What Are Chestnut Seeds? Inside the Hard, Spiky Outer Shell Is the Chestnut We Commonly Eat

AbstractThe chestnut seed is the chestnut we commonly eat plus its outer astringent skin. The chestnut fruit is wrapped in a layer of hard spines, and only after the hard spines open is the chestnut revealed. Generally, there are about 3 chestnuts inside one chestnut fruit.

Usually the chestnuts we eat are the seeds of the chestnut. In fact, the outside of the chestnut fruit is surrounded by a layer of hard spines, and only after opening the hard spines is the chestnut inside revealed. Generally, there are about 3 chestnuts inside one chestnut fruit.

Seed Storage

After the chestnut seeds are harvested, uniform, plump seeds free of pests and diseases need to be selected for sand storage or water storage. Sand storage mainly uses wet sand to build layered piles indoors, while water storage involves placing chestnuts in bamboo baskets in a place with a constant flow of water in the mountains and putting them into the river water. Check the chestnuts about once every 10 days and screen out any problematic seeds.

Indoor Root Promotion

1. Heating to Promote Roots

Generally, in mid-February each year, you can start building the beds, and after the beds are completed, put the seeds in and heat them.

2. Building the Beds

Build an earthen pit indoors with bricks, spread fine sand about 5 cm deep in the pit, place the chestnut seeds on top, then cover them with sand about 5 cm deep until the pile reaches about 1 m high, and cover the very top with sand 10 cm deep. The sand should be kept moist, preferably at a state where no water can be squeezed out.

3. Heating

Light sawdust in the pit opening, block the opening with burlap sacks, and then cover it with plastic sheeting on top to increase the temperature and humidity inside the pit.

4. Temperature

It is best to keep the temperature in the beds at around 20°C. Under such conditions, after about 10 days of heating, the roots can generally grow to about 2 cm.

Outdoor Germination Promotion

1. Building the Pools

Choose a sheltered, sunny place outdoors with good drainage, first build a soil warming shed with bricks, and build raised beds on the ground, preferably 1.5 m wide and about 3 cm high, with the bottom of the beds lined with about 5 cm of fine sand.

2. Placing Seeds to Promote Germination

When the indoor roots reach about 2 cm, take out the seeds, cut the roots at 1 cm from the radicle, quickly dip them in a 5×10-4 to 8×10-4 naphthaleneacetic acid solution, and then immediately place them flat in the outdoor brick pools to promote lateral roots, control the main root, and encourage normal growth of the embryo buds.

The seed row spacing is generally 3 cm×7 cm. Cover the top with clean sand about 7 cm thick and press lightly once with a wooden board to promote embryo bud growth. The sand's water content is best at about 50%. Do not remove the chestnut shells; ensure the seeds remain intact.

3. Covering with Film

After the seeds are all covered, cover them with plastic film, do protective work around them, and keep the temperature and humidity in the pools suitable. The sand bed in the shed should be checked frequently; if it is too dry, spray water promptly to keep it moist.