Walnut Tree Bonsai

[Pixar]

Anyone had success growing a Walnut Bonsai ? Any photos please

 

[Cadillactaste]

Black walnut can be such a challenge in ones landscape. All foliage, nuts and roots produce juglone toxins. So if one did have one. Make sure the run off on the bench doesn't drain into another trees pot.

You see the first time we planted our landscape we had no idea of juglone. And lost most everything we planted. Second attempt I mentioned my concern they would die to the manager of a local nursery. I stated...I purchased shade loving plants...and yet...they all died. She asked me what the tree was. I stated Black walnut. She said...be right back. When she returned she handed me an Ohio State University list of toxicity and plants that were found growing near them listed as tolerant of juglone.

 

[rockm]

Not many walnut bonsai out there. Compound leaves, extremely coarse growth pattern make this one like Sycamore. Hard to work with. You'll need VERY large stock to make a good bonsai out of it. Good luck.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Not many walnut bonsai out there. Compound leaves, extremely coarse growth pattern make this one like Sycamore. Hard to work with. You'll need VERY large stock to make a good bonsai out of it. Good luck.

I'm growing black walnut bonsai without wanting to Each fall squirrels like to sequester nuts in my bonsai pots. In addition to the general mess they make digging around in the pots, in the spring I find large walnut seedlings germinating where I don't want them. This year I planted a couple of seedlings in pond baskets just to have them, but in the future I'll probably just move them into my landscape where I can control what grows (or doesn't grow) around them.

For the record, I'll just say that juglone has zero appreciable impact on Virginia creeper or poison ivy, since I have had to remove both species from mature walnut trees growing on my property.

 

[rockm]

This species is native here and there are some pretty old trees around me. The "Champion" black Walnut in the U.S. (so far reported) is down near the Great Dismal Swamp in Westmoreland County. It's 104' high and about 20 feet around the trunk.

Champion Trees Registry - American Forests

Search the register below to see Champion Trees by species or look to see which ones are in your state. You can even search Champion Trees by size or total points.

www.americanforests.org

Walnuts are among the messiest trees around. The nuts are encased in a green husk. Those fall in the late summer through mid-autumn--Sept. to October. Those falling conkers are dangerous if they hit you in the head, and can damage your car. After the green baseballs have fallen and break open, they stain everything a deep brown or black.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Walnuts are among the messiest trees around. The nuts are encased in a green husk. Those fall in the late summer through mid-autumn--Sept. to October. Those falling conkers are dangerous if they hit you in the head, and can damage your car. After the green baseballs have fallen and break open, they stain everything a deep brown or black.

Just adding that the staining includes your hands... if you are unwise enough to get walnut juice on them. As far as I know, it has to wear off. You certainly can't wash it off.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

In many ways the foliage of Walnut resembles the foliage of sumac, genus Rhus. If you try to make one into bonsai, you can use some of the Rhus bonsai as archetypes. There is a photo of Kimura next to a Rhus bonsai that he created. It's very literati like. The simple unbranched trunk zigs and zags up in attractive way, with a parasol of foliage at the top, much like a palm tree. The autumn colors of the sumac are beautiful. The first photo was the sumac in isolation, the second photo was with Kimura, and it was startling to see the sumac was taller than Kimura. That is a hint that the suggestion to "go big" is serious.

The problem with walnut, that in addition to long compound leaves, walnut has very mediocre autumn colors. The leaves go yellow with brown blotches all over. If they went to a clean, or clear yellow that would be attractive, but they are very blotchy, rather ugly in autumn.

I'm sure as soon as I say walnut is completely unacceptable as bonsai, someone will post a photo of a show worthy walnut. But personally the problems are more than most people's skill sets. I would give walnut, butternut and most hickories a pass.

 

[rockm]

In many ways the foliage of Walnut resembles the foliage of sumac, genus Rhus. If you try to make one into bonsai, you can use some of the Rhus bonsai as archetypes. There is a photo of Kimura next to a Rhus bonsai that he created. It's very literati like. The simple unbranched trunk zigs and zags up in attractive way, with a parasol of foliage at the top, much like a palm tree. The autumn colors of the sumac are beautiful. The first photo was the sumac in isolation, the second photo was with Kimura, and it was startling to see the sumac was taller than Kimura. That is a hint that the suggestion to "go big" is serious.

The problem with walnut, that in addition to long compound leaves, walnut has very mediocre autumn colors. The leaves go yellow with brown blotches all over. If they went to a clean, or clear yellow that would be attractive, but they are very blotchy, rather ugly in autumn.

I'm sure as soon as I say walnut is completely unacceptable as bonsai, someone will post a photo of a show worthy walnut. But personally the problems are more than most people's skill sets. I would give walnut, butternut and most hickories a pass.

There's a video floating around of a decent walnut bonsai. It's not going to win any show prizes, but it's ok.

As for Autumn color, at least here in Va., they do tend to carry clean clear yellows most years. Some not so much...

 

[penumbra]

All plants have purpose, even poison ivy which which produces berries for turkey and other wildlife. In nature walnut is extremely useful. But everything bad said here about them as bonsai is very true. In addition, they have a very short growing season. They are one of the last to leaf out and they are dropping leaves now. As to its usefulness as a bonsai on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a zero.

 

[rockm]

In many ways the foliage of Walnut resembles the foliage of sumac, genus Rhus. If you try to make one into bonsai, you can use some of the Rhus bonsai as archetypes. There is a photo of Kimura next to a Rhus bonsai that he created. It's very literati like. The simple unbranched trunk zigs and zags up in attractive way, with a parasol of foliage at the top, much like a palm tree. The autumn colors of the sumac are beautiful. The first photo was the sumac in isolation, the second photo was with Kimura, and it was startling to see the sumac was taller than Kimura. That is a hint that the suggestion to "go big" is serious.

The problem with walnut, that in addition to long compound leaves, walnut has very mediocre autumn colors. The leaves go yellow with brown blotches all over. If they went to a clean, or clear yellow that would be attractive, but they are very blotchy, rather ugly in autumn.

I'm sure as soon as I say walnut is completely unacceptable as bonsai, someone will post a photo of a show worthy walnut. But personally the problems are more than most people's skill sets. I would give walnut, butternut and most hickories a pass.

Same for the pecan--magnificent trees in the wild, but can't be tamed for bonsai. A pity.

 

[leatherback]

Just adding that the staining includes your hands... if you are unwise enough to get walnut juice on them. As far as I know, it has to wear off. You certainly can't wash it off.

Use vaseline on your hands when collecting nuts. It reduces it to minimal staining.

 

[penumbra]

Just adding that the staining includes your hands... if you are unwise enough to get walnut juice on them. As far as I know, it has to wear off. You certainly can't wash it off.

A common textile dye used my Native Americans.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Wallnut timber is pretty expensive though! A single plot of trees can be a retirement fund for your kids. A cubic meter of quality walnut wood goes for €2500-3000 around here.

I'm trying to bonsai them for shits and giggles but they make a tubular root at first which makes it hard. Not sure about the backbudding either. Very coarse growth and I can't say I recommend them.

 

[RKatzin]

I'm working on a Black Walnut forest. This is my second attempt. The first was several years ago and I did everything wrong. In the fall I over pruned the roots and planted them all too shallow in too small a pot. By spring a few leaves popped, but all died when the heat came on. Back to the drawing board.
About that same time I potted up two dozen seedlings in one gallon pots. I let them grow for three seasons and then I root pruned and bumped them up to 8"+10" pots. Most of them got topped at least once in the ensuing years. They seem to bush out at the base when you do that.
Today I have 18 trees that I have slated to work in the spring into an oversized wooden box, shallow, but wide and long for the project.
I would estimate the foliage is about one third of that on a full sized tree and I would expect another reduction in size once they're all planted together.

 

[Pixar]

We don't have black walnut here in New Zealand just the one's you buy from the grocery places . Can I succeed in growing them from seed , I was going to experiment with a few nuts and try hydroponics ?

 

[RKatzin]

I believe the nuts you can buy are dried and I don't think they will sprout. Most commercial nuts sold around here are either English or Carpathian walnuts. Large nuts with thin shells and lots of meat. You can always try soaking them in water and see if you get a sprout.
Look into importing restrictions for fresh nuts. If it's allowable I'd be more than willing to help you out.

 

[Pixar]

Not many places around in New Zealand selling Walnut trees . I seen only one place where you can get a Walnut tree and they want far too much . Really keen to try and start growing one