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Sweet Chestnut in the GardenTags plant encyclopedia

Castanea sativa

 

Sweet Chestnut

A substantial, long-lived deciduous tree, it produces an edible seed, the chestnut. It is also grown for firewood, garden and fencing timber. The tree requires a mild climate and adequate moisture for good growth and a good nut harvest. A mature tree has an enormous girth and deeply furrowed spiralling bark. Catkins appear in early summer and by autumn the female flowers develop into spiny capules, designed to deter squirrels and other seed predators from getting to the large brown nuts within that are shed inlate autumn.

 
plant Features
  • Sweet Chestnut likes full sun to partial shade

    Full sun to partial shade

  • Sweet Chestnut likes occasional watering

    Occasional watering

  • Sweet Chestnut is full frost hardy: 5f (-15°c)

    Full Frost Hardy: 5F (-15°C)

  • Sweet Chestnut likes moist and free draining

    Moist and free draining

 
plant information

Common name

Sweet Chestnut

Latin name

Castanea sativa

type

Tree

family

Fagaceae

ph

5.0 - 7.0 Acid - Neutral

  • Light

    Sweet Chestnut likes full sun to partial shade

    Full sun to partial shade

  • Frost

    Sweet Chestnut is full frost hardy: 5f (-15°c)

    Full Frost Hardy: 5F (-15°C)

  • Soil

    Sweet Chestnut likes moist and free draining

    Moist and free draining

  • Water

    Sweet Chestnut likes occasional watering

    Occasional watering

Plant & bloom calendar

  •  
    Best time to plant

full grown dimensions

The size of a fully grown Sweet Chestnut is 7.00meters x 30.00meters 7.00 M 30.00 M

Castanea sativa

A substantial, long-lived deciduous tree, it produces an edible seed, the chestnut. It is also grown for firewood, garden and fencing timber. The tree requires a mild climate and adequate moisture for good growth and a good nut harvest. A mature tree has an enormous girth and deeply furrowed spiralling bark. Catkins appear in early summer and by autumn the female flowers develop into spiny capules, designed to deter squirrels and other seed predators from getting to the large brown nuts within that are shed inlate autumn.


Planting

From Early Spring TO Early Spring

Plant in a good well-drained, slightly acid loam in a sunny position. Ideal pH is 6. Allow at least 10 meters of clear ground all around the planting and double this distance away from buildings. Dig a hole twice the width of the container or rootball, and plant at the same depth as the tree was growing in the container. Water well and mulch to keep grasses and weeds away.

 
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