Quick Facts
Exposure: Full Sun
Height at Maturity: 40-60 Feet
Usage: Ideal for orchards, homesteads, wildlife plantings, and long-term shade trees.
Shipped As: Bare-Root
Planting Zones: 4-8
Product Details
Plant Chinese chestnut seedlings and you are planting one of the most productive nut trees for the eastern United States. Castanea mollissima is a blight-resistant chestnut from East Asia that has been grown in American orchards and wildlife plantings for more than a century. We supply wholesale, bare root Chinese chestnut seedlings in bundles of 100, 500 and 1,000 to nut growers, hunting land managers, agroforestry projects and nurseries.
Chinese Chestnut Specs
| Botanical name | Castanea mollissima (Chinese chestnut) |
|---|---|
| Family | Fagaceae (beech and oak family) |
| Origin | China and Korea |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 8 |
| Mature size | 40 to 60 feet tall with a broad, rounded crown |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil | Well-drained, slightly acidic loam or sandy loam |
| Nut drop | September to October |
| Grades | 6-12 inch, 12-18 inch, 6-24 inch row run |
A Nut Crop Years Ahead of Oaks
Chinese chestnut is valued for how early and how consistently it bears. Seedlings commonly start producing nuts in 3 to 5 years, far sooner than most oaks produce acorns, and mature trees yield heavy annual crops. The nuts are sweet and low in tannin, which makes them a favorite of deer, turkey, squirrels and bear, and a marketable crop for roasting, flour and fresh sales. Because the species carries natural resistance to chestnut blight, it is the chestnut most growers rely on for dependable production.
Uses by Buyer Type
Deer and turkey managers
Groves of Chinese chestnut along food plot edges deliver a fall attractant that wildlife seek out ahead of acorns. Planting 20 to 30 trees gives a steady drop through early hunting season.
Nut growers and agroforestry
Orchard rows at 30 by 30 feet hold about 48 trees per acre, and 40 by 40 feet about 27, leaving room for alley crops or grazing while the canopy develops.
Nurseries
Uniform graded seedlings line out well for container or field production, and they serve as rootstock for grafted chestnut cultivars.
Pollination Tip
Chestnuts set the best crops with cross-pollination, so plant at least two seedlings within about 100 feet of each other. Bulk seedlings make this easy, since each tree is genetically unique.
Companion Trees
Pair Chinese chestnut with sawtooth oak for fast hard mast, or with persimmon and pecan seedlings for a mixed nut and fruit planting. See more orchard options in our fruit and nut trees collection, and confirm your hardiness zone with the zone finder.
Chinese Chestnut Seedling FAQs
How fast do Chinese chestnut seedlings grow?
They grow at a moderate to fast rate, often 1 to 2 feet per year on good sites, and begin bearing nuts in about 3 to 5 years.
Is Chinese chestnut resistant to chestnut blight?
Yes. Chinese chestnut has strong natural resistance to chestnut blight, which is why it is widely planted for nut production.
Do deer eat Chinese chestnuts?
Yes. Deer readily seek out the sweet, low-tannin nuts, which makes the tree a popular wildlife planting.
What soil do Chinese chestnuts need?
They thrive in well-drained, slightly acidic soils on upland sites and slopes.
When do Chinese chestnut seedlings ship?
Bare root Chinese chestnut seedlings ship dormant beginning in November.
Can I get a quote for several thousand seedlings?
Yes. Send species and counts through our wholesale quote form and we will price the full order.
About Tennessee Wholesale Nursery
We are the wholesale division of TN Nursery, a family business Roscoe Tate founded in 1959. On our 170 acres in Altamont, Tennessee, we have grown roughly 2 million pawpaw trees from about 2 tons of seed and more than 200,000 redbuds. Chestnut seedlings leave the farm dormant, with roots treated in Terra-Sorb hydrogel and sealed bundles that stay moist for up to 12 days, backed by our Arrive Alive guarantee.