Chestnut (Castanea sativa)

The fruits of the chestnut are edible

El brown It is one of the most cultivated fruit trees in all temperate regions of the world: not only for its fruit, which is delicious, but also for its ornamental value and rusticity. As if that were not enough, it is one of those plants that, as they grow, provide a pleasant shade, something that is undoubtedly appreciated in summer.

Its maintenance is not complicated, although it is true that when the weather is not good (that is, when it is temperate, tending to warm, instead of cold) it usually has problems due to its low tolerance to extreme heat. Otherwise, it is very interesting to meet him. You fancy? 🙂

Origin and characteristics

The chestnut tree is native to Europe

Image - Wikimedia / Giovanni Caudullo

Our protagonist is a deciduous tree whose scientific name is Castanea sativa. It is native to southern Europe and Asia Minor. Grows to a height of 20 to 30 meters, with a somewhat wide crown and a trunk of up to two meters in diameter with brown bark, being also longitudinally cracked in the oldest specimens, and smooth in the young ones.

The leaves are 8 to 22cm long by 4,5 to 8cm wide, and are oblanceolate, with a rounded base, a serrated margin, glabrous on the upper surface and slightly pubescent on the underside. They are green in color, although in autumn they turn yellowish before falling.

The male flowers are catkins of up to 20cm, while the female ones are composed of 7 to 9 styles at the apex of the ovary, and are cream-colored. They sprout in spring.

Y the fruit is a subglobose dome which is covered with thorns up to 11cm long. Inside it contains about 2-3 achenes, which are chestnuts, which measure about 2-4cm, have a domed shape, and are edible.

What are their cares?

Chestnut tree view

Image - Flickr / Ramón Durán

If you want to have a copy, we recommend that you provide it with the following care:

Location

It is a tree that must be abroad, full sun. Being large, it is important that it is placed at a minimum distance of ten meters from walls, walls, pipes, etc., and at least 6m from other large plants. In this way, you will be able to have an excellent development and, therefore, it will be a joy to contemplate your beauty 😉.

Earth

  • Garden: grows in cool and humid soils, rich in organic matter, and slightly acidic.
  • Flower pot: It is not a plant to grow in a pot throughout its life, but during its younger years and as it grows at a medium-slow rate, it can be had in one with mulch (get it here) mixed with 30% perlite (for sale here).

Irrigation

The chestnut tree is a plant that does not withstand drought, but it does not like flooding too much, unless, of course, it is punctual (for example, if it rains torrentially a few times a year, and right where it is the water remains stagnant and a puddle forms, the tree will not be harmed. Another thing would be if it rained that way frequently).

So, to avoid problems, on average it is recommended to water it 3-5 times a week in summer, and once or twice a week the rest of the year. But beware, this only has to be taken as an orientation: if it rains often in your area, you will not need to water as much; On the other hand, if it rains little, you may have to increase the frequency of watering.

Subscriber

Manure guano powder is very good for chestnut

Guano powder.

It is advisable to pay it with Organic fertilizers during spring and summer, At least once a month. Fertilizers like guano (you can get it in powder here and liquid here), or the chicken manure (If you get it fresh, let it dry in the sun for at least 10 days) they are very rich in nutrients and will allow it to grow very healthy.

In case of having it in a pot, use liquid fertilizers, following the instructions specified on the container.

Harvest

Chestnuts are harvested in autumn.

Multiplication

Multiplies easily for seeds in winter. The way to proceed is as follows:

  1. The first thing to do is get the chestnuts, whether from the tree itself or from an organic food store (in this case, take the ones that are sold in bulk, natural).
  2. Next, fill a 20cm pot with mulch mixed with 30% perlite, and water thoroughly.
  3. Then, sprinkle with copper or sulfur to prevent the appearance of fungus.
  4. Next, place a maximum of two seeds in the pot, and cover them with a layer of substrate thick enough so that they are not too exposed.
  5. Finally, place the pot outside, in semi-shade.

However, and keeping the substrate moist but not waterlogged, they will germinate throughout the spring.

Plagues and diseases

  • Chestnut ink: it is a disease caused by fungi Phytophthora cambivora y Phytophthora cinnamomi. It extends from the roots to the rest of the tree, causing the progressive death of the apical twigs and the necrotization of the tissues that are under the bark.
    To treat it, we must use copper-based fungicides, but the best we can do is prevent it by controlling the risks and buying healthy specimens.
  • Attacks from hairy lizard (Lymantria dispar) and brown-tailed lizard butterfly (Euproctis chrysorrhoeas). They are two Lepidoptera that feed on the sap of the leaves, especially the tender ones.
    They can be fought with potassium soap o neem oil.

Rusticity

It resists frosts of up to -17ºC, but the late ones hurt him. The extreme heat (over 30ºC) does not like it either. It cannot live in tropical climates.

What uses does it have?

The fruit of the chestnut ripens in autumn

Apart from being able to be used as an ornamental tree, as an isolated specimen or in groups, without a doubt its most widespread use is that of a fruit tree. Its fruits, chestnuts, are edible, and in fact they are very nutritious. Its nutritional value per 100 grams is as follows:

  • Calories: 225kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 44,17g
  • Fats: 1,25g
  • Proteins: 52g
  • Vitamina B1: 0,144mg
  • Vitamin B2: 0,016mg
  • Vitamin B3: 1,102mg
  • Vitamin B6: 0,352mg
  • Vitamin C: : 40,2mg
  • Football: 19mg
  • Iron: 0,94mg
  • Magnesium: 30mg
  • Phosphorus: 38mg
  • Potassium: 484mg
  • Sodium: 2mg
  • Zinc: 0,49mg

What are the benefits of chestnuts?

Eat some chestnuts now and then will help us stay healthy, since they are satiating, strengthen teeth and bones, stimulate the functioning of the nervous system, protect the heart, improve intestinal transit and can be eaten in case of anemia as they contain iron.

I hope you liked what you learned about chestnut 🙂.


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