How to care for and grow black walnut trees

[jumberlack]

I have 10 eastern black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) in various stages of growth around my house (8-50 years old) I'm wondering how I can make them as healthy and grow as fast/big as possible? I'm not trying to make it financially viable for nuts or timber I just want to see how big I can make them in the next 30 or so years for the fun of it and satisfying my own curiosity.
It would be awesome and probably impossible to grow one to 5+ ft in diameter and 120+ feet tall in that time but I will dream on.

So far I'm thinking of cutting competing trees, using 10-10-10 fertalizer, watering, and triming dead limbs.
Im open to any advice or experience. Are there any resources that I could read?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Just saw this post. Welcome to AS. Personally, I'm not a big fan of fertilization, generally speaking all the nutrients the tree needs are already in the soil... however, they might be locked up in compounds the tree has problems accessing. I am a fan of soil pH adjustments to make those nutrients available. A walnut will do best in a neutral to slightly acidic pH range, say 6 - 7.5. The first thing I would do is a pH test and see where you stand, and then adjust as necessary.

 

[pdqdl]

Get a stable full of large animals and keep it well mulched with natural fertilizer.

I have a friend with a monstrous walnut tree; that property was formerly a cattle feed lot. I'd guess it was between 6 & 8 feet in diameter.

 

[fields_mj]

Welcome to the site! I didn't know that you had to try to grow them. Around my place, you have to put forth a reasonable amount of effort to NOT grow them, or to grow something that's NOT a black walnut or silver maple. If you're wanting them to get big, I'd say the biggest things is protecting them from insect damage and storm damage (wind/lightening) which means possibly leaving the other trees around them. I've also been told that the root systems from different types of trees can actually help each other.

 

[Stubby]

We planted 2 small black walnut trees back in 1985 (same size). About a year later, we started "breeding" bunny rabbits (accidentally..).

We had a large rabbit house with a mesh outdoor area, all on legs about a foot off the ground under one of the trees. This outdoor area had a mesh floor as well, so the poop could fall through to the ground.

Well...that tree grew much faster than the second tree.

About 2 years after that, we gave up this rabbit "hobby", and removed everything. We still have both trees and the one fertilized with poop is still about 50% girthier than the second one.

So, rabbit poop works.

I will admit, though...the walnuts can be a PITA. Unless you have a purpose for them, they make a mess. Some years are more fruitful than others. On a banner year, there are thousands of them, all over the yard. Even all the squirrels can't keep up.

I bought one of these to pick them up....

https://www.amazon.com/Nut-Wizard-Picker-Walnuts-Gumball/dp/B018YSTIB6

Rich

 

[BrentStir]

We planted 2 small black walnut trees back in 1985 (same size). About a year later, we started "breeding" bunny rabbits (accidentally..).

We had a large rabbit house with a mesh outdoor area, all on legs about a foot off the ground under one of the trees. This outdoor area had a mesh floor as well, so the poop could fall through to the ground.

Well...that tree grew much faster than the second tree.

About 2 years after that, we gave up this rabbit "hobby", and removed everything. We still have both trees and the one fertilized with poop is still about 50% girthier than the second one.

So, rabbit poop works.

I will admit, though...the walnuts can be a PITA. Unless you have a purpose for them, they make a mess. Some years are more fruitful than others. On a banner year, there are thousands of them, all over the yard. Even all the squirrels can't keep up.

I bought one of these to pick them up....

https://www.amazon.com/Nut-Wizard-Picker-Walnuts-Gumball/dp/B018YSTIB6

Rich

You do know that Black Walnut trees can live at least 150 years, if nothing untoward happens to them. They have extensive root systems, and can survive some tough conditions. I wonder why you picked Black Walnut for yard trees with the huge selection that is available.
The number of nuts on a tree in a given year is often related more to how much rain the tree got the previous year, since that is when flower buds are set for the next year. So root pruning here and there might reduce the number of flowers, or planting more trees round about as competition and reduce the available resources.
The meat in the nuts is edible but very difficult to extract.

 

[Stubby]

I didn't choose them..my wife planted them. I came home one day, and there they were.

Rich

 

[BrentStir]

I didn't choose them..my wife planted them. I came home one day, and there they were.

Rich

I don’t expect she cleans up the nuts, either.
There is often an ad in magazines that if you have a black walnut it could be worth $10,000 . They don’t mention this doesn’t apply to urban trees that could have metal in them so they normally discard the butt log to 30 ft high, usually the biggest part of the tree.
They also don’t mention the tree has to dead straight with no branches to at least 60 ft, to make it worthwhile for veneer.
Such trees can occasionally be found in the forest.
So, I hope your wife didn’t choose these black walnut trees for that reason.
Or maybe she chose them because a lot of species can’t tolerate the chemical they secrete in the soil, so there would be a limit to what else could be planted in the yard? White cedar and native maples are resistant (at least in Ontario )

 

[Stubby]

You assume wrong. My wife takes care of our lawn. Mows, string trims, etc. She's picked up hundreds of wheelbarrows full of walnuts over the years.

I help her with the leaves in the fall.

Back in the day, there was an old saying..."plant a black walnut tree when you're child is born, and sell it when they begin college. The tree will cover the cost."

Of course, it's not exactly accurate (especially today..), but it paints a picture that they are worth money.

My wife planted them when she was in her 20's, she is not an arborist, didn't plant them as an investment. She had them given to her and planted them. Simple as that.

Rich

 

[ElevatorGuy]

Stubby, You need to look up and watch HVBW tree video. Your trees are worth little to nothing and a major pita to keep up with.

 

[Stubby]

Stubby, You need to look up and watch HVBW tree video. Your trees are worth little to nothing and a major pita to keep up with.

I will watch the video, but just to make it clear, we don't care about the worth.

All we do is trim the low hanging branches ( to be able to drive the garden tractor under), and pick up the nuts to be able to mow.

If they're worth not much, how come black walnut wood is expensive to buy?

Rich

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I will watch the video, but just to make it clear, we don't care about the worth.

All we do is trim the low hanging branches ( to be able to drive the garden tractor under), and pick up the nuts to be able to mow.

If they're worth not much, how come black walnut wood is expensive to buy?

Rich

Most mills won't take residential trees due to the risk of embedded metal.

 

[Woody912]

I don’t expect she cleans up the nuts, either.
There is often an ad in magazines that if you have a black walnut it could be worth $10,000 . They don’t mention this doesn’t apply to urban trees that could have metal in them so they normally discard the butt log to 30 ft high, usually the biggest part of the tree.
They also don’t mention the tree has to dead straight with no branches to at least 60 ft, to make it worthwhile for veneer.
Such trees can occasionally be found in the forest.
So, I hope your wife didn’t choose these black walnut trees for that reason.
Or maybe she chose them because a lot of species can’t tolerate the chemical they secrete in the soil, so there would be a limit to what else could be planted in the yard? White cedar and native maples are resistant (at least in Ontario )

8 foot butt log will make veneer

 

[TheJollyLogger]

8 foot butt log will make veneer

You sure won't find a mill that's going to risk their veneer knife on a yard tree.

 

[Woody912]

You sure won't find a mill that's going to risk their veneer knife on a yard tree.

Sold one for $1510

 

[robert lauder]

I have 10 eastern black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) in various stages of growth around my house (8-50 years old) I'm wondering how I can make them as healthy and grow as fast/big as possible? I'm not trying to make it financially viable for nuts or timber I just want to see how big I can make them in the next 30 or so years for the fun of it and satisfying my own curiosity.
It would be awesome and probably impossible to grow one to 5+ ft in diameter and 120+ feet tall in that time but I will dream on.

So far I'm thinking of cutting competing trees, using 10-10-10 fertalizer, watering, and triming dead limbs.
Im open to any advice or experience. Are there any resources that I could read?

Our 120 year old walnut. Keep at it!