# Chinese Chestnut flowers



## Cadence (Mar 31, 2014)




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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Nice photos. I have 25-30 hybrid Chestnut trees (American/Japanese, Am/Korean, Am/Ch/European, etc.) that the bees work really hard every year.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I'd never seen them so thanks for posting. I just planted 10 chestnuts for food plots and I'm planning on another 10 this fall with the idea that I'd continue this for another 6-8 years ending up with 150 or so scattered in clusters across the 350 acres. I've also put 5 hives out there this year though I don't anticipate them having anything to work (that I planted) for 4-5 years.


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## Cadence (Mar 31, 2014)

Chestnut trees are great for the wildlife as our game cameras show, and it adds to the bees food source. 

It's nice to see others are planting a variety of trees, since we have a heavy pine monoculture in Alabama. Pines are a crop and most look at getting the most money off the land as they can. You just don't see hardwoods or a healthy variety of other species being planted back for nature to use and survive with.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

With the exception of the variety "Sleeping Giant" (starts around 8-10 years), most of mine start bearing at 3 to 5 years and increase production every year unless we have a drought, then the nuts are usually smaller. The oldest are around 20 years old and the deer and squirrels have a field day when the nuts start dropping. Makes it hard to get any for myself.


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

I have several hundred "Sweetheart" the bees love them just as much as the deer and turkeys. Wet spring has postponed a lot of our blossoms, but It may work out lengthening our usually brief heavy flow. G


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

We're in mostly heavy timber here. The majority of trees being varieties of red oaks. I'll be out there this weekend to review how the saplings are doing as well as reviewing the bees. I spent almost as much on the guards, ground cover, and stakes as I did for all the saplings themselves. I also put out apples, crab apples and pears so in the long run the wildlife has a pretty steady food supply all year round. Ironically, all of the trees in question require bees to effectively pollinate.


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