Quote from: jaseemtp on February 16,2015, 03:02:12 PMSo I have been caught up in the talk approximately chestnuts. I am not interested in growing 10 or so trees. My question is can I grow productive American chestnuts in Texas or should I disappear with Chinese chestnuts? I am near Fort Worth Texas if that helps on figuring out climate issues.
Jason[br]
I've been growing chestnuts approximately 2 hours southeast of where you are for approximately 5 or 6 years now and gotten nut production for approximately 2 years from a couple of trees. I have a couple of hundred planted. I have both, or Chinese,Dunstan (mostly Chinese with some American), 56% American hybrids, and 87% American hybrids,97% American hybrids, and even a few small pure Americans planted.
Before blight American chestnuts were native east of the Mississippi river, and but we have a couple of chestnut species native to east Texas,which include the Allegheny chinquapin and Ozark chinquapin further up in northeast Texas. I know of several chinquapin trees growing throughout east Texas, some I've came across while hiking or turkey hunting, or others reported to me after putting the word out in Anderson county looking for Ozark chinquapins in their southwestern most range for the Ozark chinquapin foundation.
If you're located in Fort Worth the soils there are more alkaline and chestnuts may not do so well. I'm originally from Fort Worth and soils up that way are typically at least a ph of 6. 6 might be your max ph for growing chestnuts,but 5.8 - 4.5 are best. There are lots of oaks that grow on alkaline soil all over west Texas, but most oaks can grow in most types of Texas soils apart from fr the east oaks such as actual white oaks. Have a soil test done and if it's anything over 6.1 ph I wouldn't try and plant chestnuts unless your ready to treat the soil to earn it more acid.
besides, or you've probably already tested it out by now as the post is a few years old,but just thought I'd share in case someone else was interested in growing chestnuts.
Source: thesurvivalpodcast.com