Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

gwl-g - Re: [gwl-g] Testing Soil & black walnuts

gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: gardenwriters-on-gardening

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp <hoosiergardener@earthlink.net>
  • To: gardenwriters-on-gardening <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [gwl-g] Testing Soil & black walnuts
  • Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 07:19:04 -0500

Title: Re: [gwl-g] Testing Soil & black walnuts
Melanie -- I know you said not to refer you to a list, but Purdue has a publication that offers suggestions and tips for gardening around black walnut trees, including some info on plants that are sensitive and some that are not. A lot of people with walnut trees in this area have found it useful.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-193.pdf

This one from Virginia Tech also is good.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/nursery/430-021/430-021.html

In general, it would seem that woodland plants might be the way to go, since many of them have adapted to growing around lots of different trees. It's not just black walnut. It is any juglone-producing plant, including hickory, that has this allelopathic affect on neighbors. I've also read that that black walnuts are hazardous to earthworms, which raises the question about whether leaves and hulls should be composted.

About the soil test...just letting the sample air dry for a couple of days should do the trick.

jems

Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
Garden writer, speaker, photographer
Director, Region III Garden Writers Association
Phone: 317.251.3261
Fax: 317.251.8545
E-mail: hoosiergardener@earthlink.net


Melanie Vassallo, Long Island NY zone 6b
 
Thanks for the reminder to get our soil tested. Last year I finally dug out some soil and brought it to a local nursery that tests for free. They couldn't run the test, they said the soil I brought them was moist and only very dry soil could be tested. They suggested I microwave the soil until it dried out but it seemed to me that that might kill/change certain elements in the soil and I passed on that.
 
One spot in my garden has very black soil. When it rains a lot (like this past week) I find tiny bits of burnt wood. Either there was a massive tree there that had burned down years ago or it was a fire pit at one time. Indians lived in this area, the previous owner found many arrow heads here. I tried removing as much soil as possible and replacing it with composted manure but it always turns black again. Although some plants died in that spot, the good news is many plants thrive in there.
 
In the back yard I'm dealing with black walnut toxicity from the neighbor. What plants have you had success with under a black walnut? Don't send me a site with a listing, I'd prefer first hand experience. So far my daylilies aren't happy there, neither is the witch hazel I planted last year. Mondarda seems to be fine. It's in full sun.
 
Off to dig,
Melanie

_______________________________________________
gwl-g mailing list
gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gwl-g


-- 



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page