English Walnut Field Trial Cooperators Wanted

The NYNGA is looking for Field Trial Cooperators to help us grow out potentially superior EW trees and evaluate them based on tree health (especially walnut blight resistance,) regularity of nut production, nut size, ease of cracking and nutmeat extraction, and nutmeat characteristics – we are looking for trees that produce nutmeats which have a mild, nutty flavor, sweetness is a plus, with no bitter aftertaste.  It takes approximately 5 to 8 years under ideal growing conditions for grafted/cloned EW trees to start producing nuts, and at least 3 years of production for proper evaluation – longer is better.  These trees should be planted on a minimum spacing of 15 to 20--feet apart, for a permanent orchard a 40-foot spacing is probably the right choice.  Adjusting orchard soil pH prior to planting to roughly 6.5 is highly recommended.  Young EW trees do not like weed competition, especially from perennial grasses so these should be controlled to enhance tree growth through a combination of hand weeding, mulching using cardboard and woodchips, or with herbicides.  There are a number of OMRI approved herbicides now coming on the market though at this point we have little experience with them so use is strictly on a trial basis.  Each tree will require protection from deer and mice/voles using tree tubes or similar.  The NYNGA would provide the grafted trees/clones of potentially superior clones free of charge to cooperators who agree to soil test their trial fields at least every 3 years and fill out an annual data entry form. We are looking for field trial cooperators that will give these trees a good home, do their best to properly care for the trees and stay committed for the long run.  We don’t know how many individual EW clones we will have in any given year for distribution and trial; this will remain a fluid situation as we expect to continue to find trees that we believe are worthy of further evaluation and study.  We are looking for trial locations throughout NYS so these EW clones grow in a variety of hardiness zones, soil types/conditions, micro-climates, etc.  We would like sites with ideal growing conditions – lake protected, deep well-drained soils, pH circa 6.5, and good air movement.  However, we would like the bulk of our trials to be located on average to less than perfect sites with one or more potentially stressful attributes.  If you are interested in hosting a trial and helping us to evaluate potentially superior trees please contact us at nynutgrowers@gmail.com.  

Wondering about how to grow English Walnut trees?  Check out our guide

EW seedlings from selected cultivars in the John Gordon Demonstration Planting, Trumansburg, NY