Walnut tree: where and what

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by Morteza, Feb 23, 2011.

  1. Morteza

    Morteza Member

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    Hi,

    I am looking to plant a walnut tree in my backyard in notrh van. Where can I buy one and what kind do you recommend?

    Regards

    Morteza
     
  2. MarkVIIIMarc

    MarkVIIIMarc Active Member

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    Location:
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    Get a named cultivar if you want more reliable nut production or at least nuts the common man can crack the shell of...think Juglans nigra is the least non-native to your area.

    A number of mail order nurseries sell them. In the US many states have departments of forestry which will mail you a dozen two foot tall trees on the cheap. Don't know about Canada.

    Google "Gardenwatchdog" before using an unknown mail order nursery.

    Be aware, some plants are sort of "allergic" to a compound walnuts produce. It isn't crazy or instantly poisonous, but some veggies and the like won't like growing under their drip lines.
     
  3. Tree Nut

    Tree Nut Active Member

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    Get Juglans regia hardy carpathian. They are like the types you buy in the stores, but are extra hardy. I don't know where to get them locally, but Grimo's http://www.grimonut.com/
    has them and ship bareroot for spring. If you're patient, I have a few hundred seeds stratifying right now and will have seedlings in the fall. Will take quite a few years to reach a large size though...
     
  4. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    All of the commercial trees that I've seen were grafted onto Black Walnut rootstocks. I wonder what you will get from seedlings; they may not be the same quality as the parents.
     
  5. Tree Nut

    Tree Nut Active Member

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    As you know, grafted trees are clones of a typically high producing, high quality tree (which was originally a seedling, albeit a very good one). One knows what qualities to expect from a cloned tree, which is one of the reasons that commercial growers use them.

    On the downside of grafted clones, they are short lived compared to seedlings on there own roots, (although they will still live longer than most humans), many die due to poor take on the grafts, and they are not as hardy or vigorous as seedlings. I have quite a few grafted nut trees and that is my experience so far.

    Good quality nuts, from a choice tree is also a form of selection. By using only the largest nuts, and picking them from a top quality tree, one also has a means to select for good qualities. Plus the trees are vigorous, extremely long lived, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

    If a person is only going to grow one tree, a seedling may be the best choice anyways, as commercial nut production is reliant on cross pollination from other trees which may not be available in the neighborhood.
     
  6. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Tree Nut, doesn't a seedling tree need cross pollination just as much as a commercial one? They weren't bred to require cross-pollination; so I assume that it is a natural feature of the species.
     
  7. Tree Nut

    Tree Nut Active Member

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    Vitog,

    My point was that if one wanted a commercial grafted walnut, it wouldn't reach its full nut yield potential without cross pollination. Neither would a seedling, but one would likely have a healthier, possibly more beautiful, long lasting tree by going the seedling route.
     

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