I tried sprouting horse chestnuts several times with no success however it seems there must be a way. I had success with grocery store chestnuts, and even got one to grow outside for a couple years, but the young tree died for some reason.
TIA. Bill S.
According to Sunset's "Western Garden Book", the seeds should sprout quite readily. Perhaps the seeds you tried were damaged, not sufficiently ripe, or too old.
Note that horse chestnuts and "real" chestnuts are not at all related. Horse chestnuts are in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae). Chestnuts are in the beech family (Fagaceae) and have mostly died out in North America and western Europe because of the chestnut blight.
In the UK there is little problem with Chestnut blight, although it is increasing and is a notifiable disease. There are only a few local outbreaks so far.
There is much more of a problem with Horse chestnuts, which are suffering from bleeding canker and particularly badly from Horse-chestnut leaf miner. I can't remember when I last saw a tree which was not affected by leaf miner.
Also I've never seen a horse chestnut germinate or sprout while laying on the ground through the spring though there are very many there.
Last time Igerminated some I put the fresh "Nuts" into a polythene bag together with moist compost and put them in the salad tray in the fridge and left them there till early spring then moved themto a cool place and just watched for signs of roots begining. Then pot each one up and grow coolfor a time. If you think they would fall to the ground and spend the winter inthe leaf litterwaiting for spring to start them into growth
Squirrels will bury my Chinese chestnuts and I see sprouts in the spring.
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