Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
From that point forward, you are mainly aiming for a
balanced tree, so prune to keep the tree balanced. Conduct all
pruning in late winter or very early spring, and remove all
dead or damaged branches. At the same time, progressively
shorten the lowest limbs a little each year until the tree is
about 20 feet high, at which point all limbs lower than 6 feet
should be removed flush with the trunk. This preserves the
food-making ability of the lower limbs until it is no longer
needed.
Growing distance/productivity for such large trees can be
troublesome on a small lot, but there are ways to get around
the problem.
Table 17
gives the ultimate distance that the
trees should be from each other when fully grown.
Keep in mind that nut trees produce nuts long before reaching
full size and that nut wood is some of the most expensive, so
selling it could net a nice bundle. If you wish to do so, plant
the nut trees about 10 feet apart and then selectively harvest
them for wood as their branches come close to touching. In
the end, you have properly spaced highly productive nut trees
and hopefully a wad of cash.
Table 17: Nut Tree Planting Distance
Distance
between
Trees
Type of Nut Tree
50 feet in all
directions
Black walnut, hickory, pecan, and hican
35 feet in all
directions
English and Persian walnut
