It is important to water and fertilize chestnuts regularly when they are young so that they are less susceptible to diseases and pests when they are older.
A chestnut tree (Castanea) is a real eye-catcher in every garden. Due to its imposing size and the beautiful color of the flowers, as well as the deep green and dense foliage, the chestnut is very popular with its owners both as a source of shade in summer and simply as an ornamental tree in spring. And depending on the type of chestnut, you can eat the fruit of the chestnut or use it for handicrafts and decorations.
The best part is that it's shallow-rooted, not even demanding on the soil and its surroundings. The propagation and cultivation of chestnut trees are correspondingly easy. Nevertheless, if you want to plant a chestnut or you already own a chestnut and want to take care of it properly, you should pay attention to a few points.
Even if chestnuts are generally very undemanding trees, the rule applies that he althy trees are better able to protect themselves against the infestation of diseases and fungi. In this respect, you should know the soil conditions under your chestnut in order to know which nutrients your tree should also be supplied with. In addition, it makes a difference whether you have a horse chestnut or a sweet chestnut in your garden. The age of the tree also affects whether and how often you should water and fertilize your chestnut. In any case, it is important to deal with this topic if you want a stock of trees that not only enriches your garden strongly but also permanently beautifully.
The right location is crucial
A chestnut can thrive wonderfully if it is to be propagated or newly grown if it is placed in a piece of cotton wool and provided with sufficient moisture. When it is then planted in the ground, it still doesn't take very much - in principle, poor soil with clay and sand is sufficient for the chestnut to grow. However, you should note that the poorer the soil in nutrients, the plant grows more slowly and usuallydoes not reach such an impressive size as would be the case with a nutrient-rich soil.
If you want to plant a sweet chestnut, the soil has to be much more nutritious anyway. In general, chestnuts prefer a slightly acidic to alkaline substrate. The soil should be well drained and deep. Depending on the nature of the soil, it makes sense to add enough ripe compost to the soil when planting to ensure that the tree can draw a lot of nutrients from a young age and thus develop a certain basic strength. While not strictly necessary, it will ensure better growth and disease resistance in later years because a strong base has been developed.
Water and fertilize properly - That's what matters
» casting:
No one would water a 20 or 30 year old chestnut. In the first 10 - 15 years of life, the chestnut develops such a strong root system that it hardly needs to be watered, even during longer dry periods. If the drought lasts for a long time, you should also think about watering older trees, but such extreme dry periods are rarely experienced in Germany. Only sweet chestnuts don't tolerate it when the soil is completely dry - here it is important to water them, even with older trees, when it gets warmer for a few days and there is no rain.
When young, a chestnut tree should be watered regularly, unless rain is expected. Especially before planting for the first time, it makes sense to water a tree bought from a nursery sufficiently before planting it in the ground where you want it to be.
It is important that young and freshly planted chestnut trees are supplied with sufficient water during the main growing season. This means that with these chestnut trees, the substrate around the tree should never dry out completely, otherwise the trees would be weakened. In this respect, watering with the garden hose in the evening makes sense, especially in midsummer.
» As a general rule: When watering a chestnut, you should thoroughly water the soil around the chestnut. A watering can is not enough, here several liters of water are needed to provide sufficient moisture for the still young tree.
» Fertilize:
Many experts say that chestnuts do not need to be fertilized at all. And indeed, artificial fertilizer is aheadNot absolutely necessary, especially with sweet chestnuts, here a little organic fertilizer is enough from time to time to enrich the soil with new nutrients. For example, if the tree is not suffering from pest infestation, it is advisable to leave the leaves that fall around the tree in autumn. Grass clippings are also great organic fertilizers - just spread some grass around the tree and let nature do the rest.
Horse chestnuts, on the other hand, should be fertilized regularly, especially when they are young. Here it is advisable when selecting the fertilizer to ensure that there is sufficient
- Nitrogen is formed
- phosphorus is present
- and potassium in fertilizer
The horse chestnut needs nitrogen for leaf he alth and he althy growth, phosphorus is needed for flower formation and potassium helps in the development of defenses against various tree diseases and pests. In addition to the artificial fertilizer, organic fertilizer should also be added here regularly.
Both the horse chestnut and the sweet chestnut are very undemanding trees that, with a little care, targeted use of fertilizer in the form of organic or artificial fertilizer material and correct watering behavior, grow quickly and well and become a wonderful eye-catcher in your garden.