New Zealand Treecrops Association

Information Exchange Mailroom

Information Request:

I would very much appreciate if you could help me with a walnut growing problem. We live in the Marlborough Sounds, not far from Portage Resort, on heavy clay soil and hardly a touch of frost during winter time. Since we live about 70 m above sea level we sometimes have quite a bit of wind. There is a possibility to grow them on the relatively steep hill side. We are very much interested to know how possums behave with walnuts - we have the odd possum around here. We tried to grow Wilsons Wonder (from Waimea Nursery), but unfortunately the trees never survived their first year. Is there a special variety that you would recommend to grow here? And could you tell us where to get it?
Thank you very much for answering.

Frans H.M. Hertoghs
Picton

Replies Received:

The common walnut requires fertile soils of good depth to grow. I would suggest that you could grow the japanese walnut well. Juglans ailantifolia and it's varieties.

Juglans regia the common walnut could be grafted onto japanese walnut. I think you should consider what you wish to grow for, as trying to grow outside good conditions only seems to add to disease problems in the end. There are horses for courses, wind is not a problem. Possums will travel above 3000km or thereabouts to eat walnuts! I would deep rip as they do in forestry before considering planting and would plant an associate tree to break up your heavy clay.

John Dean - 2003 July 11

http://www.treecrops.org.nz/knowl/infothr/walnut3.html
Created: 2003 July 4 - Updated: 2003 July 11 - Updated: 2007 August 11