Butternut Seedlings

[SwampDonkey]

There are a number of species here that don't grow naturally in the other two Maritime provinces. The Saint John River is a little paradise so to speak of odd ball species. Other species unique from the rest of the Maritimes is bur oak, silver maple, and basswood. But butternut will grow here on ridges and in gulleys, fence rows of fields, and line the shores of little small streams. The best butternut log I cut was on the ridge out back in with sugar maple, basswood, ash, yellow birch, beech and ironwood in dark loam soil with a little creek starting from springs near by. It had a twin nearby and a lot of saplings and seedlings of butternut in the area. That whole ridge has a mix of butternut across it for as far as there is woods. And the little stream down hill of there that meanders through fields is lined with butternut.

[SwampDonkey]

My uncle said today that a butternut tree I transplanted from the farm here to his place back in 1997 has produced nut(s) this year. He found one had dropped from the tree recently. I told him to save any he finds.  8)

I estimate the tree to be 20-23 years old.

So Jeff, if I make it with those seedlings next year, you have a stab at harvesting nuts in your senior years. ;)

Sunday I may go collecting nuts in the butternut grove.

[thecfarm]

I have not checked mine. I only have 3 on my land. A big one and 2 real small ones.

[SwampDonkey]

Not very many nuts this year at all. My brother picked up 7 nuts out in the grove and my mother has another 12 nuts from the Woodstock area.

From the butternut grove on the farm. ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Picked these today under the yard tree. They are a little larger than the ones pictured in the last couple posts.



The butternut trees are pretty much naked of leaves now, accept the more protected seedlings.

[WDH]

Nice butternuts.  I see that you have some apples, pears, peaches, and plums too  ;D.

[SwampDonkey]

Yes, I was hoping they would serve as scale for the nuts that were mature versus the early duds. ;D  Nice aspen veneered strawberry box to. ;)

[sandhills]

Swamp Donkey, I have no idea how butternut would do down here (central Nebraska, I have clay, and sandy soils) but I would be interested in giving them a try if you'd be willing to sell a few.  I planted a short row of black walnut along a fenceline this fall, and a few peach pits, I also tried planting some apple and peach tree seedlings there a few years back but the ones that made it through the first years the best, the deer got a hold of last fall :-\.  Anyway, if you think they stand a chance down here I'd like to try it, I'd pay some and equal it with a donation to the FF, it's just a small corner of a field and I don't have much room to work with, just looking for a little diversity.

[SwampDonkey]

I wouldn't be able to move plant material through the border sandhills. Could try and send some nuts sometime. I'm all out of them for this year though. Wasn't a very good nut year here, but I planted some and gave a small bunch away to a couple forum members.

[SwampDonkey]

Just adding another butternut in here. ;D

[beenthere]

Which is which?   8)

[SwampDonkey]

Just toss a coin.

[sandhills]

That's fine, I didn't make myself very clear, the nuts were what I was referring to, I figured seedlings wouldn't work across the border.  Next fall keep me in mind if you have a few extra, I'd be more than happy to buy them, don't know how this little experiment is going to turn out just yet, playing around more than anything else and trying to keep adding to it. Thanks

[SwampDonkey]

That pretty much sums it up for my end to, just experimenting and playing. The moose have not bothered them yet, but I'm sure they'll rip up a few in time. ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Recently, I have been marking out a woodlot for some PCT work. I noticed a lot of old butternut were harvested, but left to lay on the ground and rot. One up side however, I have been finding a lot of butternut saplings. Many are from seed, some off stumps. When I walk bye on perimeter I tie ribbon on them. Most cutters have no clue whether it's ash, sumac or butternut. They call it all ash. If it's not maple, birch and softwoods they don't know it. On the way out there, there is an old abandoned house, and guess what is over growing the place, butternut. The squirrels must be having fun around there. I'll get a picture. ;D

Also I might mention I have been marking out a piece on public land, it also has butternut saplings. We worked on it a couple years back and I saved a lot of butternut trees on my work strips.

[SwampDonkey]

From the public land I'm marking out, here are a few butternut. Yellow line pointing to each.

[SwampDonkey]

Here's the old homestead of the family members that still live nearby. I'm thinning for some cousins of these folks. The old man that grew up there (their father) lived to be 93 I think. He passed away about 11 years ago. Anyway, you can see the house here with a bunch of butternut trees over taking it. Looking in the yard beyond the house there, I saw many old butternut trees and smaller ones. They can be seen from the road as one drives by. There is a small lake the house over looks, called Barret Lake.

[Jeff]

My uncle said today that a butternut tree I transplanted from the farm here to his place back in 1997 has produced nut(s) this year. He found one had dropped from the tree recently. I told him to save any he finds.  8)

I estimate the tree to be 20-23 years old.

So Jeff, if I make it with those seedlings next year, you have a stab at harvesting nuts in your senior years. ;)

Sunday I may go collecting nuts in the butternut grove.

Guess who it took to discover that the Butternuts had germinated I planted here at the cabin 2 years ago??  Swampdonkey himself! He's up here with me for a couple more days before he heads back home. I was thrilled to see that they had come up. 4 of the 6. It took this long for them to appear, as they were not there last year.



  

  

 

[Banjo picker]

You did better than I did.  I planted about 25 or 30 and only have one to show for it...its several years old now and well over head high...I had several that came up, turned white and died...Tim

[beenthere]

[thecfarm]

That is good.

[SwampDonkey]

I just transplanted one of their siblings this morning. The squirrels had buried a nut on the north side of my spruce grove behind the house. Seven feet tall I guess.

[thecfarm]

I tried to grow some in the green house. Note the try word. I planted some in cups. I watered them a few times times. Than one day I went in and most was tipped over. I thought that was odd, I thought Brenda had knocked them over. Than I knew, squirrels!!!! Every cup was empty. I need to start them inside next time.

[metalspinner]

Here's a butternut I transplanted today from some of my seeding projects. It's a bit over 7 feet tall. I planted it on a site where I tore down an old shed last fall.







Nice typical butternut symmetry, and well balanced. I'll have my bucket waiting to collect butternuts in 25 years. ;D

Hang in there, Swampdonkey. You're half way to 25 years now. 😁

[firefighter ontheside]

 @SwampDonkey you need to send me some of those seedlings so I can grow it and show the guy that tried to sell me cottonwood as butternut.  They may not survive the trip though.