Walnut Woes

Covers the many challenges of trying to grow Black Walnut for eventual use as lumber.

[@BruceLee-bd4pr]

Terry. Thanks for the video. I'm soaking your and other individuals information in as I start to plant a 20+ acre plot with walnut trees. Goal is about 3000 trees with a realization that my children and not I will benefit from the endeavor. Please continue to add videos as I bet there are many people who gain from this information.

[@terryhale9006]

Great plan! That is a LOT of trees. I hope it all goes well for you.

[@dnash57]

Hello Bruce and Terry. I’ve been planting and caring for walnut trees for around 50 years, good info from Terry-I will try to add to that. When planting trees plant far closer than the 12 foot spacing recommended by older bulletins. This will provide competition among the trees. They will grow straighter with less pruning. I have seen 4 foot spacing adding to the quality of the stand. Also allows for opportunity to later choose from a greater number of trees when are thinning poorer formed trees and keeping better formed trees. Consider also planting with white pine that will also provide training and healthy competition with the walnuts. Eventually the pines will be removed. Learn how to prune both for clean stem but also do top pruning to remove competing codominant stems while trees are small. There are good bulletins (see Purdue University) and videos (Nebraska extension) to learn about pruning methods. Eventually you will be choosing “keeper” crop trees and thinning out the poorly formed trees. When that time comes, you will want to learn about thinning (rule of thumb-if trees branches are touching side to side consider some thinning). Good luck. It is fun to both learn these techniques and watch your hard work result in some beautiful trees over time. Also, teach the next generation to care for that stand of trees when you get too old or are gone...

[@Bman10496]

Your videos have amazing production quality and the fact that you can go out and complete activities such as this is truly inspiring. Thanks for making all of your wood chopping tip videos as well. For some reason, I find it therapeutic to chop wood, but also to watch others do the same. Thanks again. Looking forward to your next video.

[@terryhale9006]

"I love work. I could watch it for hours"

[@BrunoVilelaIS]

vFallout. I think the same :)

[@amphitrichous]

That is so awesome that you can provide all this information after you grew those trees! Most people talking about how to do this don't have the evidence of experience that you can show on your video. I'm at the beginning of the phase planning to grow a grove for retirement. Thank you so much for this specific and pertinent info! Exactly what I was looking for.

[@terryhale9006]

Great! and good luck to you!

[@amphitrichous]

Thanks! My only fear is that my land has too many boulders.

[@terryhale9006]

I'll hope there's enough soil between the boulders to keep your walnuts happy.

[@douglaspollock102]

This video was a true pleasure to watch! Thank you for sharing! Virtually every question I had been wondering was answered in your video. You not only created a legacy with walnut trees, but also a legacy of lessons for each of us. Your trees grow, and now we do too!

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, D! Glad to hear it. P.S. This year, (2019) The fall of walnuts was a lot more than normal. The squirrels have been thrilled.

[@douglaspollock102]

Terry Hale there’s a few videos on how to remove the husks. The garbage can with a paint mixer on a drill, with rinsing on some screens looks practical. Others make their own walnut dyes and stains. Some raise chickens under the walnut trees to keep away insects and eat vegetation.

[@toonybrain]

Watching soft-spoken, low-key Terry is like watching an outdoorsy Mr. Rogers. Without the puppets.

[@mr.h5436]

Great video- happy to subscribe. I've been planting trees for 40 years wherever I've d lived.

[@terryhale9006]

Bless you for that dedication!

[@wade9638]

Very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing Terry

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks!

[@soldtobediers]

i can now look out my front window @ the walnut tree the squirrels had planted back in the 90's & enjoy it even more. Thank's for knowledge Terry. 122817

[@terryhale9006]

12831.

[@Vested_Investor]

Thank you Terry, A neighbor just gave me a grove of walnut saplings and I'm working on plans to move them to the hillsides of my 50 acres as step towards silvopasture with a long term goal of building a reserve for long term care needs. Thanks for the insight!

[@terryhale9006]

Best of luck to you. I have done only three minor transplants and those were practically seedlings. They were all successful, but I am, without any real reason, not comfortable risking any transplanting. Please let me know how well it goes for you.

[@scatoutdebutter]

* ha, "No caterpillars were injured during the making of this video"! :) * Sir, your foresight in planting all these trees -- especially considering the ongoing and diverse challenges -- is (to me) remarkable. * Glad you finally made another video!

[@terryhale9006]

I kept the gore off camera. Thanks!

[@andrep5899]

Many thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge of nature. I love your videos!

[@terryhale9006]

Thank you very much, Andre!

[@Naztalgic]

Wow so many stories what an adventure for you and your trees amazing!

[@terryhale9006]

We had a windstorm on July 13th and one of our 10" trees snapped. I briefly mourned it, but then realized how lucky it was that there were not an additional twenty.

[@scubadreamstaff4832]

Your knowledge Sir, is amazing!

[@mikefrerichs928]

Terry, I greatly enjoy your videos. Thank you for making them. This one, and a few others you have done, remind me of a PBS show called Nature Scene that I used to watch in the late '70's when I was a teenager. It was just two guys, one a naturalist and the other the host, walking through a different natural setting each week (forests, meadows, wetlands, etc...) and talking about the plants and animals they came across. I always found it peaceful and informative, and I would say the same thing about this video. I hope there are more in the future.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks much, Mike. I am also hoping I can do a few more. I'm afraid I'm limited more by material than I am by desire or energy, but we'll see.

[@Don.Challenger]

Google the KZbin channel South Carolina ETV and they have a playlist for some of the Nature Scene shows.

[@ilikedirtbikes007]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ArthurDayneFirstOfHisName]

Very...very informative. Thanks so much for posting

[@andrewl8524]

Wow. Great video! Im starting a black walnut grove/orchard here in wayyyy upstate ny. doing a timber and nut growth which will be difficult to balance but worth the effort. best video ive found yet on bw timber culture and you know your stuff. you can live long enough to harvest those youve first planted for retirement money. just eat raw and organic. youll be fine lol. I know. Been eating that way for years and my age is a surprise to everyone and im never sick. luckily im an ND so I know how to stay healthy but my goal is to grow trees until im 120 as the bible states..good luck with the growing and if you harvest definitely make a video on it

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Andrew. It was a tough summer for some of the younger walnuts, but I think they will be able to "shake it off" and do well next year. Best of luck to you and your walnut wards.

[@huw5681]

How do you know that the squirrels forgot where they burried thier nuts? Maybe they were just planting a walnut grove?

[@terryhale9006]

I could entertain that possibility. It could also be that they were being cautious and storing a bunch more than they needed in the Spring.

[@DavidTheMechanic]

That's hilarious

[@JohnSmith-mx3vt]

Maybe??? Only the squirrel knows. Great informative video, thanks.

[@bandols]

Breaks my heart at the idea you might not be able to see and put a plane to the beautiful lumber you have given the woodworking community.

[@terryhale9006]

I'm OK with it. I like the feeling that someone will be able to enjoy something I did after I'm gone, whether they appreciate it was done for them or not.

[@bandols]

@@terryhale9006 May I ask what state you are in?

[@dblood8529]

@@bandols up state New York. He mentioned it another video.

[@BrunoVilelaIS]

Hi Terry, I feel like I have the obligation to leave this comment. I loved your videos.I'm a 40 years old chainsaw novice user looking for ideas and experiences on tree felling and other themes related to that. Thank you for preparing so nice and informative videos on the matter. And don't worry, I'm aware about your warning that you are not ministering courses about that matters but just sharing some experiences (learning opportunities) with no intent to be shared as (as you have said) "competent instruction".

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Bruno. Glad to know Somebody's reading the warning labels!

[@JohnTheFrugalFatGuy]

Well done presentation! I'll probably not have use for this info in the remainder of my lifetime, but it was interesting to watch.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks John. If your picture is somewhat current, it looks like you may have a pretty long remainder ahead of you.

[@JohnTheFrugalFatGuy]

The picture is current but I'm still 64.

[@terryhale9006]

Got you beat by a year. Live long and prosper!

[@dougdobbs]

Great vid, Terry. Always enjoy your vids. Hope you can continue to make more of these. :)

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Doug. You and I both.

[@frankdavidson9675]

to encrease the value of you walnut or pecan trees as lumber while they are still very young take off limbs on the sides dont let them gro so the will be knot free upto about 9 ft it then be used for panling at a premium price if you have knots first 9 ft lowers the value of the tree

[@terryhale9006]

Agreed. Thanks for the emphasis. I think its well covered in the middle of the video.

[@stephenblack8804]

We live in a hollow with, heavily wooded with high limestone bluffs behind the house and barn. Black walnuts are included in the trees on top of the bluffs, which puts them well over 100’ above the barns metal roof. Sounds like a shotgun blast when the nuts start dropping in the fall and land on the barn roof.

[@terryhale9006]

Easy to tell how long the season lasts!

[@roverinosnarkman7240]

In my opinion, the wild crotch grain of the walnut is one of the most beautiful woods. Straight grain is fine and probably desirable for structural elements, but for decorative elements and veneers, wild grain is the most beautiful and sought after parts of the walnut. These are often sliced into veneers. In my opinion, you should not try to eliminate all the co-dominant limbs since you will eliminate all the desirable crotch wood.

[@terryhale9006]

Rove, A nice burl and good crotch wood provide great figure for wood connoisseurs. My concern with co-dominant stems is that they create a weakness that often leads to splitting and premature demise of the trees.

[@KarlBunker]

Great video; thanks!

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Karl.

[@lukebauer6626]

Great video.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Luke.

[@b22chris]

I’ve got Russian olives on the hill behind me. I’ve been fighting them since I moved in 3 years ago. They come back quick and spread even faster! I see how they got classed as invasive

[@terryhale9006]

Indeed! I tried to eliminate mine, but a couple of neighbors liked the smell and denied me permission to eradicate the ones that had spread to their property..

[@DavidTheMechanic]

This is a great video full of useful experience and information I haven't started my Orchard yet as a matter of fact I have just gathered this year some walnuts from my neighbor's black walnut tree and I'm going to germinate them through the winter and hopefully plant them in the spring but I was wondering about what you plan on doing with that Lumber all the videos I see if people who Walnut trees are really interested in all of these types of distorted patterns within the wood all the very unique grains even crotches and knots they are very beautiful pieces of wood and very expensive

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, David. Believe it or not, I began planting the walnuts with the full expectation that I would not live to see them harvested. I guess that makes it a bit of a selfless act, but I keep planting for the general good. At 67, I'm sure I'll never see the new ones reach maturity. On your seeds, I would actually advise planting them directly, rather than sprouting them. I have gotten pretty high germination rates from that, probably close to 80%. One danger of planting them after they have developed roots is that the roots may end up crossing and eventually strangling each other. I don't think its a high risk, but seeds planted in the ground are probably at much lower risk of that complication.

[@DavidTheMechanic]

@@terryhale9006 Yes I'm 50 years old now and I've just found an interest in this my father Retired several years ago and took up wood working so for his 70th birthday I decided to buy him some Exotic hardwoods for him to work with and I was absolutely blown away with how much it cost and I thought to myself this would be a really good investment for my Grandchildren or great grandchildren Thanks for the advice I appreciate everything

[@michaelemanouil1442]

Great video, thank you, plan on doing the same thing starting next yr, i found a nursery that has 150 4 inch walnuts in stock, might start with 10 of those, plus grow some from seed, we found 2 large trees in a local park which will be great for gathering nuts, were going to gather a bunch soon and try to grow them in pots. If u have any advise on that would love to hear it...Thanks again for the video it gives me a boost of confidence.

[@terryhale9006]

Best of luck to you Michael. I have no direct experience with either route you are planning, so the following are general thoughts. First, make sure the potted soil is on the sandy side, as walnuts like free-draining moist conditions. Second, I would be a bit leery of nursery stock that has been in a planter for a long time. The roots may grow around and around in the planter. While that does not pose any near term problems, it could be a problem as the trees begin to approach marketable timber size. As those wrapped-around roots continue to increase in diameter, they can actually begin to strangle themselves. This rarely occurs with natural (pot-free) growth, as the roots tend to head pretty much straight away from the trunk, rather than being constrained to grow in circles by the pot/planter.

[@meem666]

thank you for the information

[@terryhale9006]

You're welcome. Assuming you plan on growing walnuts, best of luck to you.

[@crtomirrozman]

Fantastic video.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Crtomir.

[@dnash57]

Protection of small trees: Chicken wire or hardware cloth are effective at protecting trees from deer and rabbits, but much less effective at protecting against small rodents like mice. Another effective and eco-friendly way of protecting from deer is to pile branches from walnut pruning and from removal of unwanted woody vegetation around the stem of the tree. It is especially effective at deterring bucks from rubbing bark off of trees during rut. Deer will usually move to easier targets if there is brushy material around the tree. An additional benefit is that this method encourages you to cut down nearby unwanted trees/shrubs as a source of protective material. If you want to mow close to the trees or otherwise manicure your planting, this might not be your preferred option. This method can be discontinued once the bark on the trees is thick enough to withstand buck rubbing (and bucks only seem to target the smoother bark on smaller trees).

[@rodcros]

Excellent video. Your presentation skills are obviously high, and your trees show decades of devotion. I wish I knew where your property is located with regard to growing zone. In Leeds County, Ontario, mine grow in a zone 3, with a mini-clime of zone 4 in my woodlot. With regard to walnuts and horses, my father visited the Amish in Pennsylvania on a bus tour, and one guy asked him if he had any walnuts around his horse pasture after he complained of his Belgians losing their hoofs at 20 years. He said that it's the dried leaves which cause the hoofs to fail on horses. Cherry leaves are bad as well, apparently. I am surprised at your success in planting seeds as deeply as six inches. I push them into the ground with my planting stick. They are barely below the sod, but they grow well. The way you attack that sod with a shovel puts the lie to the "Weakened" myth. For years I prepared planting sites with Roundup, but recently I have found the walnuts are pretty good at competing with grasses, especially if the Grey squirrels have planted them. I was forced last winter to log the American beech out of my 25 acre woodlot due to disease, so over two weeks last fall I attempted to train the Grey squirrels to plant walnuts into the spaces. Once I learned to locate the caches where the dominant red squirrels didn't find them, they did move a lot of nuts around. I'll know in a couple of years how successful this project was, but the healthiest black walnuts on our property have been planted by Greys.

[@rodcros]

After writing down the comment about climate zone from memory, I looked up a modern climate map. I guess our farm is now a 4B by another set of standards.

[@imysteryman]

My Lab got heart worms and I bought some walnut powder and each day I added a little to his food, it cured him of the heart worms with no side effects, like from the poison the vet uses. It worked!

[@theoldwizard998]

Suggestion on sod removal. The year before you are going to plant, make a 2-4' pile of wood chips directly on top of the sod. After a year with no sun, but plenty of moisture, the sod should be well broken down.

[@terryhale9006]

Great suggestion! I didn't remember to go over watering issues, but those are critical. A June week without water can kill the sapling. The sod removal serves the added purpose of creating a depression to hold the water I occasionally have to deliver by hoses, ensuring it soaks in to get to the walnut's roots. The entire field has a gentle slope to the east and, for some strange reason, when the ground gets quite dry, the surface is slow to accept water infiltration.

[@theoldwizard998]

If you make your pile of wood chips sufficiently large the year before, you can pull some back out if the center making a well to hold water. I forgot to say "GoodOnYa" for planting those trees ! Someone told me that an orchard of hardwoods would be the best investment you can give your grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

[@dnash57]

Wood chip method will work. I would use far less than 4 feet thickness. Try a max of 6 inches. Monitor for insect infestations (esp. ants), and hoe the pile away from the stem of the tree if insects are too active near the stem. A circular patch of herbicide like glyphosate (Roundup or generic equivalent) 6 months to a year before planting will knock the sod back enough to give the trees a head start over the grasses during its first year or two. DON’T use a herbicide that has long term persistence on woody vegetation, as it could hurt the trees you are planting.

[@stephenblack8804]

I have used glyphosate 6 months prior to planting, then plant through a 4’x4’ square of landscape fabric. Staple it down with landscape staples, then shove the dibble bar through the fabric to plant.

[@shahriarification]

I planted over 500 Russian olives on my property which was recommended by the department of natural resources as part of a hedgrow .I eat the berries and make wine they are really good for you and 50 diffrent birds that love to eat them .Russian olives are also legumes means they fix nitrogen for itself and other vegetation 10 years later it was put under invacive plants by the same department that had recommended it

[@terryhale9006]

Similar experience to mine. "Use these." Five years later, "Those are now classified as invasives". I still haven't been able to wipe them out as they spread to the neighbors. Punctured one tire on my mower with one of the impressive thorns they have. Their pluses are great, but their minuses are, too.

[@marylamphere2112]

Lol, falls into "when you know better you do better"

[@blakespower]

russian olive declared invasive. ironic because the nurseries were promoting its use and selling it, but good job planting these trees and I hope they live a few hundred years so people can collect the walnuts and not go for the easy route of money from lumber in 50-75 years

[@terryhale9006]

Thank you Blake's Power. The trees are doing really well now, but I have a constant battle tryi8ng to weed out the Russian Olive. The birds have spread it all over the neighborhood. I offered to eliminate it from their property, but they wanted to keep it. Now it is too late, Nasty stuff to try to eliminate, but it does smell great.

[@lewisward8483]

Terry, Squirrels love eating walnuts in the Finger Lakes. Yes they lose many, but that provides for distrbution and potentia walnuts for the squres gret to the 10th grand squirrels. Good video. Raising the crown too early is a common error when growing walnuts for timber.

[@lewisward8483]

I wouldn't worry about your concern the wavy grain caused by the young growth. The grain in the bole will straighten out over time. The wood about 2" diameter around the pith is usally naturally variable. What type of soil do you have. Is the is deep and well drained? Black Walnuts do better on good soils. If you're in the Adirondacks that's at the northen limit of BW.

[@terryhale9006]

We're just a bit south of the Adirondacks. Our property was on the periphery of the glacier that was retreating up the Hudson River valley. The higher portion of our land (on the west side) is glacial till with a complete mix of everything: clay, silt, sand, right up through the occasional 5-foot boulder. The field where the walnuts are was outwash stream and beach. It is mostly sand with occasional glacial dropstones. The soil tends to be droughty, but once the tree is big enough, it has roots down into the normal groundwater which is five to eight feet down. Until trees realize that water is available, they are competing with everything else for whatever the rain delivers.

[@dnash57]

I agree with Lewis Ward that you should not worry about the middle 2 inches. My reasoning is that the wood that develops later will more closely resemble the the stem at that time- if you have an increasingly cleaner and straighter stem as the tree gets bigger (which will be the case with proper pruning), then the wood farther from the imperfect center will generally be of increasingly better quality. Also, the wood in the middle becomes an increasingly smaller proportion of the total wood volume as the tree becomes larger. And finally. The closer the wood is to the center, the more likely it will be discarded-it is presumed by sawyers and veneer cutters to be the poorest part of a log-because of the inherent snakiness you have mentioned, more knots, and hollowish pith.

[@richwilliams1943]

the center of your belt buckle doesn't line up with the center of your shirt. i find it very invasive. other than that, great video Terry :)

[@scatoutdebutter]

Mr. Hale, you mention the desirability of straight grain in the Walnut trees..... however, don't the knots, crotches, and other irregularities in the Walnut wood add to the "figure" and "character" of the grain which is prized by many woodworkers?

[@terryhale9006]

It takes some careful attention to detail to produce the really artistic masterpieces. Most of the market demand for black walnut is for the "better behaved" pieces of lumber.

[@antonomaseapophasis5142]

I don’t see anything more recent than 11 months ago. Are there no more problems to solve?

[@terryhale9006]

Plenty of problems. (Part of the reason for so few recent videos.)

[@thedogscar3500]

You should mention to be careful where you plant them, because they cause lots of problems. Someone, before metal cars were invented, planted them along my 300' driveway. Over the next 100 yrs, the squirrels planted them on the rest of my 12 acres. They are great in the woods, but between July through September, no one can park on my driveway. People think I am crazy, until they hear one hit my tinned roof outbuilding or I point to the dented hood of my truck. The nuts hitting my slate roof, wake me up at night. Also, they over hang the road in front of my property. Numerous times people stop, because they think kids are throwing rocks at their car. When I explain it is the trees, they tell me to cut them down before someone gets hurt. As you point out, they slough a lot of branches. The wood is very dense and heavy. After a heavy soaking rain or strong wind, my property, driveway and road always have branches on them. The nuts will turn your hands/gloves/shoes black, and are near impossible to eat, based on their numerous chambers. They are one of the last trees to get leaves, and start dropping leaves soon after getting them. I have to blow off my porch and deck, a few times a day, from May to September. The leaf clusters have a center stem that clog gutters and roof valleys (a couple times a year I have to 'rake' my roof) I would cut them down, but the reason I starting watching your videos, all my other trees are dying (Dutch Elm, Ash Beetle, Chestnut Blight) and all I would have left are Locust (which are thorny little monsters when young and kinda scraggly when mature). As mentioned, they are poisonous to many plants (do a Google search to know what they kill). I have very old Lilacs, that I could not figure out why they looked sickly. They had perfect conditions to thrive, but they are within the canopy of a Black Walnut. On the subject of poisonous, they attract a caterpillar (Llophocampa Caryae) that causes rashes (like a fiberglass burn); Bottom line ... they are pretty trees and produce beautiful wood; but do not plant them near a house, driveway, road, outbuilding, any where you frequently walk or children play, near plants that they will kill, etc.

[@terryhale9006]

Tom, Thanks for the nice exposition.

[@thedogscar3500]

@@terryhale9006 The DBH of the trees near my home are 34 to 38. The nuts are plentiful and falling quite a distance. Thank you for your felling insight!

[@anthonyappleyard5688]

" _they slough a lot of branches_ " :: that may be why the walnut tree evolved to make the "crotch figure" that walnut furniture makers find attractive, to strengthen and brace the crotch to try to stop the crotch from splitting.

[@joemoe1601]

After removing all that sod for all the trees i am guessing you have great upper body strength. Thanks for the heads up with the Russian Olive. Mesquite is much like Russian Olive it has a root node 6" down that you have to dig out if you are going to kill the tree. Also I've pulled up a root and it goes clear across the field.

[@monkeybusiness63]

I know this is old but if I were getting rid of sod I would use round up. And anyone who tells you to plant Russian olive should be sent to outer Siberia

[@terryhale9006]

I don't know what residual chemicals left in the soil would pose a threat, but I'd rather not worry about it. Also, the excavation improves the capture of rainwater or, during droughty periods, supplied water. I do deeply regret having planted the Russian Olive.

[@nielknox]

Thank you!

[@terryhale9006]

You're welcome!

[@imysteryman]

I mean how much better does it get, I did not have to plant them, they produce and abundance of berries and I get the anti-cancer food for free.

[@philmoore71]

really interesting

[@farficknuger3673]

I spent quite a bit of time trying to remove russian olive in Utah. The government planted them, as well as tamarisk in an attempt to improve the riparian habitat. clearly it didn't work.

[@terryhale9006]

"We're from the guvmint. We're here to help." Just the day before yesterday I found a few more large bushes I will need to remove. Made me regret anew my original planting. Ugh!

[@stephenblack8804]

We are plagued with Chinese privet (among other things), forms dense stands, pretty much shuts down regeneration. I hav a 3 year plan for privet eradication. First year, cut the mature plants (can be 8” in diameter) near the ground and immediately treat the stump with concentrated glyphosate. Pile brush and burn. Wait 3 years for the seed bed to sprout. In the early winter, spray the area with glyphosate, the privet doesn’t go dormant so it is killed but the native species are untouched.

[@peterlosangelos4108]

Very informative and complete on all aspects, Terry, thanks for sharing all this knowledge. What about containing the young tree in a plastic or metal wire mesh? Is that anyway effective? I also just watched your 2013 holistic tree stump removal. Really very instructive that you showed the whole process, although it took you a week, very brave :)

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Peter. An enclosure would probably be perfect for protecting the walnuts from the deer. It would have been more work (and expense) than I wanted to invest. Most of the original ones have made it to maturity now, but their "teen" years were worrisome.

[@dnash57]

Chicken wire or hardware cloth are effective at protecting trees from deer and rabbits, but much less effective at protecting against small rodents like mice. Another effective and eco-friendly way of protecting from deer is to pile branches from walnut pruning and from removal of unwanted woody vegetation around the stem of the tree. It is especially effective at deterring bucks from rubbing bark off of trees during rut. Deer will usually move to easier targets if there is brushy material around the tree. An additional benefit is that this method encourages you to cut down nearby unwanted trees/shrubs as a source of protective material. If you want to mow close to the trees or otherwise manicure your planting, this might not be your preferred option. This method can be discontinued once the bark on the trees is thick enough to withstand buck rubbing (and bucks only seem to target the smoother bark on smaller trees).

[@MyVisualRomance]

You must have spent a damn fortune planting all of that.

[@terryhale9006]

Far from it. The Department of Conservation has a State nursery not far from us. I don't remember exactly and a couple of decades have passed, but I recall it being something under $50 for 25 seedlings. I purchased several times and very few did not make it. More recently, the squirrels and I have been planting the nuts from my oldest trees and from even older trees the neighbors have. Those nut plantings have only been around 50% successful, mostly because the soil I have planted them in was sandier and more droughty than the sites I was able to use initially. In that regard, I am noticing now that the big trees still have most of their leaves now (10/4) and seem to be bragging to the smaller, leafless walnut trees that they have their roots well down into the local aquifer. I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess the big expense was actually the land.

[@MyVisualRomance]

@@terryhale9006 Wow thats wonderful. We don’t have anything like that here. The seedlings I purchased were quite pricey and even the seeds alone are at least $2 each. You would think with the black walnuts being devastated years ago they would want to give these things away to try and restore them nationally.

[@terryhale9006]

@@MyVisualRomance Owch! Sorry to hear that. Anyone with trees should be happy to let you grab a bunch of seeds in September. A few years ago, someone asked in Mid-October and the squirrels had already laid claim to all of them. Wish someone had asked this year. They could have had close to 1000. I planted around 100 seeds myself. Would have planted more, but my old back began bothering me.

[@MyVisualRomance]

@@terryhale9006 Unfortunately with current economic conditions as they are everyone is selling them only. Not very many black walnut trees left here in the deep south.

[@baitammo4652]

I live in Kansas and have salvaged lumber from a few barns that had finally succumb to the elements and disrepair. A couple of them we found that Blk Walnut had been used for many of the horse stalls. I was not sure why until an older gentleman said that it kept the horses from chewing on them. Don't know for sure but it made sense for walnut was not found anywhere else. Do you have any opinions on this or have you heard of this? I enjoy your videos and have learned much from them. Thank you! Brian

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks for that tidbit, Brian. First I've heard of it. Sounds plausible. We have a bit of a problem with our hoofies chewing up their stalls, but they are free to come and go as they please, so they don't chew as retaliation for being penned up and bored. I guess the taste could be unpleasant for them, without the risk of being harmful from extended contact.

[@baitammo4652]

@@terryhale9006 Ok. I hadn't thought much about it until you mentioned the walnut shavings. I'll have to check out some of the few remaining old barns around here to see if it was used very often. Thanks for your impute and time.

[@NickyCakewalk]

I am planning to plant 100 black walnuts in my orchard. I am going to plant from seeds into ground that was tilled and corn on corn for years. When it the best time to plant? Also, should I soak them? What is the best method for this?

[@terryhale9006]

I wish you the best of luck on your project! My walnuts were also planted on land that had been tilled for corn. I won't claim to be an authority on the best time to plant, but I'm pretty sure it would be in the Fall, as that would be consistent with the natural pattern of things. Normally, the walnuts mature and fall off. Within a few days, squirrels attack the walnuts and either eat or bury many of them. Over the winter, the freeze supposedly helps some of the walnut casings to burst so the inside can sprout. In the Spring, the sprouts will break the ground surface and push out tiny, red-tinged leaves. I would definitely not bother soaking the nuts. Also, you want to plant the entire nut and husk as the husk almost certainly contains something to help ensure propagation. If you are planting for lumber, you will want the trees to develop tall, straight, branch-free trunks. If the trees are 12 to 15 feet apart, once they get large enough, they will compete with each other for light and will grow straight up, eventually shedding their shaded lower limbs. If trees are missing from the pattern, that will allow some light in to the lower branches of the surrounding trees, promoting more crotches in what should be straight trunks. It is therefore important to take steps to try to ensure a successful tree at each location in your pattern. For this reason, I usually try to plant three walnut seeds in each position to ensure there will be at least one that grows. Most often, two or three sprout. I usually wait a couple of year and apologetically cut off the less successful sprouts, leaving the most vigorous to thrive.

[@NickyCakewalk]

@@terryhale9006 thank you so much for the information, that is exactly what I was looking for!

[@NickyCakewalk]

@@terryhale9006 Another question Terry. I will go ahead and plant next fall. I am seeding the entire lot to be planted with grass. I will be mowing it to keep it down in the summer. When I go to plant in the fall, should I burn off a 4ft perimeter on each planting site? Or could I wait until the spring before the walnut comes out of the ground and burn circles then? Just trying not to have any competing plants. At what time after fall planting in the spring can I expect to see the trees pop through the soil? Is there another method to help weed control in the planting area I should be looking at. Thanks!

[@imysteryman]

Hell, I mulch my autumn olives, and want them to grow. They are a great anti-cancer food, they are 17 times richer in lycopene than an equal serving of tomatoes.

[@terryhale9006]

Unfortunately, the birds have spread ours all over the neighborhood. With uncontrolled growth, they make a lot of rural land unavailable for anything else. If it was just one bush by itself, I would love the fragrance, the hummingbirds they attract, and the jam that you can painstakingly make from their drupes.

[@markpinther9296]

Four!

[@terryhale9006]

He He. (I think that's actually "Fore", as in fore and aft. A warning to golf players ahead of you that you impatiently hit your golf ball before they were safely out of the way ahead of you.)

[@eulerizeit]

Sounds like the Autumn Olive was very helpful. Did you look for or find a replacement?

[@terryhale9006]

I did not. It was indeed very helpful. However, a quarter century later, I am still having to fight the Olive all around the edge of the field. It feels like it was an ecological disaster.

[@eulerizeit]

@@terryhale9006 It is interesting where autumn olive is being considered an issue and where it is not. Hearing your story NY seems to have the right idea.

[@stephenblack8804]

We live in Tennessee, a native here is the honey locust. It’s fast growing with wicked thorns. Deer won’t touch something protected by a pile of honey locust brush. Local tire shop loves them!

[@vipulb15]

Great video! Typically how long does it take for a tree to grow from a seedling to a mature tree ready for lumber?

[@terryhale9006]

At least, thirty years. Better at fifty. I won't live to see these harvested.

[@rodcros]

I cut and sold a substantial black walnut from my woodlot last year and the mill produced right about 1000 bd ft of lumber. As nearly as I could tell from the growth rings, it was just over 60 years old. The butt log needed some trimming to fit on a WoodMizer.

[@vipulb15]

@@rodcros Could I ask what profit you made on this?

[@rodcros]

The proceeds will pay the taxes on the farm for two years.@@vipulb15

[@Don.Challenger]

As to the sapling becoming a tree and what lies within perhaps look a bit at Giuseppe Penone: The Hidden Life Within again give that a google.

[@terryhale9006]

Neat! Thanks for that heads-up.

[@CM91239]

Are tree tubes beneficial for Walnut trees?

[@terryhale9006]

If you are referring to the plastic tubes that are meant to prevent rodents from nibbling around the bases, particularly in winter months, I'd say that has not been a problem in our area. Such nibbling has been a problem for young apples and maples, as well as a few ornamentals.

[@stephenblack8804]

The taller tree tubes can prevent deer from browsing on the buds of the young trees. They are available in heights up to 6’. Another problem after the trees have outgrown the tubes is buck scrapes, which can damage the most valuable future butt log. I have been taking 3” corrugated drain pipe, slitting it and putting it around the trees. Seems like the deer leave the trees alone after they get 1 ½” in diameter.

[@Jerry-lr9yb]

Why did you opt out of using tree tubes ?

[@terryhale9006]

The tree tubes I am familiar with are for protecting the lower part of the trunk from gnawing rodents. The deer were my main problem. They love the vitamins in the buds and can stand on their hind feet to reach them at a height of six feet. The can also push over something like chicken wire.

[@Jerry-lr9yb]

@@terryhale9006 they make a 60" grow tube solid on the bottom and vented 3/4 of the way up supported by a stake and held on by uv resistant zip ties.

[@rodcros]

I have found a regularly maintained summer pile of fish guts in the walnut patch attracts coyotes, which absolutely love bass heads. They are prolific urinators, and deer detest the smell of coyote urine

[@mattlloyd9054]

Is it autumn olive or russian olive?

[@terryhale9006]

I haven't been able to get a reliable answer on that and haven't cared enough to dig into it deeply. My recollection was that the nursery called it Russian Autumn Olive. Uh....

[@terryhale9006]

OK, You made me research it. Definitely Autumn Olive.

[@mattlloyd9054]

@@terryhale9006 lol im such a plant nerd i had to ask. Autumn olive is literally eating my area alive normal forest succession has turned into autumn olive succession its an amazing multiplier. If you don't mow for two years itll turn into a waist high monoculture of olive. Sorry i made you waste time on this evil plant but research is so much easier than trying to remove them. God bless you for trying to get rid of them

[@kentabyte]

do you wear stihl chainsaw boots on this video?

[@terryhale9006]

Close! Viking Chainsaw boots. Not sure if they're a subsidiary.

[@kentabyte]

Terry Hale I think stihl owns viking

[@terryhale9006]

You're correct. I had to do a bit of digging, but Stihl bought Viking in 1992 and plans to fully incorporate them by 2019.

[@Don.Challenger]

Your sodbusting technique looks more like a golf game.

[@terryhale9006]

Fore!

[@ShinerBockGirlz]

Whoopsie.....hahah great video!!