Black Walnut Question?

Discussion in 'Woody Plants' started by Partycrasher, Oct 12, 2006.

  1. Partycrasher

    Partycrasher Member

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    Hello,

    Does anyone know if a Black Walnut tree would survive & grow well on the prairies? I was thinking central to southern Saskatchewan. Also, does anyone know what soil types (or is it slow or fast growth) that gives a walnut tree it's rich dark wood? I am interested in starting a nut farm & having wood to harvest one day in the future. I have heard that I need a certain amount of frost free days for the trees to survive but have been unable to find out what areas of Saskatchewan average frost free days are? I had also read that a black walnut tree can begin to produce a useful crop of nuts at approximately 5 years but then I read another source that said it would be at least 20 years before a black walnut tree can produce a useful crop?? Does anyone know why the conflicting estimates? Any Black Walnut experts out there able to help please??

    Tim
     
  2. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Hi, I think you really need to do the kind of research that isn't necessarily summed up in a few internet tips! Everyone will sound very confident about their answers, but that doesn't mean they'll know the answers :-). You need to speak in depth to people at a couple of Univ's (agric. type), and people growing them themselves (here's where the net is good - to find them for you) maybe in similar climate parts of the U.S. Do you know, BTW, that Juglans nigra (your tree) puts out 'juglone', which is toxic to many plants, which won't grow under or near it? Have you ever grown anything on a commercial scale?
     
  3. smivies

    smivies Active Member

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    The occasional garden centre sells Black Walnut in the Edmonton area. I don't know how well those trees that were purchased have survived & the tree has not been available/planted for long enough in the area to see any large specimens (or any specimens at all). Now Saskatchewan is a bit colder than the Edmonton area (zone 3b vs. 2?) and might be beyond the limit of Black Walnut cold hardiness. The length of the summer season might also be too short for the Walnuts. With trees leafing out in Ontario in early-mid May, the walnuts are ripe in mid September.

    Juglans in Alberta

    Simon
     
  4. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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  5. Partycrasher

    Partycrasher Member

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    Nope!

    That's the point of asking questions. Try to find direction & maybe learn the next questions to ask. When I run out of questions I should have my answer, don't ya think?
     
  6. Partycrasher

    Partycrasher Member

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  7. Partycrasher

    Partycrasher Member

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    Thankyou for the link!
     
  8. Dr_Woof

    Dr_Woof Member

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    Just saw your post and thought I'd give my experience with em so far. I grew up with black walnut trees (and squirrels - they're inseparable LOL) and always wanted one but didnt think they would survive in Saskatchewan. Tried planting a few seeds I "imported" from Iowa but no luck. Last June (2006) I saw some for sale in Regina and decided to go for it. Bought one and then, wonder of wonders, had a call from wife's friend offering us another one that they were getting rid of. Roots on both the trees were cut rather short. So now I got two. Planted em both in big holes with lotsa peat moss and root stimualtor and watered em every week. Bout 3 weeks later the leaves began dying off - wasn't much left by the end of summer and I thought they were toast. Then the deer came along in the winter and did some "pruning". Wasn't any sign of new growth this spring either - until late May and then they both began to sprout new leaf buds. Right now (June 13, 2007) they seem to be doing quite well with lotsa new leaves and growth, but I guess time will tell. I got em protected from deer now with guards I made out of stucco wire (just cut off the right lenghth and wire it together and drop over the tree and peg down with tent pegs. I'm optimistic they will survive since the roots will be more established by this winter and the deer problem is solved, although last winter was rather mild. Meanwhile, I'm ordering my black walnuts (for fudge, brownies etc etc from a fantastic place in Missouri at about $10 / lb. Good Luck if you decide to plant the trees!
     
  9. Partycrasher

    Partycrasher Member

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    Hi,

    Thanx for the reply & encouragement. I will have to look up Lumsden Sask. to see where your trees are growing. Is that the correct area? The area I was thinking of is south eastern Sask. It is a zone 3 area & I could afford the property to give this a try on a little larger scale (maybe a few hundred tree to start?) and see how it goes?? Do you know the variety (species) of trees you have? Let me know when you get a chance.

    Tim
     
  10. Dr_Woof

    Dr_Woof Member

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    Lumsden is about 20 km northeast of Regina, and according to the map we are in zone 2b. We are not actually in the town itself, which probably has a microclimate warmer than ours, but just on the flat prairie near Lumsden.
     
  11. Dr_Woof

    Dr_Woof Member

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    Oops! Make that 20 km northwest of Regina. I don't know the variety of the black walnuts we have - one was purchased from a nursery as a "black walnut" and the other just given to us by a friend.
     
  12. Partycrasher

    Partycrasher Member

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    Thanx for the reply again! If you have lived in the Regina area of Sask. for a long period of time, do you feel that your winters are not a sever as they once were. This is what I am counting on (hoping for). The total number of frost free days in order to get the trees to grow tall & straight & be able to survive a prairie winter! I was thinking that with global warming the winters are a little less harsh - perhaps southern Sask. is no longer a zone 3 (3a & 3b), maybe closer to a zone 4 nowadays? But, that is the exciting part! Maybe it will work... maybe it won't? Never know unless I give it a try. I want to try Black Walnut, Pecan Hickory & Sugar Maple all interplanted with Black Alder. All trees that (have been known to) grow well as far north as zone 4.

    Thanks for talkin'

    Tim
     
  13. Dr_Woof

    Dr_Woof Member

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    Well, we've been here bout 35 years. Haven't seen a really severe winter for probably bout 10 years now, but I guess it could still happen and there's no reason to think it's a long term thing. I don't have a handle on frost-free days, although my guess is that we are getting longer. We moved to our present location in 1982, and we used to get huge snowdrifts in our driveway (10 to 15 feet high!) every winter but haven't seen em now for quite a while. I'd also be concerned with rain in the case of trees. It's easy for me to water a few trees with a hose, but if you are talking hundreds then it could get hard, and some summers are very dry here - even the natural trees suffer
     

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