Growing Hickory

[Glennak]

Hi all,
Here in southern Austrtalia there are only really two trees extensively planted Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globulus) and Pinus radiata. The Blue Gums for wood chip (well mainly for tax evasion) and Pine for paper and timber.
Is Hickory grown in plantations over in the US or elsewhere? They are not common here we have one in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens a Shagbark Hickory so no seed.
Do they grow quickly? I read that you use the sap wood is this correct? If so do you drop them young? How hard is it to get nuts? Are they a worthwhile crop?

 

[kyle1!]

They are a very slow growing tree. I planted a Northern Pecan seedling (6-8in tall), similar to the hickory, 4 years ago. It is approaching 2ft. It should be big in another 30-50yrs

Brian

 

[glennschumann]

Hickory is one of the slowest growing trees around here (Wisconsin). We had a couple in the yard where I grew up, and a bunch in the neighborhood. In the fall, I would rake up the nuts from the neighbors trees, and dry them in potatoe sacks in the garage. Grandpa would crack them in a vise, and pull the meats out while watching the football games. We loved to use them in cookies, and they are not commercially available. I like the taste of the nuts, but it would take hours to get a cupfull. Grandpa was (is) a saint for doing that for us.

For what it is worth, the pecan is a member of the hickory family. We had shagbark trees in our neighborhood.

One of our trees started bearing nuts when it got to be about 4" diam, another nearly stopped when it reached about 30" Over my 15 years at that house, I really couldn't see much change in the diameter of the small tree... very slow growing.

 

[Glennak]

Ok thanks maybe this slow growth is the reason they are not grown. Or do they grow faster in the southern states where it's warmer?

 

[farmer]

I am sure they do grow faster down south. Plenty of moisture and a longer growing season.

 

[Works4me]

Hi all,
Here in southern Austrtalia there are only really two trees extensively planted Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globulus) and Pinus radiata. The Blue Gums for wood chip (well mainly for tax evasion) and Pine for paper and timber.
Is Hickory grown in plantations over in the US or elsewhere? They are not common here we have one in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens a Shagbark Hickory so no seed.
Do they grow quickly? I read that you use the sap wood is this correct? If so do you drop them young? How hard is it to get nuts? Are they a worthwhile crop?

The Pecan would be a much better choice if your interested in the nuts. I'm not aware of any market for Hickory nuts. I picked them when I was a kid with my
Grandparents who lived through the depression. Pecan trees like a creek or river bottom where the tap root has plenty of water..

opcorn:

 

[treeseer]

Hickory slow in zone 7 too. they are the climax species on my land so i clear around the good ones. then the girdling insect tops em for me.

Mills turn it away cuz it is so hard.

why no nuts from the shagbark?

taproot makes it hard to transplant.

 

[Glennak]

Hickory slow in zone 7 too. they are the climax species on my land so i clear around the good ones. then the girdling insect tops em for me.

Mills turn it away cuz it is so hard.

why no nuts from the shagbark?

taproot makes it hard to transplant.

I thought I read somewhere they needed cross polination or there were male and female trees can't remember which. But walnuts seem to cope by themselves so maybe I'm mistaken?
What is zone 7? Is it hot and wet there?
Hard? You should try some of our woods.

 

[computeruser]

What is zone 7? Is it hot and wet there?

Click on the map for more detailed view.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

Hickory is one of the slowest growing trees around here (Wisconsin). We had a couple in the yard where I grew up, and a bunch in the neighborhood. In the fall, I would rake up the nuts from the neighbors trees, and dry them in potatoe sacks in the garage. Grandpa would crack them in a vise, and pull the meats out while watching the football games. We loved to use them in cookies, and they are not commercially available. I like the taste of the nuts, but it would take hours to get a cupfull. Grandpa was (is) a saint for doing that for us.

For what it is worth, the pecan is a member of the hickory family. We had shagbark trees in our neighborhood.

One of our trees started bearing nuts when it got to be about 4" diam, another nearly stopped when it reached about 30" Over my 15 years at that house, I really couldn't see much change in the diameter of the small tree... very slow growing.

correct me if im wrong but arent hickory and pecan part of the Walnut Family??

 

[Jarrah413]

Hi all,
Here in southern Austrtalia there are only really two trees extensively planted Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globulus) and Pinus radiata. The Blue Gums for wood chip (well mainly for tax evasion) and Pine for paper and timber.
Is Hickory grown in plantations over in the US or elsewhere? They are not common here we have one in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens a Shagbark Hickory so no seed.
Do they grow quickly? I read that you use the sap wood is this correct? If so do you drop them young? How hard is it to get nuts? Are they a worthwhile crop?

Hey Glennak,
Did you end up going with hickory trees? I am trying to find a supplier of rootstock in Australia and was wondering if you have any leads? I'm after the hickory variety that's used for the wood when smoking food..... I'm in NSW

 

[Canyon Angler]

I have about 20 pecan hickories (mahan variety, locally called "papershell") that I transplanted when they were 1/8" thick, 9" long seedlings.
That was about 12 years ago.
Now they are all pushing 25' tall, 5 or 6" DBH and are mostly producing nuts. Zone 8A.

 

[Canyon Angler]

correct me if im wrong but arent hickory and pecan part of the Walnut Family??

Walnut family = Juglans = walnuts, butternuts
Hickory family = Carya = hickories, including pecan (a type of hickory)

 

[Jason Douglas]

Juglans and Carya are both in the Juglandaeae family.

 

[Canyon Angler]

Juglans and Carya are both in the Juglandaeae family.

Huh. You're right. I would have expected walnuts to kill off everything that was non-walnut in their family!