Kernels of Wisdom from the Chief Nut
Reprinted from Black Walnut Tree Topics, Volume 8 Number 3, Summer 2000
Have you ever seen so much rain?
Some days it rains so hard it's easier to swim places than walk. In previous rainly summers, frogs have taken up residence in the puddle at the end of my driveway. (I love that "squish-squish" sound as I pull out onto the road!) But this year beats all others: This year, I've gotten my legal limit of brook trout out of that puddle!
Seriously, we are having a good summer, tree growth-wise. Last year at this time, I was pushing irrigation in a big way and I still think it's important...because you never can tell which way Mother Nature is going to go.
Along with good tree growth comes good weed growth. It's important to stay ahead of that game. If you let the weeds get too tall, you'll have twice the job of getting rid of them.
Check the weather forecast before you apply herbicide. There's no point applying it before a rain, which lately is every other day.
In the South there's been very little rain. Their corn is gone and their trees are going dormant or dying.
Ron Haaland planted cherry trees this spring and he's had to water them all summer. They're six feet tall already. How this will affect them next year we don't know.
We've decided to try something new this year at our Field Day, which is scheduled for September 8[, 2000].
We've decided to invite our panel of experts to give a brief presentation in the morning about their areas of specialization.
In the afternoon, they'll either be involved in demos or in a question and answer session.
This way we'll get to hear what's on their mind and still have time for you to visit with them and have your questions answered.
Please plan on spending this very important day with us.
August may seem like the wrong time to start thinking about winter. It isn't. Trees start going dormant in August. If you have the older type protectors--the kind that can be opened and closed--now's the time to open them. See page 3 for details.
Along with all the rain we've had, there's been plenty of wind. And with wind comes wind damage. Use orchard tape to secure the tops of your trees to the stakes. (We recommend 10-foot,
If your trees are extremely top-heavy, you might consider removing a few of the smaller branches. This is pretty drastic and I recommend it only in extreme cases.
If the wind has knocked the top out of some of your trees, you should cut just below the break to prevent the cambium from being torn.
Last week tornado-force winds tore across our county, wreaking havoc. The winds seemed to touch down at
They hit Dr. Beineke's plantation and knocked out four large trees and chopped off many others.
We've been pulling them up and tying them to other trees all week. Everyone's sick about it. You'll see it all at Field Day.
Here's the good news if you have grafted black walnut trees that are bearing nuts and you're wondering what to do with them. AFT may want to buy them from you! That's right. They'll pay $36 for each 100 pounds hulled.
There are about 66 pounds of hulled nuts to a bushel. That comes to $23.75 a bushel.
Here's how to do it. A couple of weeks before the nuts drop, mow around the trees so that when they do drop, they'll be easier to find.
If only some trees in your plantation have nuts, flag those for easy identification.
Get some young backs to pick them up; e.g., scouts, church youth groups, grandkids--they love the extra cash!
This is important: Do not store the nuts in any container, box, bag, etc. If you do, the nuts will rot. Keep them in the open in piles.
If there are enough nuts, AFT will dispatch one of their hullers to your area.
Note: The more nuts in your area, the closer our hullers will come. So if there are other growers in your area, give them a call, get them involved.
AFT will send a huller to a site in your area and pick up and hull everyone's nuts at the same time.
But even if you have just a bushel or so, give AFT a call. Each year you do this, the trees will grow and produce more nuts.
Right now AFT is looking at setting up deals with grafted black walnut plantation owners in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.
AFT will be mailing out contracts soon, so be sure to call them if you're intested in joining the "Nutty Team" and making a little money.
Hope you're having a wonderful summer!
Norman J. O'Bryan
Chief Nut