Nut tree planting guidelines:

We thank you for buying our nut trees.  We are a specialty nursery for nut trees and companion permaculture plantings.  We strive to supply whole orchards  and the homeowner with the highest quality genetics in nut trees.   We see nut trees as a long lasting sustainable permanent way to enjoy healthy food source for you while helping the planet.  We have a short summary guide for what is most important when planting and that is getting your trees planted as soon as possible while they are dormant.

You have purchased either hazelnut, chestnut or a walnut tree(s).  We will describe how to plant out your trees into their forever home, to have healthy happy tree(s). To learn more please visit our website or read, “The Hazelnut and Chestnut Handbook”.

There are common items amongst all the nut trees that we will describe that include:

1. How to care for trees and what if you cannot plant right away.
2. How big a hole to dig.
3. How to protect your delicious trees from rodents small and large.

Then there are specific needs for hazelnuts, chestnuts and walnuts unique for each tree, such as soil preparation including soil pH, and spacing for hazelnuts, chestnuts and walnuts(heartnut, English(Persian), and black)  below.

1. When you get your trees and if you cannot plant right away.

What to do if it is going to be a couple of days versus a couple of weeks before we plant? Keep in mind that the most important thing to do is get them planted. However, sometimes we cannot get to it with our busy lives.  We show you how to protect your investment.

Once you receive your trees please inspect the bags for moisture. You will see that the trees are dormant possibly with some bud swelling.  The trees are essentially asleep or are just waking up from their winter slumber.  At this point their needs are little except keeping them moist, cool and in the shade to keep them dormant.  Avoid sun on the roots, hot conditions, deep freeze and roots drying out.

Inspect the roots for moisture.  We use wood shavings as needed to help keep the roots moist without being overly wet.  If the wood shavings and roots appear dry please add some water to the bag if it will be a couple of days before you plant.  If it is many days or a couple of weeks before they will be in their final home you will need to “heal” them in.

Healing in means that you will temporarily plant the trees in your garden or a suitable location where you can dig the soil to proper depth and place all the trees in the hole and back fill.  Water the newly planted trees. If you have different trees they will be bagged separately and they should also have separate holes. We don’t recommend potting your trees and healing them in is much better.  

2. Hole digging

Digging the hole is only second to making sure your tree will have good growth the first year. The most important item is making sure the soil is proper for the tree you are planting; more on this later.

The hole needs to be as deep as the roots are and twice as wide.  Break up the removed soil and discard all grass and weeds.   Amend the soil with compost and mix well as you will need to replace the soil that was removed with the weeds and the compost will give the roots some food.  If the soil is dry add a gallon of water to the hole and let it drain.  When planting the tree, take out the packaging at the last minute as the fine roots dry quickly and keep out of the sun as the sun is very damaging to the roots.

Spread the roots out within the hole. While holding the tree at proper height back fill the removed soil and adjusting the roots so they are spread out equally throughout the soil. If you just back fill the soil, the roots will all be clumped together at the bottom of the hole hindering the trees ability to absorb food and water.  Back fill the soil a couple inches at a time and adjust the roots and gently compact the soil with your hands.  It is important to eliminate any air pockets.

What is proper height?  It is the point where the tree comes out of the ground before we dug it up.  You know where the original soil line on the tree was, as the color of the bark changes.  We worked with many volunteers planting trees and some people chronically plant too deep or too shallow. Please see the picture below for an example of where the soil line is on a tree.  We have found that if you lay a stick across the hole and hold the tree and stick at the same time with one hand you can keep the tree at the correct height as the hole is backfilled and the soil is tamped down to eliminate any air holes. Water the tree well.

If the soil is heavy clay dig the hole twice as deep as the roots.  Amend the heavy clay soil you removed, with 25% sand and 25% compost and mix well until uniform. If possible you should dig a trench leading out of the hole downhill to allow the excess water to drain.  Heavy clay holds water for a long time and during freezing temperatures the soil around the tree will heave more than that the surrounding soil and could lift the tree up and out of the ground exposing roots and ultimately killing the tree. Spring is the best time to plant in clay soil as it gives time for the roots to anchor the tree so it cannot be lifted by the freeze and thaw of winter conditions. As you have more soil than the size of the hole, the soil will be mounded and the tree will be on a mound a few inches higher than the native soil, so keep track of the native soil line the tree needs.  After planting the tree water well.

 

1. Tree rodent protection

The buds, bark and roots of young trees are tasty for moles, voles, mice, rabbit and deer.  We strongly recommend using roll of 24” wide ¼” hardware cloth you can get at the local hardware store or online retailer to create a simple cage.  We do not recommend using tree tube during the growing months.  Cut the hardware cloth at a length a foot taller than the planted tree height.  Form a circle along the 24” width of the hardware cloth.  It will form a round cage about 8” wide.  Close the cage with string, wire or nylon zip ties about every foot. Locate, make or purchase two stakes that are taller than the cage.

Pound the two stakes 4 inches away from the tree on opposite sides.  You want the stakes to be almost as tall as the cage to taller than the cage, to give the cage strength against browsing by deer or rabbits. Carefully slide the cage over the stakes(if the stakes are thin) and gently rotate the cage back and forth to sink the cage an inch or so into the soil.  Tie the cage to the stakes with string, wire or nylon zip ties at a minimum of two places for each stake.  You now have rodent protection.

If you have purchased trees that are already 8” or more inches wide then you will have to adjust the hardware cloth size to accommodate the width of the tree.

Planting Hazelnuts

As we describe on our web page hazelnuts are a very tolerant tree/bush.  The soil pH can be anywhere from 5.8 to 7.5.  Hazelnuts are tolerant of soil that is wet for months at a time and will survive drought periods. Hazelnuts are great for erosion control and riparian buffers as they will absorb any nutrient run off.   If your soil is approaching or below a pH 5.8 you will need to lime the soil.  You may need to add lime in the soil and sprinkle lime in an area around the hole to make sure the soil is of proper pH.  If possible, liming the soil is done some weeks or months prior to planting to allow the lime to neutralize the soil. After planting we strongly suggest adding a few inches of mulch around the tree and pulling the mulch away from the trunk.  The mulch will help keep the weeds down, moderate the soil temperature and lesson the need to water.  However, check moisture often during establishment and water as needed. 

If you are planting a hedge you can plant as close as four feet and if you are planting out as an orchard, we recommend ten feet between trees and 16 feet between rows for most cultivars and seedlings we sell.

Planting Chestnuts

Chestnuts like well drained soil and are not tolerant of soils that remain wet for months at a time. Chestnuts also need acid soil. The soil pH must be proper for the tree to grow and thrive. Soil pH should be 5.5 to 6.5, much lower or much higher the trees won’t do well. If the tree is chlorotic(yellow) it is a good sign that the soil is near neutral (7.0pH) and the pH needs to be adjusted. Keep in mind we can adjust the pH of the top layer of the soil but we cannot change the soil down deep where the roots will spread over the coming years. If the topsoil pH needs to be lowered you can either add elemental sulfur or aluminum sulfate.  Follow manufacturer’s directions for the product used.

Once planted, mulch with pine needles or maple leaves to naturally lower pH over time. After planting we strongly suggest adding a few inches of mulch around the tree and pulling the mulch away from the trunk.  The mulch will help keep the weeds down, moderate the soil temperature and lesson the need to water.  However, check moisture often during establishment and water as needed. 

Spacing of chestnuts is 25 to 30 feet a part when only a few trees are planted.  Orchard settings seedling trees are often double planted at 10 feet apart in row and twenty feet apart between rows and culling out the less productive trees over time.  To learn more please visit our website or read, “The Hazelnut and Chestnut Handbook”

Planting Walnuts

Walnuts (heartnut, English(Persian), and black) prefer deep rich loamy soils but will tolerate wide range of soil conditions.  Soil pH in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 is desired.

Walnut roots can be massive as they have a center tap root with many side roots, so digging the hole to proper depth can be deeper than other nut trees. You may need to add lime in the soil and sprinkle lime in an area around the hole to make sure the soil is of proper pH.  If possible liming the soil is done some weeks or months prior to planting to allow the lime to neutralize the soil. After planting we strongly suggest adding a few inches of mulch around the tree and pulling the mulch away from the trunk.  The mulch will help keep the weeds down, moderate the soil temperature and lesson the need to water.  However, check moisture often during establishment and water as needed. 

At Z’s Nutty Ridge, we thank you for purchasing from us. We know that you have many choices and we strive to have the best genetics for you.