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How to Grow a Common Horse Chestnut Tree
How to Grow a Common Horse Chestnut Tree. If you have the land, the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum ) is easy to love. This large flowering tree can reach 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide. The leaves emerge light green, but turn deep dark green at maturity. But, it's the showy white blooms that hit their peak in mid-May that highlight this...
If you have the land, the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum ) is easy to love. This large flowering tree can reach 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide. The leaves emerge light green, but turn deep dark green at maturity. But, it's the showy white blooms that hit their peak in mid-May that highlight this tree. Tolerating everything but extremely wet or dry conditions, it's even easy to grow.
Things You'll Need
Horse chestnut tree
Shovel
Knife or garden shears
Water
Mulch or other organic material
Select an appropriate planting site. This large tree prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil in Hardiness Zones 3 through 8. It can grow rapidly under those conditions. It also prefers cooler climates and gardeners may not get the best results in warmer areas of the country.
Prepare the tree for planting. Horse chestnut transplants are usually purchased containerized or balled-and-burlapped. Use a knife or garden shears to remove all twine and wire and half of the burlap covering the rootball.
Dig the planting hole. Prepare the planting site by digging a hole three to four times the width of the rootball or container and equal in depth. The top of the tree's rootball should be even with the surrounding ground when planted.
Position and plant the tree. Position the tree in the planting hole. After confirming that the tree is straight, add a small portion of the original soil to stabilize. Fill the planting hole with water and allow it to be absorbed by the rootball and the surrounding soil.
Mulch the planting area. Spread a generous layer of mulch three to four inches deep around the transplanted horse chestnut and over the entire planting area. Mulching is an excellent way to maintain soil moisture and prevent weeds from taking over the site.
Tips & Warnings
The horse chestnut is a large deciduous shade tree that is not usually planted in the average home landscape. It is very popular for parks, avenues, golf courses and other areas with acreage. If you have enough land to support this big beauty, it is an excellent choice.
Check your local nursery or garden center for the horse chestnut cultivar, 'Baumannii.' Its double white flowers last longer than the normal chestnut bloom and it does not produce messy fruit.
Be sure to water the horse chestnut transplant regularly. Horse chestnut does not do well in dry locations, particularly when young.
