Chestnuts
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute
Episode Archive
Episode #189 | Original Air Date: November 19, 2020
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Transcript
The American chestnut tree dominated the forests of the Eastern United States until the chestnut blight struck in the early twentieth century. Today, gardeners can plant Chinese chestnut trees, which are blight-resistant.
Chinese chestnuts grow best in the northern half of Florida. Plant grafted trees in well-drained soil where they'll get lots of sun.
You'll want to protect young trees from squirrels, deer, and other hungry pests. Once mature, the trees can reach up to forty feet tall and wide.
At least two trees are required to make the nuts, which are edible. Scientists are still trying to develop a blight-resistant American chestnut, so that this majestic tree can flourish once again.
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute is a production of the University of Florida’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program, IFAS Extension, and WUFT-FM in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
