How to Grow Nut Trees

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Growing nut trees is a project that will profit you for years to come if you do your homework and put a little work into doing it right from the start. The type of tree you can grow will depend on what zone you live in. Other considerations will be what type of soil you have and what type of land you have to work with. Fortunately, there are many nurseries that have worked hard to develop trees for almost every environment.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Step1

Start with selecting a site. It should be a good 30 yards away from other trees and bushes, unless you are planting smaller nut trees like hazelnuts. It should be gently sloping with good drainage and good sun exposure. Dig up the soil and determine if you need to add materials to it for optimum growth of your particular tree. For instance, if your shovel of dirt is mostly sand, you will have to add some well rotted compost or peat moss and other additives like potassium. If you buy a soil testing kit from your local gardening center, they will be able to let you know exactly what you are dealing with.

Step2

Decide what kind of tree you would like to plant. Usually, if you go to your local nursery you can see what they have to offer and then can purchase it from them or go online and buy from a reputable seller. It is usually better to buy locally in case anything goes wrong--you can take it back and have it replaced. Black walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, hickory nuts and chestnuts are all pretty well established in the mid to southern parts of the States, with special varieties being grown in the northern States.

Step3

Dig your hole. It should be no deeper than your longest root or you run the chance of having the ground sink too low later. Keep your tree's roots moist by keeping them sprayed with a mister and then covering in black plastic. They should be protected from freezing temperatures, wind and bright sunlight. Don't prune your roots or bend them back on themselves to make the tree fit--just dig the hole bigger.

Step4

Plant your tree by placing it in the center of the hole. It usually helps to have several people helping if it is a larger tree, otherwise one other person can hold the tree straight while you add the soil to the hole. Tamp the soil down as you go, making sure the dirt has good contact with the roots. Bring the dirt up to the surrounding soil level. If you mulch, keep it back a few inches from the bark.

Step5

Water the tree well--weekly for the first year. Some trees are more water dependent than others. Check your soil for pH levels. Trace elements are very important in nut production. Zinc is the most critical trace element. When zinc is lacking or present in insufficient quantities, nutlets fail to set and yields are very low.

Step6

Do a little research on pruning for the second year. Generally nut trees don't require too much pruning, other than removing dead wood. Their pollen is not carried by insects like bees, but rather by the wind, and while several varieties are self pollinating (they have both male and female flowers on one branch), most set better nuts with cross-pollination