Walnut Orchard Planting

Kari Arnold, Orchard Systems Advisor, Stanis

Planting a walnut orchard can be daunting.  The decisions involved impact a long-term investment and remediation can be difficult.  If you are planning to plant this year, hopefully you have already discussed soil/site preparation and plant selection with your local University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Farm Advisor.  Below is a summary of a few critical points when planting bareroot or potted plants, irrigation, fertilizer and weeds in new orchards. 

Planting Bareroot Trees

Although bareroot trees look tough, they are quite vulnerable to the environment and must be treated with care.  After pick-up or delivery plant trees immediately and only pick up as many trees as you can plant that day.  While planting, keep trees moist, cool and protected from sunlight by placing in a warehouse or under a tarp.

When planting, remember that proper soil depth can be tricky with bareroot trees.  Preparing the soil during the summer or fall allows time during the winter for settling.  Planting into moist soil is best, avoid planting into overly wet or overly dry soil.  Dig holes only as deep as the roots, and wide enough to accommodate, roughing up the sides of auger dug holes with a shovel to avoid glazing.  Trim excessively long and/or broken roots, and spread roots in all directions in the hole.  Plant into previously formed berms or small mounds where drainage is an issue.  Fill soil around roots with some light packing (tamping) making sure not to leave air pockets.  Mound soil slightly to allow for settling and use a minimum of one to two gallons of water, up to five in sandy soils, to tank in trees.

Planting depth is not the only thing to consider when planting bareroot trees.  Head trees back to four or five good buds above the graft union.  Paint entire trees with whitewash (interior latex paint diluted with 50% water) to prevent sunburn.  Wait until the soil begins to dry within the rootzone before applying an irrigation.  Do not apply fertilizer inside the hole and avoid planting on hot days.  Place stakes at planting 12 inches away from the tree, to the side perpendicular to prevailing winds.  Ties should be loose to allow tree movement.

For further information please visit http://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/walnuts/horticulture-walnuts/planting-bareroot-trees/ for a current adaptation of “Guidelines for handling and planting bareroot walnut nursery trees” by UCCE Farm Advisors Carolyn DeBuse and Bill Krueger.

Planting Potted Clonal Plants

Clonal rootstocks are propagated on a large scale by dividing small plants into more small plants in a laboratory.  As plants mature, they are moved to soilless potting medium and cared for in pots.  Clonal potted plants can be planted almost anytime during the growing season depending on their stage of growth, but will need an additional year to get established.  Green, actively growing plants can be planted May 15th to June 1st, not actively growing plants, September to October, and dormant plants, November through March 1st.  Generally, it is not advised to plant trees in the middle of the summer due to heat and the risk of sunburn.

Potted plants allow for more flexibility in planting time, but there are risks involved.  Trees planted during the dormant season are vulnerable to winter freeze whereas planting in late spring requires attention to irrigation.  Proper irrigation is tricky as the potting medium used at the nursery is great for

drainage, but dries out quickly in the field.  It is important to maintain adequate moisture in this medium for at least the first month until roots have grown into surrounding soil.  Careful monitoring is needed. The small plants are also susceptible to animals and herbicides, and should be protected with grow tubes.

When planting both bareroot and clonal plants remember to cover the roots, but the other (trunk) portion of the rootstock should be above the soil line.  For further information on planting clonal rootstocks please visit http://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/walnuts/horticulture-walnuts/planting-potted-clonal-rootstock/ for an adaptation of “Guidelines for Handling Potted Walnut Clonal Rootstock Plants” by UCCE  Farm Advisor Janine Hasey.

Irrigation

Properly irrigating a young orchard establishes a healthy root system, leading to a vigorous, uniform, productive orchard.  It is important to note young trees do not use much water.  Depending on rainfall, trees may not need water until late May, early June.  Checking the soil moisture and utilizing a pressure chamber are effective means in monitoring the young tree’s water status.  Since irrigation demands are site specific, please contact your local farm advisor for further information.

Fertilizer

Walnuts will not require much, if any, fertilizer during the first year of growth.  When thinking ahead, trees should be monitored for growth performance.  If the lack of growth is not due to being too dry or too wet, then a fertilizer application should be considered.  Generally, a blended fertilizer is applied to young trees.  The three numbers represent the amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus that is within the fertilizer.  Nitrogen is essential for green growth and plant proteins, while phosphorus and potassium aid in woody tissue development.  Although phosphorous and potassium toxicity is not typically an issue, nitrogen can be easily over applied.  This leads to excessive growth and toxicity. Young orchards require about 25-30 lbs of nitrogen per acre, which is often sourced from residual soil nitrogen during the first year.

Weeds

Weeds should be managed within new plantings as they can reduce tree growth. Weeds will starve young trees of nutrients and moisture, and if grown tall enough, will shade new trees from the sun.  Additionally, small animals love hiding in weed cover and feeding on tree roots and crowns, killing them.  Although weed management is important, walnuts are not resistant to herbicide.  Avoid planting directly into herbicide treated soil by reducing or eliminating the previous season’s application.  Mounding and filling in holes with previously treated soil can lead to a higher concentration of herbicide in contact with tree roots.  Green tissues like early trunk growth, low branches and leaves on new trees are vulnerable to herbicide, be mindful of drift by avoiding windy conditions, using proper spray rig height, nozzle angle and selection.  Know your weeds for proper herbicide selection and use different modes of action to avoid resistance.  Certain herbicides are registered for use on new trees, be sure to check current label listings first like Agrian (agrian.com/labelcenter/results.cfm) or CDMS (cdms.net/Label-Database) before spraying anything and do not use 2,4-D.

Hopefully these tips will help you in planting your next orchard.  Please contact your local UCCE farm advisor for further information about planting in your region.  Other resources include the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources (UCANR) Sacramento Valley Orchard Source website http://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/walnuts/ as well as the future publication, the Young Orchard Handbook, from which sections covering irrigation, fertilizer and weeds were derived.