Black Walnut Trees

[downinmyback]

Talking about sunflowers producing a toxic to keep other plants stunted made me think about Black Walnut trees do the same thing. I can remember seeing black walnut trees that were in the wild that only had a few brier bushes and the darkest Green grass (Kentucky Bliegrass) growing underneath the trees . It alway made me wonder why the grass grew so lush and nothing else would survive. Mother Nature has alot of tricks left in her bag.

[lavandulagirl]

I deal with an enormous black walnut in my yard now. It's the reason the first article I wrote for the local paper was about juglone poisoning, or walnut wilt! I think I was basically sharing my pain. There are grasses that will grow under the walnuts, and a few other ground covers as well. Interestingly, new black walnuts are affected by the juglone, so it's rare to see the tree's own seedlings doing well within the sphere of the mature tree. By the way, the entire tree exudes the juglone, and will do so even after it's been dead for years. Beyond the drip line can still be a toxic area for other plants, and unless all the roots are removed with a tree (impossible, I think!) the area where it was planted will only gradually become hospitable to sensitive plants. Also, composting with walnut deteritus is dicey, as it takes quite awhile for the toxin to break down. I do have a pretty good list of plants that aren't affected, or minorly so, if anyone wants it.

[Jim]

We used to call the green husks of those things sting balls and many of them made smelly stains on our clothes.

[bluelacedredhead]

I passed by a small village museum last summer when the walnuts were heavy on the trees in the yard. They had done some branch trimming earlier and there were green pods everywhere!! Rolling down the street, in the gutters, all over the lawn...I picked one up and brought it home to dry then never did plant the seed. Maybe this year? Will it still be viable, does anyone know??

[downinmyback]

I doubt it Blue i would figger the kernel has dried up. I am not a expert on Black Walnuts but i have several on my farm and i remember going by the trees in the fall while hunting and most of the crop from the previous years crops had split open and were no good. I guess you can plant it and see as it will only cost you a little time.

[ohiorganic]

BLRH put the walnut (sans green skin) in a 8" pot and see what happens. We plant old walnuts all the time and most do indeed sprout and make trees, though it may take several months to get any actions.

I used to market garden among groves of young Black walnut trees. They do not seem to have much if any Jugalone their first 5 to 7 years but after that they do.

[flowerpower]

LG, why don't you copy and paste your article here?

[bluelacedredhead]

That's Ohio! I think I'll try Wintersowing it along with some Redbud seeds I have from last year as well. The Redbuds have been in cold storage but the walnut has not. Will be interesting to see what, if anything, I get.

Here's Lavandula's Black Walnut article.
groups.msn.com/TheGardenOfWeedin/thetroublewithblackwalnuts.msnw