Hard Mast Trees from Chestnut Hill Outdoors

For example, Shumard oaks are drought tolerant and grow best in well-drained soils. They’re also fast-growing at 14-24″ per year and produce large acorns.

FEATURES

·     Height at Maturity: 40′-60′

·     Spread: 40′-65′

·     Tree Form: Central Leader

·     USDA Zone: 5-9

·     Drops Nuts: October – November

·     Soil Type: Grows in alkaline, acidic, loamy and well-drained soils; Ph 5.5-7.0.

·     Light Requirements: Full sun

·     Pollination: Requires pollinator

·     Suggested Pollinators: White Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Sawtooth Oak

Alternately, Nuttall oaks are much more tolerant of poorly drained soils – even areas that experience intermittent flooding during the dormant season – but can also withstand moderate drought. They also drop their acorns later in the fall than many other oak species, sometimes as late as December and even January, so they’ll pick up where the others leave off.

FEATURES

·     Height at Maturity: 60′ – 120′

·     Spread: 35′-50′

·     Tree Form: Central Leader

·     USDA Zone: 4-8

·     Drops Nuts: October – November

·     Soil Type: Loamy, sandy, moist, well-drained clay; Ph 5.5-7.0.

·     Light Requirements: Full sun

·     Pollination: Requires pollinator

·     Suggested Pollinators: White Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Sawtooth Oak

Swamp white oaks also like to put down roots in moist soil but drop their acorns earlier in the fall. Because they’re in the white oak group, acorns have a lower (bitter-tasting) tannin content, making them more palatable to wildlife. At maturity, they will produce an average of 120 cleaned acorns per pound.

FEATURES

·     Height at Maturity: 50′ – 60′

·     Spread: 50′ – 60′

·     Tree Form: Central Leader

·     USDA Zone: 4-8

·     Drops Nuts: October – November

·     Soil Type: Acid soils, moist, well-drained clay; Ph 5.5-7.0.

·     Light Requirements: Full sun

·     Pollination: Requires pollinator

·     Suggested Pollinators: White Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Sawtooth Oak

Swamp chestnut oaks thrive in slightly drier soils, making them a good option for the edge between drier arable ground and bottomland that’s too wet to till and plant. They produce very large (1-1 1/4″ long) acorns that are also low in tannins and drop earlier in the fall.

FEATURES

·     Height at Maturity: 60′ – 100′

·     Spread: 20′-30′

·     Tree Form: Central Leader

·     USDA Zone: 6-9

·     Drops Nuts: September – October

·     Soil Type: Moist upland soils; Ph 5.5-7.0.

·     Light Requirements: Full sun

·     Pollination: Requires pollinator

·     Suggested Pollinators: White Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Sawtooth Oak

Sawtooth oaks are a favorite among mast orchardists as they mature quickly, produce prolific crops up to 100 lbs/tree at maturity as early as September and do well in drier soils.

FEATURES

·     Height at Maturity: 35′ – 45′

·     Spread: 35′ – 50′

·     Tree Form: Central Leader

·     USDA Zone: 5-9A

·     Drops Nuts: September – October

·     Soil Type: Sandy to clay loam; Ph 5.5-7.0.

·     Light Requirements: Full sun

·     Pollination: Requires pollinator

·     Suggested Pollinators: White Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Sawtooth Oak

Chestnuts are the undisputed king of the hard mast realm and Dunstan Chestnut’s reign supreme. This variety, developed by Chestnut Hill Outdoors, provides a nutritionally superior and abundant crop of large nuts that contain four times the carbohydrates, 2.5 times the protein and only a fraction of the fat of a white oak acorn. Dunstan Chestnuts can produce nuts in only 3-5 years and produce heavy annual crops (never skipping a year like oaks) of very large, sweet tasting (no tannin) nuts that average 20-35/lb in size, and can produce 20 lbs/tree after only 10 years, and as much as 50-100 lbs/tree at maturity.

FEATURES

·     Height at Maturity: 40′ – 60′

·     Spread: 30′ – 40′

·     Tree Form: Central Leader

·     USDA Zone: 5-9

·     Drops Nuts: September – October

·     Soil Type: Well-drained, sandy loam. Avoid low-lying areas; Ph 5.5-6.5.

·     Light Requirements: Full sun

·     Pollination: Requires pollinator. Plant a minimum of 2 Dunstans. We recommend three or more for best pollination and mast production. Ideal spacing for nut production is between 30-40′ apart.

·     Suggested Pollinators: Dunstan Chestnut

Planting hard mast orchards is a great way to improve the landscape now and well into the future. Applying dirt wisdom by offering a variety of species increases

available wildlife nutrition over a much longer period so the land will support more and healthier animals.

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