Time

Sow in fall + 18 months

Level

Beginner

Success rate

High

Fresh red buckeye nuts (collected as husks split open)

Bucket of water

Deep 1 gallon nursery pots or a prepared planting hole

Compost-amended potting mix

Mulch

Mesh wire to deter squirrels

Collect nuts the moment husks split

Aesculus pavia drops nuts in late summer to early fall. Collect them as soon as the spiny husks crack open. Each husk holds 1 to 3 shiny brown nuts, sometimes called buckeyes for the white spot that resembles a deer's eye.

Fresh nuts are critical. Buckeye seed loses viability within weeks once it dries out, store-bought or year-old nuts almost never germinate.

Float-test the nuts

Drop nuts in a bucket of water. Discard floaters, those are usually empty or grub-damaged. Sinkers are viable and ready to sow.

Sow immediately, 2 inches deep

Push each nut 2 inches deep into compost-amended soil, either in a deep 1 gallon pot or directly into a prepared planting hole. The taproot drives down fast, so a deep pot or final position is far better than a shallow seedling tray.

Mulch and protect from rodents

Cover the soil surface with 2 inches of mulch. Lay mesh wire over the planting until late spring, squirrels dig up buckeye nuts almost as a sport. The mesh comes off once the seedling pushes through in May.

Watch for first leaves in May

Buckeye nuts cold-stratify themselves through winter and germinate in spring once soil warms above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The first leaves are large and palmate, looking nearly adult-sized from the start.

Grow on through year 2

Water deeply during dry spells through the first 2 summers. Move pot-grown seedlings to their permanent spot in the second autumn. Aesculus pavia is summer-dormant in the Southeast, expect leaf drop in August even on a healthy plant.

Time

8–12 weeks

Level

Intermediate

Success rate

Moderate

Mature red buckeye whose roots you can access (offset from main trunk)

Sharp spade

Sterile pruners

Pencil-thick root sections

Sandy potting mix or 50/50 sand-compost mix

Deep 4 inch pots with drainage

Dig in late January or early February

Pick a spot 2 to 3 feet from the trunk. Dig a 12 inch deep hole and look for pencil-thick roots running horizontally. Wear gloves, the roots can be tough and brittle. Backfill the hole when you are done so you do not stress the parent tree.

Cut roots into 4 inch sections

Using sterile pruners, cut roots into 4 inch sections. Make a flat cut on the end closest to the trunk and a slanted cut on the end furthest from the trunk so you can tell which way is up.

Root polarity matters for buckeye, sections planted upside down do not produce shoots. The end nearest the trunk goes up.

Stick sections vertically in sandy mix

Push each section into a deep 4 inch pot of sandy mix with the flat-cut end about half an inch below the soil surface. Firm the medium around the section. Space sections 2 inches apart if you are putting several in one pot.

Place in a cool sheltered spot

Set pots in a cold frame or unheated garage at 40 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the mix evenly moist, root cuttings rot in saturated soil but stall in dry mix. Aim for damp like a wrung-out sponge.

Watch for shoots in spring

By April or May, viable sections push a green shoot from the buried flat-cut end. New roots form below the surface around the same time. Once shoots are 3 inches tall, move pots to bright indirect light.

Pot up rooted sections in early summer

Lift each rooted section in June and pot up to a 1 gallon container of regular potting mix. Grow on through summer in bright shade. Plant out in the second spring.

Time

10–14 weeks

Level

Advanced

Success rate

Low

Sterile sharp pruners

Rooting hormone (required)

Perlite or 50/50 perlite-peat mix

4 inch pots with drainage holes

Clear plastic dome or bag with stakes

Bottom heat mat (recommended)

Take cuttings in early June

Choose this year's growth that bends without snapping but is starting to firm at the base. Cut 4 to 6 inch tips with 2 leaf sets in early morning. Drop cuttings in a bag with a damp paper towel until you can pot them up within an hour.

Strip lower leaves and wound the base

Remove all leaves from the bottom half of each cutting. Score the lowest inch with two shallow vertical cuts through the bark.

Dip in rooting hormone. Aesculus is one of the hardest woody natives to root, hormone is not optional, it is required.

Stick into moist perlite

Push each cutting 1.5 inches into pre-moistened perlite. Firm the medium so the cutting stays vertical. Space cuttings 2 inches apart.

Cover and add bottom heat

Tent the pot with a clear dome or a bag held off the leaves with stakes. Place on a heat mat at 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Bottom heat roughly doubles the rooting rate for buckeye softwood. Mist inside the dome daily.

Vent the dome at week 10

Open the dome for 1 hour the first day, doubling daily for a week. Tug a cutting at week 12. Resistance plus a small new green leaf at the tip means roots have formed. Most cuttings will not pass this test.

Pot up survivors carefully

Move successful cuttings to deep 4 inch pots of regular potting mix. Buckeye produces a fast-growing taproot, deep pots beat shallow ones. Overwinter in a sheltered spot and plant out in the second spring.