Because of the perishable nature of chestnuts, they must be sown or stored promptly after harvesting to maintain viability.

CURING

Freshly harvested chestnuts have a high water content that can be reduced by drying. One way to "cure" them is by spreading them in thin layers in wire trays and keeping them out of direct sunlight in a well-ventilated place. Curing time will vary with the humidity; usually 17 days at 60' to 70' F. CAUTION - Although a little curing is beneficial, too much will kill the germ. Nuts are cured enough when the shells start to dent slightly as they are squeezed between thumb and forefinger. One day's inattention can result in the death of many nuts, as most chestnut workers at some time or another have proven to themselves.

PREGERMINATION TREATMENTS

Chestnut seed requires a period of after-ripening to overcome seed dormancy before they will germinate. In normal practice, overwinter storage for spring planting under cold, moist conditions will be more than adequate to overcome dormancy. If nuts are planted in fall after harvesting, no after-ripening is necessary, but nuts should be kept in cold storage until planting.

Although chestnuts have been stored for a year or more, it is generally not advisable to store them for more than 6-8 months because of losses from decay. Nuts stored for longer periods may also begin to germinate while in cold storage.

STORAGE FOR FALL PLANTING

Until you are ready to plant your harvested nuts in the Fall, they should be kept in cold storage such as the vegetable crisper drawer of a refrigerator. There should be high humidity but no free water.

STORAGE FOR SPRING PLANTING

Overview

Most large growers prefer to plant their nuts in the Spring as Fall planting can lead to extensive, even total, losses to rodents. Chestnuts have strict requirements for over-winter storage. They must not dry out at all or become soggy. They must not freeze repeatedly or go below 26' F. or be stored very long over 40'. Chestnuts have been stored successfully packed in sand, pasteurized sawdust, peat moss, unmilled sphagnum, or plain plastic bags with a few holes. The storage medium must be barely damp and have some ability to retain moisture, but if left unattended must also be able to drain, as the nuts "sweat" water during storage and can become too wet in a totally closed container. The acid nature of sphagnum or fresh sawdust is useful in slowing the growth of spoilage fungi. Remember the storage site or container must be mouse-proof.

Specific Storage Recommendations

For fresh, uncured nuts use barely damp or dry sphagnum. Pack the nuts in layers (stratification) so that they don't touch each other to limit the spread of decay from bad nuts. Place them in a tightly lidded plastic or metal container with holes punched in the bottom. For storage over winter in this medium a refrigerator can be risky as it may dry the seed too much. A mouse-proof metal container buried and covered with straw bales or an 8" deep layer of leaves works fine. Under these conditions the nuts will start to sprout in February and should be planted immediately in deep containers. (See Planting Bulletin.)

For fresh, cured nuts use a sealed plastic bag mixed with an equal volume of nearly dry peat moss and store in the vegetable crisper section of a refrigerator. (Caution: some inexpensive sandwich bags are so thin-walled that moisture will escape over the winter killing the nuts). Bags should be turned over every few weeks to prevent excessive moisture condensation forming on the bottom and to visually check the moisture content. Nuts in containers with free moisture may mold and, if allowed to dry too much, will not germinate.

A simplified storage method. As the saying goes, "there is more than one way to skin a cat. " One of the chapter members in Western New York State has had excellent success with the following technique. He has taken nuts directly from the tree and refrigerated them without curing. The nuts, up to a hundred, have been stored in plastic storage bags approximately 12 by 12 inches. Moistened but not wet spagnum moss, or peat moss, is used to separate the nuts and maintain humidity. It is not necessary to close the plastic bags, but if closing is desired, a few holes should be punctured with a pencil around the top of the bag to allow excess moisture to escape. Nuts are kept above 28'F and below 40'F. The packages are inspected at least monthly to assure proper moisture levels - not too little and not too much. The first sprouts will appear as early as February and the last nuts to sprout will do so around May. Nuts are planted in empty milk containers before sprouts reach 1 inch in length. Sprouts over 1 inch become brittle and may break in handling, although the sprout will renew given more time.