To promote flower bud formation throughout the tree canopy it is important to prune chestnuts annually in late winter or very early spring. Pruning allows sunlight into the canopy and helps stimulate formation of the nut-bearing flower buds. Central leader pruning is the preferred pruning method especially where mechanical shakers and harvesters will be used. A small mechanical nut harvester, designed for low-acreage orchards, picks up fallen burrs from the flat orchard floor. Chestnuts that have slipped out of the burr can be missed by the machine and requires some follow-up hand harvesting.
Mechanization is a key to commercial success.
Adequate soil moisture is important during final filling of the kernel and growers benefit by having trickle irrigation to enable better control of nut size and quality, as well as maintaining tree health during droughty seasons. Chestnut weevil and potato leaf hopper are two insect pests that can sometimes cause significant economic losses to chestnut orchards. Like all orchard crops, diligent pest monitoring is important during the entire chestnut growing season. To enable an Integrated Pest Management program, air-blast sprayers that are used in fruit orchards work well in chestnut orchards. Harvesting can be done by hand or mechanically in larger orchards.