in a hole, make sure that the root collar is at the level of the soil.

To avoid exposing the trunk, make the planting hole 10 cm higher. After planting, pour the tree with plenty of water (3-4 buckets).

Install supports around the seedling on four sides - this will protect the immature tree from gusty winds.

Reproduction

Chestnuts are propagated by cuttings, layering, root suckers and seeds. The latter method is used more often; it is not difficult to grow a tree from a nut.

Features of seed reproduction

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 carried out in natural conditions - at the end of autumn, plant the collected fruits in open ground and insulate them on top with dry leaves. In the spring, many seeds will sprout.

With this method of reproduction, there is a risk of damage to the nut by rodents.

For artificial stratification, the fetus 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 softens the hard nut skin and encourages further germination. Treated chestnuts are planted in the ground to a depth of 8-10 cm.

Chestnuts are grown from walnuts in late autumn

At the end of winter, you can plant chestnuts in pots, and in May, plant them in open ground, pinning the taproot, 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, exposing it to the street for the summer.

You can learn about the species of fast-growing trees.

And to find out how to properly care for thuja, follow this link.

Care

Summer care consists in weeding, shallow loosening of the earth, top dressing.

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 such a solution: for 10 liters of water - 1 kg of mullein and 15 g of urea.

In autumn - 15 g of nitroammophoska are mixed into the same volume of water. For fertilization, the trunk circle is also mulched with a layer of 10 cm of wood chips, peat or peat compost.

Pruning

The chestnut is shaped like a standard tree with a main trunk. For drooping branches to look better, the bole should be at least 2-3 meters in height.

A central trunk with evenly spaced branches is formed from a main shoot, which is supported as long as possible.

When the crown is formed, the tree needs little or no pruning. In early spring, damaged and dry branches are cut.

In summer, if the crown is overgrown, young shoots are removed. All summer cuts are covered with garden var.

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 trunks are mulched with a layer of fallen leaves 20 cm thick, and the trunks are insulated with burlap. In case of cracks in the bark due to severe frosts, an antiseptic is applied to the damaged area and covered with garden varnish.

As it matures, the winter hardiness of the tree increases.

Pest and disease control

Most often, chestnut is attacked by chestnut (or miner) moth, tree mite and powdery mildew.

Chestnut moth primarily damages tree foliage

When attacking moths diseased chestnuts shed their leaves in the middle of summer, and new foliage and flowers grow in autumn. As a result, the tree becomes very weak and may not survive the winter.

In the fight against this pest, special chemicals help. For example, the drug Lufox 105 EC, which destroys the insect at all stages of development.

Leaves that have fallen as a result of illness during the summer and autumn are collected and burned, since the moth lays the larvae in them.

Often the chestnut is affected by a fungal disease - powdery mildew.

White-gray bloom 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 them with nitrogen or phosphorus fertilizers.

To prevent the appearance wood mite the chestnut is processed with karbofos or fitover every two weeks.

Want to plant heather in your garden? Find out how to do it right in this.

Varieties

For temperate climates, varieties such as American chestnut, European and horse are most suitable. They are resistant to subzero temperatures and are quite unpretentious.

American chestnut, aka toothed, has a brown bark, 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 develops rapidly, but requires a lot of sunlight.

Sowing European the chestnut has brown bark and ribbed reddish or olive shoots. The branches are covered with glandular hairs.

Leaves are oblong with crescent 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, covered with a prickly shell.

Horse the chestnut is very decorative. It has a spreading dark crown and conical inflorescences.

Leaves with long petioles, five- or seven-fingered.

The fruits are inedible, round, hidden in thorny pericarp. This variety prefers to grow in loamy soils with an admixture of lime. Horse chestnut is a great natural air filter.

Photos of chestnut varieties can be viewed in the gallery:

Chestnut

Chestnut - your own tree

There are two versions of the origin of the specific epithet of the horse chestnut - horse. The first interprets it as a hint of the inedibility of the fruit, in contrast to the sowing chestnut. The second one connects with the horseshoe-shaped footprint that remains on the branch after the chestnut leaf falls.

Chestnut - tree - traveler

Half a century ago, the horse chestnut in central Russia was considered a heat-loving guest performer by chance. Indeed, he then, it seems, like a bather, only fearfully tasted the water with his foot. But at the same time, the capital of Ukraine, lavishly decorated with chestnuts, already considered him her own and composed songs about him.

Our roofing felts really got warmer, the chestnut roofing felts acclimatized and hardened, but over the past decades, it has firmly established itself in the territories previously forbidden for it. The flowering of chestnuts is now a familiar picture of spring with us, although it still flows less abundantly than it happens in warmer regions. At the same time, it practically does not freeze, bears fruit every year, which gives real hope that further seed generations will make it possible to isolate even more winter-hardy plants. So it is not at all excluded that soon there will be grounds for composing songs about him, which we have composed about cherries and apples, also, by the way, aliens.

Strikingly, the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is so widespread in culture that scientists with great difficulty managed to find its original habitat. It turned out that the natural area of \u200b\u200bthis tree is represented only by a small area of \u200b\u200bwooded mountains in the Balkans. Meanwhile, this species is considered a native plant almost throughout Western and Central Europe. It is quite common here in the European part of Russia, especially in the center and in the south.

Everything in a tree should be impressive

The attention to his person is not surprising, even in warm Europe, where the woody diversity is great, the horse chestnut is valued as an outstanding park tree. A powerful, stocky trunk, with muscular branches extending obliquely upwards, also works on its appearance; and large five- to seven-fingered leaves up to 25 cm in diameter. The bark of young trees has an attractive grayish-beige color with brown streaks. Even small chestnut seedlings look extremely impressive: their shoots are unusually thick, and the buds, similar to the tops of medieval spears, are famous for being the largest in the arboreal world. The tree as a whole also looks extremely representative, close to a mosaic of leaves, from a distance the silhouette of a crown. And even in winter, the chestnut is unusually spectacular with its massive trunk and unique graphics of the branches. It should be mentioned that an adult chestnut tree in Europe reaches 25 meters in height and in a mature state in open places has an umbrella-shaped crown raised on a low bole. In our middle lane, it is no longer so large, and 15 m is the limit for it. Further north, the chestnut can take the form of a low (5-6 m) multi-stemmed tree.

The trunk of a maturing tree is gradually exposed from below, so that you can walk freely under its crown. At the same time, the crown itself is evenly thick, and a fleeting downpour will simply flow off it like on a roof, leaving you dry. If you raise your gaze while standing at the foot, you can trace the entire trunk almost to the very top. This is because the main part of the leaves is located along the periphery of the crown.

The chestnuts are blooming again ...

But the most decorative period in the life of a chestnut is its flowering. In this, none of the large trees of the middle lane can compare with him. Indeed, the chestnut, unlike birch, maple, linden, oak, ash or elm, has real, very large (about 2 cm in diameter) white-pink flowers, moreover, collected in extraordinary inflorescences - panicles, densely, in the manner of candles placed on the outer surface of the crown. Chestnut blooms here in early May and blooms for up to 25 days, after which spherical (up to 6 cm in diameter) fruit-boxes with a prickly pericarp, or, more correctly, a plyus, are tied and gradually poured in place of the flowers. Inside, the fruits are divided into chambers-sectors, in which 1-3 large red-brown seeds are hidden.

It is impossible not to say about the twin of the horse chestnut - the present chestnut. It is this tree, also called the sowing chestnut ( Castanea sativa) or noble chestnut, has "exclusive rights" to be called a chestnut. The horse chestnut only resembles it in its fruits, but their leaves and flowers are completely different. Botanically, they even belong to different families, the horse - to the horse-chestnut, and the real one - to the beech. At the same time, in terms of area and popularity, the sowing chestnut significantly surpasses its rival, and the reason is simple - its fruits, unlike the horse chestnut, are edible. We have to add with regret that the thermophilicity of real chestnut does not allow it to be cultivated even in the Black Earth Region - in Russia it can grow only in Dagestan and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. It is gratifying, however, that the beauty of flowering horse chestnut still outshines its edible brother.

The horse chestnut has several decorative forms, of which I will mention only the one that is in my garden. This is its variegated variety, or "Variegata" variety, the individual leaves of a composite leaf of which have pure white spots, dots and sectors of different shapes. I got this variety by itself during the mass sowing of seeds. Then in the garden, among hundreds of normal plants, one turned out to be colored outside the box. In fact, by human standards, this is a kind of defect, an abnormality, but this is how new decorative varieties are developed. Note that the variegated form is extremely attractive and deserves the most splendid places in landscaping, although it can only be propagated by grafting onto the basic form. Unfortunately, the variety is susceptible to sunburn in hot weather, which is why some of the leaves curl, dry out and even fall off. In wet cold years, this is usually not observed.

Planting and replanting chestnuts

Chestnut seeds, correctly called nuts, and in everyday life just chestnuts, ripen in our country from the beginning of September and fall off in 2-3 weeks. At this time, they are collected for sowing or medicinal needs. The peel of chestnuts has an attractive glossy surface and a pleasant brown hue, which is what we call chestnut.

It is better to sow seeds before winter, since they are not very attractive for rodents. When sowing, the chestnuts are buried 2-3 cm. The seedlings develop a straight taproot, which is advisable to prune at an early age to form a compact root system. Such plants, although at first lag behind in growth, in the future they tolerate transplants completely painlessly and can even be grown for some time in containers.

Transplanting chestnuts with open roots is shown in a leafless state in spring or autumn before the onset of constant night frosts. According to our observations, spring transplantation is preferable, although there are practically no cases of plant death. But at the same time, in early spring ("through mud"), even significant damage to the roots has little effect on the prospects of the seedling. By the way, with proper digging with a lump of earth of at least 50 cm, the plants tolerate early spring transplantation well even at the age of 12-15 years.

We are looking for approaches to chestnut

Horse chestnut is sun-loving, loves to grow in the open, and only in full light it develops a beautiful spreading umbrella crown. It is drought-resistant, but grows best on moist, sufficiently fertile and powerful loamy soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. By the way, in the arid steppes of southern Russia, chestnuts in the heat often suffer from burning of their leaves: they dry, curl and even fall off. The worst soil option is a sterile and dry sandy loam substrate with the same subsoil. If you got exactly the last unfavorable option, and there is no choice, then the situation can be corrected by preparing the seat. To do this, dig a planting hole with a diameter and depth of at least 1 m. It is filled with a fertile substrate, a variant of which can be a mixture of turf soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 3: 2: 1.

The chestnut grows quickly enough, and if it has not undergone transplants restraining the development, then by the age of four it can exceed the meter mark, at 10 years old it can grow to 3 m, and at 9-10 it can show the long-awaited flowers and give the first fruits. By the age of 12-15, the flowering of the tree becomes quite lush, while its abundance and decorativeness of the tree as a whole remain until very old age.

Caring for a young tree, first of all, consists in watering. In the early years, it should be watered fairly regularly, keeping the earthen lump in a moderately moist state. It is important to help the plant quickly develop a deeply penetrating root system that will nourish it later. Note that if a tree is planted on an initially fertile and sufficiently powerful loam, then it does not require any further care.

We are treated with chestnut

Horse chestnut is a medicinal plant recognized by the pharmacopoeias of many countries. For medicinal purposes, bark, whole fruits or their peel, and sometimes flowers are used. Chestnut preparations reduce blood clotting, strengthen the walls of capillaries and veins, prevent the formation and promote the resorption of blood clots. They also contain substances that lower blood pressure. Based on this, chestnut is used for thrombophlebitis, hypertension, varicose veins of the lower extremities, trophic ulcers, hemorrhoids, rheumatitis and articular diseases. The drug, escuzan, sold in pharmacies, is nothing more than an alcoholic extract from chestnut fruits.

Druids advise

Lovers of all kinds of horoscopes often turn to the legacy of the ancient Celtic scientists and priests - the Druids, who left us their tree horoscope. The Druids believed that at the moment of his birth, and depending on his date, each person has a magical connection with a certain tree species, which later determines not only his character traits and actions, but ultimately destiny itself. According to the horoscope of the Druids, the chestnut is the totem tree of those who were born in the period from 15 to 24 May, or from 12 to 21 November.

As for those born under the sign of the chestnut (here, by the way, the ancient priests, who were not familiar with the current achievements of botany, did not distinguish whether it was a real chestnut or a horse), then, according to the Druids, they have a heightened sense of justice, and are always ready in any way for it defend, regardless of the consequences. Chestnut is hostile to prudence and all kinds of diplomatic tricks. He is full of vitality and is ready to work tirelessly to realize his plans.

The modern interpretation of the horoscope of the Druids advises to look closely at your tree in nature, if possible, plant it near the house and take care of it. This gradually helps to comprehend oneself, to find one's own path in life.

Horoscopes, of course, can be treated in different ways, but personally, I like the teachings of the Druids, if only because it teaches a respectful attitude towards trees, which is not bad in itself. Of course, if you treat this belief with a grain of salt, and not turn it into a fix.

Chestnut at home

Chestnut tolerates the urban environment very well, cleans the air from sulfurous gases, retains dust on itself. We only have to regret that it is still not very common in urban landscaping. It is especially good at casing wide city and park alleys and boulevards. Its presence is desirable in the landscaping of schools, universities, highways. And, of course, its resistance to smoke and gases makes it a welcome guest in planting plants, industrial zones, energy facilities, etc.

Chestnut is a widespread ornamental tree, a real salvation in the garden and city streets on a hot summer day. However, chestnut is not only a shadow from a wide deciduous crown, but also a light, pleasant aroma of delicate flowers and fresh, clean air. In addition, some varieties of this tree have tasty, edible fruits. Chestnut is most common in the south and in the middle zone of the European part of the CIS, as well as in the Caucasus and Central Asia. The popularity of chestnut cultivation is increasing every year, it is chosen by many owners of personal plots for decorating the landscape.

Did you know? The chestnut blooms in May, but its pale pink color can appear in winter, in conditions of an abnormal temperature drop. Chestnut fruits ripen in early or mid-autumn, some people eat them, they taste like sweet potatoes. Chestnut is also used in folk medicine: various healing agents are prepared from its fruits.

Planting and breeding chestnuts

A chestnut tree can grow into a powerful, sprawling, handsome 30-meter tall man, subject to simple measures related to its planting and care.

Seat selection

When choosing a site for planting chestnuts, there are three main factors to consider: space, lighting and wind protection. A site with a large area should be preferred, since the chestnut has a strong crown and root system, which require space for normal development. The distance from the chestnut tree to other plants or buildings should be at least 5 meters. Chestnut is a fairly shade-tolerant tree, but it blooms better in good sunlight. And the last condition: to avoid deformation of the chestnut trunk during its cultivation, choose a quiet place, not subject to strong gusts of wind.