Aww Nuts...It's That Time of the Year Again.

[john70t]

Besides the detritus rain, flowers/gardens don't seem to grow well under walnut trees. Something about their chemistry.

When they are planted next to sidewalks it becomes a serious tripping hazard at night.
I unfortunately had to remove one of those, but only because it was located next to the foundations of two houses. I was bummed.

Other than that they are valuable to the property and beneficial to wildlife.

Instead of fighting it, every single year, why not leave a larger circle un-mowed?
Or hard-scape it to remain wild? (ring of rocks with larger hearty vegetation or a yard of multch)
Go with the flow.

[stevej37]

^^^ Walnuts to pick up on top of rocks, plants, and mulch....yeah right.

Raked up two more loads this morning. Looks to be about that much left in the tree...almost done.

[TimT]

I'm surprised no one would touch that tree, there is a lot of value in Black Walnut.....I found a guy near me who runs a small sawmill, I've seen his big saw in action and staples and nails are pretty much inconsequential..

Earlier this summer I picked up a piece of Black Walnut to make a table out of.. This piece was $275..



Imagine getting 100 similar slabs out of a tree.... that would cover having to replace a few blades..

Not sure if these embeds will work

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18220271776053165/


I have no idea the cost of a piece like this... I imagine in the thousands..

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcXtF87jyS_/


Finished table

[john70t]

Mow on high or weedwack. Pick. Mow again.
(?)
"walnut tool to gather crop"

[stevej37]

^^^ That's a beautiful table Tim.
The latest guy that I asked about wanting the wood wanted to know if the property was once a farm.
I know it was about 80 years back and told him so. He said no because of that and it was a single tree and needed a few to make it worthwhile.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by john70t

Mow on high or weedwack. Pick. Mow again.
(?)
"walnut tool to gather crop"

I bought one of those about 10 years back to pick them up. They don't work on black walnuts. The wires will cut into the outer pulp and then they stick to the wires.

The best way to pick them up is to mow the lawn very short before they fall. Rake them into piles of about 6 ft dia.
I use a #12 poly scoop shovel with a flat lip to slide under the walnuts and load into the wheelbarrow.
As long as the grass is short...it goes easy.

When shoveling them into the barrow, you quickly learn where to position the handle to get a full scoop every time.

[john70t]

When life gives you walnuts, make walnut pie.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by john70t

When life gives you walnuts, make walnut pie.

I'm not a fan of walnuts...if it was a cashew tree, I'd be guarding every nut.

[flipper35]

Around here they go for about $6 to $8 per 5 gallon bucket.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by john70t

Besides the detritus rain, flowers/gardens don't seem to grow well under walnut trees. Something about their chemistry.

When they are planted next to sidewalks it becomes a serious tripping hazard at night.
I unfortunately had to remove one of those, but only because it was located next to the foundations of two houses. I was bummed.

Other than that they are valuable to the property and beneficial to wildlife.

Instead of fighting it, every single year, why not leave a larger circle un-mowed?
Or hard-scape it to remain wild? (ring of rocks with larger hearty vegetation or a yard of multch)
Go with the flow.

My parents founf out you can't have apple trees wiithin 100' of a walnut orchard.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by flipper35

Around here they go for about $6 to $8 per 5 gallon bucket.

The Amish here will buy them. Last year I saw a sign for $40/pick-up load.
Loading them into a p/u (which I don't have) and unloading them into their barrels is just two more times handling them. My back corner of the yard graveyard is ok for me.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by flipper35

My parents founf out you can't have apple trees wiithin 100' of a walnut orchard.

The meat/pulp of a black walnut has medicinal value also. Just below the outer skin is about a half inch layer of black paste.

I have bought organic hand wart removal that is 100% black walnut paste. If you have a hand wart that won't go away...spread some of the paste on it and cover it with a band-aid. Do that for a week or so keeping the paste fresh.

It will start an infection around the wart and kill it. About 10 days of this and the wart and it's root will fall out.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by stevej37

It will start an infection around the wart and kill it. About 10 days of this and the wart and it's root will fall out.

Peppers and acids are highly corrosive to the human digestive system. Nicotine is highly toxic in pure form. Alcohol is poisonous. As are many plants without specific preparation. So are many vitamins and minerals in larger doses.

Yet we still manage to dance so close to the fire. Amazing.

[stevej37]

^^^ If I had only known what walnut pulp could do...I could prob get a few thousand one oz. containers to sell at $25 each. (that's what I paid for it)

In the mean-time, picking them up by hand leaves a black greasy mess that is hard to wash off.

[porsche tech]

Back in the day, Audi had a special tool to hook up to the intake on the Audi 5000 to blast the carbon off the back of the intake valves with crushed walnut shells.

[stevej37]

^^^ Yes, the shells of the inner nut are used for blasting metal...instead of sand.
https://www.norkan.com/Norkan_Store/surface-prep-100/blast-media-169/walnut-shell-171/

When cars run over the nuts, the inner shell is never broken, but somehow squirrels find a way to get at the inner walnut. Their front teeth must be very sharp.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

Back in the day, Audi had a special tool to hook up to the intake on the Audi 5000 to blast the carbon off the back of the intake valves with crushed walnut shells.

Walnut shells are a standard air blast abrasive. We used to use them to clean Gas Turbine compressors, before they moved to Turbine buckets with tiny cooling passages.

I have a patent on using CO2 pellets for compressor cleaning.

Back on Topic - wear gloves around the black walnuts.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Back on Topic - wear gloves around the black walnuts.

With the rake, scoop shovel, and wheelbarrow....I never touch the walnuts by hand.
I do wear a pair of chore gloves for the raking...otherwise I get blisters quickly.

Three more wheelbarrow loads today....the weather is perfect for doing it. 55 degrees and sunny.

[stevej37]

A pic today of the culprit tree.
Lots of leaves that haven't fallen yet...hard to spot the walnuts hanging on.