Successful Experiment, but what do I do with them now?

In September while out dog walking in the local woods I picked up some conkers, acorns and chestnuts. Came home and planted the up in mpc, they have been out by the side of the house since then. Well, Mother Nature has done her best and here are the results....



I’m really not sure what I should do now and feel awful for starting such a silly experiment when I have no way of planting these.

I didn’t expect to have any real success, but they all seem to have come up or are showing signs of having germinated.

 

They will, its amazing how nearly all of that stuff is actually ready to grow if given the chance.

 

It may be worthwhile ringing Markshall Arboretum at Coggeshall. If they won't take them then perhaps they can suggest someone who will.

 

Or you can put the plants on recycle site many put plants on and they soon go its free
!
www.ilovefreegle.org

 

@Tinkerbelle61 ,

Well done with your experiment,..there is satisfaction in doing so well.

If you fail to get someone to take them you could find a woods where other Chestnut Trees are growing then plant them in a suitable spot,.. you could call back from time to time and see them growing taller each visit.

 

I agree, well done
You could try making bonsai trees from them, it may take years to get nice results but it would be one way of saving them

 

Good morning @pete @Sheal @Janet mahay @glengarry23 and @Michael Hewett thank you all for your replies.

I feel much happier now

I will contact Markshall Arboretum, put a post on Freecycle and see if I can sneak back down to the woods and plant the Chestnuts. I may also research how to make one into a bonsai tree.

Hoping to put the house up on the market by the end of June, so even a very small possibility that we may get to move this year to somewhere with a garden big enough to plant one in too!

I am still amazed how almost all of them have germinated and seem healthy and happy little plants. Isn’t nature wonderful

 

I think that, after watching a few Herons Bonsai videos, you will definitely change your mind about having too many seedlings:




Let the hording of the raw material begin.

 

This is an oak tree I sneakingly planted in a semi wild area of the local park about 15yrs ago.

 

@ pete

A tree whose shade you can actually sit under.

The benevolent act done for future generations paid off double. Wonderful.

 

The tree was grown from an acorn I picked up in a park in Vancouver in 1995.
Its not an English oak, its a red oak, Quercus rubra.
But I dont think anyone has noticed yet.

 

@Tinkerbelle61 snap, i planted 10 acorns and 8 have germinated, one for bonsai and hoping to plant the others some where if opportunities arise.

 

Oh @misterQ what a great video, I am definitely going to try bonsais, I fancy trying to make them into ‘S’ shape too. How Exciting!

 

That’s a fab tree @pete It must be so thrilling to see it there where you planted it, knowing it’s origins, well done you.

 

I am going to try bonsai too @mazambo , we can have a ‘bonsai-tree-off’!!