Blight Resistant Chestnuts (Castanea mollissima/hybrids)
Chestnuts are nothing short of highly nutritious wildlife magnets that produce crops annually beginning at a very young age…in fact its highly possible to see a few nuts on saplings as young as three years old. And chestnuts aren’t just for wildlife- they make for a tasty and filling snack for us humans too! Although we refer to our chestnuts as Chinese (because they largely resemble Chinese strains), there’s a tad bit of American, Japanese, Korean, and European genetics in the mix as well. Our chestnuts come from a grafted orchard of many different blight resistant/tolerant strains and cultivars grown in USDA hardiness zone 6a, just a few miles from zone 5b. That will ensure you’ll get some of the most cold tolerant chestnut seedlings available. On top of that, we only collect seed from trees that crop mid to late season so your trees will have a better chance of dropping mast during hunting season. Multiple strains for increased diversity, mid to late season drop times, cold hardiness, proven in the South, annual production beginning at a young age, absolute wildlife magnets- Nativ Nurseries Rapid Mast Chestnuts!
| Zone: | 5 - 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.0 - 7.0 |
| Mature Height: | 30' - 50' |
| Wildlife Value: | Excellent. |
| Site Preference: | Well drained soils are favorable, but can adapt to most sites. Avoid wet areas. |
| Nut Maturity Date: | Mid - Late Fall |
| Requires Pollinator: |
Yes, more than one tree is required to produce mast |
Customer Reviews
I was very happy with my trees. They were quite tall and eager to grow!
1 tree is completely cooked upon arrival. Gash in lower stem looks like blight
Location: South Central Illinois
Bought chestnuts in summer of 2020. Shipping was prompt, order came well packaged and all trees were in perfect condition. Planted and tubed them in late fall of 2020. It is now spring of 2022. Trees are a full 2 years old and would produce nuts this year if I would let them. (I won't, want growth now not nuts) Have not lost a single tree. Trees are not babied, hunting property is 70 miles away. Have never been watered, just tubed, fertilized once a year, and keep weed free with roundup around tube. Planted in a variety of soils, all doing very good. Below is picture of one of the trees with catkin, female flower is out of picture. Note: in the picture leaves are curled slightly due to wet spring and fungus being rampant, they will pop right out of it when temps increase.
One of the seedlings appeared to have blight already. I understand I bought seedlings that were resistant to blight but not impervious to blight, however I still do not believe that the seedling I received should have been shipped in that condition. I reached out to nativ nurseries. It has been around a week and they have not responded to my email I simply requested to be sent an additional seedling. But nobody got back with me and I’m just gonna toss this one. I was disappointed my experiences with them we’re good in the past and their prices were very reasonable but so far my customer service experience is poor.
Blight Resistant Chestnuts (Castanea mollissima/hybrids)