2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 15:51
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Latin name: Castanea Family: Beech Categories: Ornamental trees and shrubs |
Chestnut (Latin Castanea) - a genus of trees and shrubs of the Beech family. Under natural conditions, chestnut grows in the Mediterranean, on the Atlantic coast of the United States, in the Caucasus and in East Asia. Most often found on mountain slopes, in shaded areas with brown, moderately moist soils. Currently, the genus has ten species.
Characteristics of culture
Chestnut is a deciduous tree, less often a shrub, up to 50 m high. The root system is powerful, the taproot goes 25-40 cm deep in the first year of life. Later, the culture forms a deep root system with several roots that go obliquely into the soil. The trunk is covered with deeply grooved, thick brown-brown bark. Leaves are simple, lanceolate or oblong-oval, dark green, serrated edges, reach 6-25 cm in length, arranged on short petioles in a spiral-two-row manner. The buds are leathery, scaly, rounded-conical. Stipules are pinkish-whitish in color, lingual.
The flowers are collected in glomeruli, forming cylindrical and thin earrings 5-15 cm long. The plyuska is spherical, pubescent on the inside, on the outside it is covered with hard branched spines, which crack into 2 or 4 segments as they grow. One plus contains 1-3 fruits. The fruit is a nutlet, woody-leathery, shiny, glabrous or pubescent, brown, can be spherical or ovoid, has a wide grayish heel at the base. Seeds are light brown, triangular-spherical, with a large yellow-white embryo.
Growing conditions
Chestnut is a thermophilic culture, it prefers moderately shaded areas. Soils for growing chestnuts are preferably sandy, gneiss or shale. Plants are negatively related to calcareous, acidic, clayey, dry and waterlogged soils. Chestnuts are moisture-loving, grow well and develop in regions with high humidity. They do not accept prolonged temperature drop down to -15C.
Reproduction and planting
One of the most effective and affordable breeding methods is the seed method. Sowing seeds is carried out in the fall in open ground. The seeding depth is 3-5 cm. The distance between the plants should be 10-15 cm. The seeds do not need preliminary stratification. Seedlings of chestnuts appear in early spring, they must be systematically fed, watered and freed from weeds.
Planting of chestnut seedlings is carried out in the spring. Planting pits are prepared in 2-3 weeks. The soil taken out of the pit is mixed with humus, sand, dolomite flour and slaked lime. A thick layer of drainage in the form of pebbles or rubble is placed at the bottom of the pit, 1/3 of the prepared soil substrate is poured, the seedling is lowered, straightening the roots, sprinkled with the remaining mixture and tamped. Immediately after planting, abundant watering and mulching of the trunk circle are carried out. Important: the root collar of the seedling should be located 8-10 cm above the soil level.
Care
In general, caring for chestnuts is not difficult. The culture needs regular and abundant watering, especially during periods of prolonged drought. Chestnuts respond well to loosening near trunk circles (at least 2-3 times per season). High-quality plant care includes feeding with urea, mullein, ammonium nitrate, potassium salt and superphosphate. For the winter, the soil near the trunk circles is mulched with sawdust, peat or fallen leaves for insulation. Chestnuts require formative and sanitary pruning. The culture has a positive attitude to the haircut. Chestnuts are quite resistant to diseases and pests, they are rarely affected by fungal infections.
Application
Chestnut is a highly ornamental plant, often becoming a key object in the formation of the landscape design of a personal plot. Chestnuts look great both in single and group plantings. Dwarf forms are used to create hedges. They harmoniously fit into compositions consisting of shrubs and trees, whose foliage in texture and color creates a clear contrast with chestnut leaves.
The plant looks advantageous close to garden buildings (gazebos, benches, recreation areas, etc.) and artificial reservoirs. Chestnut is in demand not only in landscape design, its wood is considered a valuable material that is used for the manufacture of interior items and furniture. The fruits of the plant are widely used in cooking.
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Horse Chestnut
Horse chestnut is one of the plants of the family called horse chestnut, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Aesculus hippocastanum L. As for the name of the horse chestnut family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Aesculaceae.
Clover Dark Chestnut
Clover dark chestnut is one of the plants of a family called legumes, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Trifolium spadiceum L. As for the name of the dark chestnut clover family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Fabaceae Lindl.
Common Horse Chestnut
This long-lasting and powerful tree is beautiful all year round. Horse chestnut is the most beautiful garden and park decoration and enjoys well-deserved fame. It is not only decorative, but also generously shares its flowers, fruits, leaves and bark, from which people prepare all kinds of medicines
Harmful Chestnut Miner Moth
The chestnut miner moth attacks mainly chestnuts. Pests lay eggs on leaves, and caterpillars emerging from these eggs immediately begin to suck nutritious juices from plants. As they grow older, caterpillars gnaw through numerous passages in leaves and actively devour pliable woody tissues. On the leaves affected by pests, characteristic brownish specks can be seen. As a rule, several generations of these gluttonous parasites develop during the season, which
