What is this?

[thecfarm]

My Father was some proud of this tree. I only have 2 and a few small ones in about a 10 foot area. They are just starting to drop. They are just about the size of a golf ball.According to my book,not many in the state of Maine.



 

I would like to plant these. I suppose I would have to wait for them to open up for the seed,than plant???

[Autocar]

They look like shag bark hickory to me and if they fell like that theres a chance theres worms in them. When they get rip the nut will fall free of the hauls and you just have to walk around the base of the tree with two buckets one to put the nuts in and another with some water in it. Drop the nut in the water if it sinks its a keeper ,floating ones have worms in them same thing with acrons. And there grow I have tons of trees coming up everywhere.

[thecfarm]

How right you are about the species. I guess I will be checking for just the nut. I have never seen just the nut on the ground,but will try the 2 bucket trick with any I might find.

[Autocar]

Try poping the shells off the nuts you have maybe up where your located the shells don't dry out enough to fall off.

[thecfarm]

Those will open up after a few weeks. You can kinda see the sections on the one on the left. The shell will start to open all by themselves. Looks like an orange peeled. Maybe the animals are there before I am too to collect the nuts.

[Autocar]

Normally if you grip the shell and maybe one or two peaces will pop off but one won't then you can pretty well figure it will be bad.

[beenthere]

Hickory nuts are surrounded by a husk, and the nut meat is enclosed in a hard shell that needs to be cracked to get the nut meat out.  ;)

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/pages/carya-fruits.htm

[thecfarm]

beenthere are you saying mine won't open by themsleves?

[beenthere]

The husks will open when the mature nut falls and the husk begins to dry. The early falls are usually immature nuts and the husk stays tight for quite a while (and may never open). This is my experience with the shagbark hickory that we have.

I've in the past had a good nut producing tree near my house for the last 45 years. The nut meats are large and the shells thin. However, in the last 5 years the worms have continually become worse each year. About 60% of the hickory nuts off this tree were wormy last year. Even the water-sinking test didn't sort them all out. Some nuts sank and I spread them out to dry, only to find the worms(grubs) in larvae stage had eaten their way out and were wiggling their way about. Amazing how they get their tiny head through the hole they chew out, and manage to squeeze that larger body out as well.

Adding couple pics showing the early drops (pingpong ball for size comparison), and some of previous years' nuts cracked open to show the good meats. These are small husks but large meats. As with walnuts, the husk size doesn't always mean the meat size is relative.



 



 

[thecfarm]

I think I have a nut in the tool box of the tractor left over from last year. Since there is only 2 trees and maybe none for many many miles,I wonder about the worm problems. I know the bugs can find the trees,but only a 2 trees and not one for miles? The few that I found on the ground each year always open. I have found 5 on the ground this year. I will go check for more.

[Tam-i-am]

I may not know my branches but I knew the kind of nut this was. :D

The early ones will not open.  And later when the ripe ones fall and open it makes a huge mess.

[thecfarm]

I have no idea if these are early or not. But frost can be any day,but none in sight.Theses should open up. Every one that I have picked up over the years has anyways. I have looked on the ground and never found alot of these nuts. Maybe the squirrels get them before I do. I have never tried to plant any of the nuts. I want to plant some and see if they will germinate. I went and found 5 more. But we did have a strong winds too. That might of helped them to fall too.

[isawlogs]

 Ray, I have seen some place blue tarps under the trees to help find the fallen nuts!   

[thecfarm]

Good idea.These trees are side by side. There are many smaller bushes under it.Would have to cut them down first.I have thought about cutting out the maples that are head high. But still many bushes knee high. If I did go with the tarp,it's kinda on a small knoll,they would all roll downhill. Easy to harvest that way. I have never seen alot of nuts under these trees, but have never checked it every day either.

[beenthere]

You can look up into the hickory tree to see how many nuts are there too. I find the good nuts hang on until the leaves begin to turn brown for fall drop. Squirrels will pick out the good nuts in short order. If they are short on food, they will go in the tree and chew off the branches holding the nuts and chew off the husk to get at the green meats. This year, there seems to be a heavy mast crop so am not seeing that happen. But there is an early drop of nuts this year, and I suspect they are not good (wormy). Crack some open, for the truth test.

[thecfarm]

I really don't see any nuts up in the trees. I know they are there,well I hope they are there. But the first limb of any size is about 40 feet up too. Then the other trees limbs are there too.

[WDH]

The nuts will need to be stratified in order to germinate.  That means leaving them outside for the winter, maybe under a thin layer of moist sand.  They need a "cold sum" or so many hours of cold temperatures.  Plant in March. 

[thecfarm]

Not much moist sand outside when it's -10°.  :D  March?   Ground may still have 3 feet of snow on it. Next plan.  :D  I know what you mean. Thank you. I probably would of kept the nuts inside the house all winter. I should be able to plant inside of a pot next spring? I will keep the nuts in a unheated shed in a tin can. Keep the mice away from them.I would like to keep track of them,to see how they do or don't do. Rain today,did not go to check on them.

[WDH]

You are right.  I forgot about the glaciation, and I was a mite quick on the draw for the planting.  Anyway, it is the thought that counts  .

[thecfarm]

glaciation,Now that's a word.  :D  Homemade by WDH.  ;D  Rain has stopped for now. But everything is still soaking wet.

[WDH]

Nope, did not make that one up  .

[cinnabar]

Would floating black walnuts the same way help sort out the worms too?   I get tired of cracking the lot of them only to find wormy ones after all the time and effort is done.  >:(

[beenthere]

Floating the black walnuts works for me.

Usually I rough husk them, toss them in a 5 gal bucket and stick the garden hose in with the nozzle full stream. This swirls the walnuts around and does a pretty good job of cleaning the husk muck off them, as well as lets me toss out the floaters. I then roll them out on the lawn to dry, before laying them out to dry further where the squirrels can't get at them.

[Activgurl]

LOVE them hickory nuts!  Gotta get ahead of the squirrels, for sure.  Let them dry for a couple months, crack 'em out whole, & use like pecans in a pie, or just eat 'em plain. 

[SPIKER]

I love em too, i have a good bunch of Hickory in the woods but the problem is these grubs in mine are 95%, once they (bugs) get established I thing they grow exponentially.    If the Bugs dont get mine the Squirrel and chipmunks do...

Enjoy them and if ya start finding bugs in them burn every one ya find for next year or two to break the bug cycle...

mark