North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] Black Walnut..was..Clonal Rootstock

If you can bear to cut it off, you could layer the shoots. Stool them, that is, the way apple stocks are layered.  Though you might put a wire around the base of the shoots before you cover them with soil.   That was done with black walnut rootstock in the days of Luther Burbank's "Paradox" hybrids to produce clonal rootstocks.
-Lon Rombough
>

> Del you may be lighting a brushfire here - in the seedling vs. clonal debate - just this morning I went with a
> bow saw at a black walnut seedling here borne of the Elmer Myers Black Walnut strain.
>
> Observing the extremely straight and exceptionally vigorous growth I hesitated with the bow saw.  I can see
> this walnut hitting 20' by August, from the 12' it is now.
>
> I do think we oversell clonal varieties and clonal rootstocks too much.  There are distinct disadvantages to
> the clonal approach....and not enough growing from seed.
>
> I don't know what to do about the seedling walnut.  Obviously it'll make a decent saw log in just 10 years vs.
> the typical 20.  I've never seen such vigor.   And how-ever can I propagate it if it proves of value for either
> timber or for nuts?   Root cuttings?   Is it possible to obtain Black Walnut trees from root cuttings?