North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark Lee" <markl@nytec.com>]

I grew a walnut tree from seed about twenty years ago.  This year is the
first time it has produced a nut.  I read an interesting fact at this
webpage on the subject of walnuts reaching nut bearing age...
http://extension.usu.edu/files/gardpubs/walnut.htm.
“Normally, the male flowers emerge first, followed by the female. When the
tree is young, the two flowers often bloom at different times. As the tree
matures, the flowers figure out this pollination situation, bloom together
and produce nuts."

I thought my tree might be sterile or might need cross pollination.  I think
all I needed to do was to wait for the tree to mature.  The time it takes
for a tree to get the male/female flowering sequence right must be specific
to each tree because I have heard from a fellow NAFEX member that he can
grow walnuts from seed that bear nuts in 2 years.  What mechanism is in the
tree that makes the tree able to learn and remember the proper sequencing of
the male and female flowers?  So many questions, so little time!

-Mark Lee, Seattle, zone 7B/8A