Black Walnut

Description

Black walnut is a native tree. It is self-fertile. For a larger crop plant more than one tree. Yields a ripened crop in early to mid-autumn. Valuable dark wood, rot resistant, fast growth on well-drained soil. Good for riparian buffers as Beavers don’t like walnut bark. Good-tasting nuts.  Black walnuts can be toxic to certain trees and plants such as serviceberries, chestnuts, pines, arborvitae, apples, cherries, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, peppers, cabbage, alfalfa, blueberries, blackberries, azaleas, rhododendron, lilacs, hydrangeas if planted to close.

• Height: 50-70′
• Spread 50-75′
• Shape Rounded
• Growth Rate  Medium (12″-24″ per year)
• Exposure: Full Sun
• Foliage:  Green
• Zone: 4-9

Black walnut tree roots contain juglone, a toxic substance released when the roots of other juglone-sensitive species come in contact with walnut roots. You must keep a wide separation between the black walnut tree and susceptible plants. A partial list includes tomatoes, potatoes, peas, peppers, cabbage, alfalfa, serviceberry, chestnut, pine, arborvitae, mulberry, apples, blueberry, blackberry, cherry, azalea, rhododendron, lilac, hydrangea, privet, members of the heath family. The black walnut’s poison does not work on all species and some even seem to thrive on it. When grown in the open, the black walnut reaches 75′ tall with a round, low branching, open crown that spreads nearly as wide as it is tall. In forests and plantations, the tree may reach 150′ tall with a well-formed trunk and lower limbs self-pruned from 1/3 to 2/3 the distance from the ground. A favorite wood for woodworkers and brings a high price, with its dark wood.

It develops a deep taproot and is difficult to transplant. If planting seedlings try to plant the ones that have been undercut the year before for best survival. The hard-to-crack shell encases a rich flavored nut. However, the crushed black walnut outer soft shells can stain fingers, clothing, and concrete. The trees bear tasty nuts in 12-15 years. (Partially self-fertile, plant multiple trees to ensure pollination) Alleopathy is the term given to the suppression of the growth of one plant species by another due to the release of toxic substances.