{"product_id":"chestnut-flemings-prolific-castanea-sativa","title":"Flemings Prolific Chestnut - Castanea sativa ‘Flemings Prolific’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFlemings Prolific Chestnut - Castanea sativa ‘Flemings Prolific’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sweet chestnut, \u003cem\u003eCastanea sativa\u003c\/em\u003e, is a genuine dual purpose tree: a broad domed shade canopy for most of the year and a heavy autumn nut crop that stores and roasts well. ‘Flemings Prolific’ is grown in Australia as a named selection for reliable, sizeable nuts rather than as a timber or purely ornamental form. It needs a cool climate with real winter chill and deep acidic soil, which puts it in the tablelands, the ranges, southern Victoria and Tasmania rather than in coastal subtropical gardens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Flemings Prolific Chestnut\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNut Quality\u003c\/strong\u003e: Large, sweet kernels that peel cleanly once roasted, dropping free of the burr through April and May.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eChill Dependence\u003c\/strong\u003e: Requires a genuinely cold winter to set and fill a crop, so it rewards cool districts where many fruit trees struggle.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCanopy Shape\u003c\/strong\u003e: Broad and domed with age, casting the kind of deep summer shade that makes a paddock or a house yard usable.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAutumn Foliage\u003c\/strong\u003e: Long toothed leaves turn clear yellow to russet before falling, and the summer catkins scent the air heavily.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCross Pollination\u003c\/strong\u003e: Chestnuts are largely self incompatible, so plant a second chestnut variety within about 30m for a dependable crop.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHome Orchard\u003c\/strong\u003e: A pair of trees on a cool climate block will supply a household and then some once they hit their stride.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAcreage Shade\u003c\/strong\u003e: Large enough to shade stock, machinery or an outdoor table, and deciduous so winter sun returns.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRural Driveway Avenue\u003c\/strong\u003e: Spaced widely along a drive, the matched domes read as a formal approach in summer.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShelterbelt Edge\u003c\/strong\u003e: Useful in a mixed deciduous shelter planting on the leeward side where the soil stays deep and acidic.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e Not a hedge plant. Orchard rows at 8 to 10m each way.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 to 12m, well clear of paths because the spiny burrs are painful underfoot.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Winter to very early spring while fully dormant.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deep, free draining and slightly acidic, ideally pH 5.5 to 6.5. Chestnuts fail in limey soils and die quickly in waterlogged ground.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Give a long slow soak weekly through the first three summers, since dry spells in January and February cost you the following crop. Keep a wide grass free mulched circle around the trunk so the surface roots are not competing with pasture.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 to 15m in a garden, taller with age on good soil\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8 to 12m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate to fast\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deciduous\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Southern Europe and Asia Minor\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cream catkins in early summer\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"200L","offer_id":59795302416670,"sku":"ND-0431-200L","price":2750.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/qAQwpGQkiWr3j5B6JWqT__ZV4U8VIO.jpg?v=1787313113","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/chestnut-flemings-prolific-castanea-sativa","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}