We have a large old walnut tree on a section we have bought in ton. It is very tall & currently the branches are too close to the neighbours house. We were going to cut it down, but now wondering if we would be able to cut the top off to a reasonable height/size & then cut any limbs off that are overhanging too much. Would it recover & conform or is it more likely to die? Obviously we would maintain the tree after it is initially pruned.
fhpottery,
Jun 18, 9:07am
It won't die. You need to seal cuts with tree stump sealer and don't chop off too hard at first. Tree might get a shock.Chop limbs off of an angle so water won't stagnate stumps. From memory, my walnut trees did recover from hard pruning but do get advice first as they are valuable trees.
samanya,
Jun 19, 5:49am
I'd get a qualified arborist to do the first trim & they would probably give you advice on how to maintain it. As fhpottery said they are valuable trees & it's been a long time growing to produce, I pay a small fortune for walnuts but there's always a demand for the nuts & the wood. It would be a shame to cut it down, but then I've always wanted a walnut tree. I planted one once . it was very expensive for an 8 year old grafted tree & then I moved. *bu**er*
maclad,
Jun 19, 6:41am
If it not pruned properly then you will encourage all sorts of rank upright strong growths which will then need dealing to as well, the tree will survive but will need lots more pruning in future. Getting in an arborist is good advice.
marte,
Jun 19, 9:13am
They are valuable. Someone may even buy it from you, then transplant it elsewhere. I know its been done before. I think shelled wallnuts are worth $40 a kg in the supermarket.
cantabman1,
Jun 19, 10:19am
I would do it yourself if you feel qualified enough at pruning, but would suggest you don't do it all at once, but over two seasons. Top it for a start, then do the branches and anything else the next season. Your tree will have less stress, and you will be able to shape it on the second cut.
bestie1,
Jun 19, 11:30pm
Prune your Walnut in late summer / early autumn otherwise it'll bleed like buggery. Your pruning cuts won't need sealed, the tree will take care of that. If it's a major prune ring an arborist, walnuts can be finickity.
dex250,
Jun 20, 8:23pm
Thanks. We have treescape coming in to cut a few other big trees down that are too close to the power lines & our house, so we think we will get them to do a hard prune in the hopes that it will recover & if it dies, it will be low enough for my husband to chop down. It probably stands about 25-30 meters tall & is currently covering alot of the neighbours house, so just wanting to get it to a maintainable level.
spiritofgonzo,
Jun 20, 8:54pm
So how much off the top? Ie if you're going to cut the top half off, it will never look like a nice tree, it will always look odd. If you're just going to take to top little bit off to stop it growing higher, you might be ok as it will grow into that shape better. I
antoniab,
Jun 21, 12:05am
It wont die - my old boss has a massive walnut tree that they cut VERY hard, even used the wood in their house as trim and it looks great now, super healthy :)
dex250,
Jun 21, 7:36am
Would need to cut at least 10 meters off it
joanne282,
Dec 10, 10:19pm
Blonde question. If you get cuttings will these grow or can you graft them?
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