Black Walnut tree and apple/pear trees

Hiya guys

I was given a black walnut tree as a gift and I have read  online that it is important not to plant this type of tree close to fruit trees.

I was planning on planting it in a large container for a few years before planting out. Can I plant this in a container beside apple/pear trees or how far should I move it?

I'd probably keep it 5 to 10 feet away if it's in a pot.  And I'd probably try to collect the leaves in the fall to make sure they don't incorporate into the soil around the apples/pears.

Mike Jay wrote:I'd probably keep it 5 to 10 feet away if it's in a pot.  And I'd probably try to collect the leaves in the fall to make sure they don't incorporate into the soil around the apples/pears.

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I believe it has no negative impact on oak trees so eventually it will be going in with them.

Yup, that jives with the back woods of my childhood home.  Huge white oaks, black walnuts and shagbark hickories all mixed together and a shit ton of squirrels loving every minute of it.

As Mike brought up, Black Walnut is Allopathic, meaning it produces compounds to prevent other plants from putting roots into it's territory.
These compounds are found both as exudates from the roots, the branches that fall to the ground and the leaf litter in the fall.
The trees that are compatable (to a point) are the Oak, Hickory and Pecan (actually a member of the Hickory family).
Other nut trees can live in the vicinity of a Black Walnut but not fruit trees.

Redhawk

Well... maybe not quite that simple!

Pawpaws and mulberries are happy to grow under walnut trees. Same with red currants and aronia berries.

That is interesting Ben, I've never seen a pawpaw or Mulberry grow anywhere near a Black walnut, all of the wild pawpaw I've ever found were in areas where Black walnut didn't exist because of the damp soil.
English walnut is a different species with far less allopathic tendencies than Black walnut.

I've heard varying reports on mulberry but I'm going to give it a shot.  Here's a video by my favorite youtuber on what he has experience with under his black walnut (hint: paw paw is one).

Great video, Mike! Thank you for sharing that. I don't have experience growing pawpaws myself, but in my home town of Bartlesville, OK, there are large stands of wild pawpaws growing under a black walnut canopy.

Here are photos of my walnut guild in various years and seasons, in which you can see mulberries (Illinois everbearing grafted on dwarf stock) doing quite well. The tree is English walnut grafted onto black walnut root stock. https://photos.app.goo.gl/kMXGZQEXx0SiiAm32

black walnut not only prevents sprouting, it will kill apple trees up to 80' away.

Walnut trees grow a taproot pretty fast. I wouldn’t plant it in a pot unless it’s necessary for some reason.

Juglone

https://extension.psu.edu/landscaping-and-gardening-around-walnuts-and-other-juglone-producing-plants

This is the most complete list I’ve found, but I’ve seen other lists that don’t agree with everything on this one.

Elderberries supposedly do well under black walnuts, or so the books tell me.

Planting tolerant shrubs and trees between a black walnut and a susceptible tree should help.

Bryant RedHawk wrote:
Other nut trees can live in the vicinity of a Black Walnut but not fruit trees.

Redhawk

What about trees in Prunus? I have a spot I want to plant an Apricot but there is a young 25 ft walnut tree I need to take out. The walnuts come up everywhere in the garden and range from 5ft to 60 ft. No idea where exactly they came from since no mother tree nearby although the 60 footer has been producing nuts for a few years now

There are huge maxed out white mulberries on the property(very urban/industrial area), lots of neglected land

There are apple trees in the area too that self seed occasionally in the garden. I’ve got one growing less than a foot from the trunk of a 30 ft walnut and it’s been there for a few years now and stands about 5 ft tall. I figured it would have died or shown signs of stress by now if apples are that sensitive. Possibly the walnut is stunting the Apple seedling but so would other trees growing so close. I havnt seen walnut affect much other than you can’t so much as think about growing tomatoes; and I have always been growing food in the vicinity of Black walnuts.
I wish walnuts were toxic to bush honeysuckle and privet

I've transplanted three black walnut from seeds that fell at my old house to the new place, north of their natural distribution. Where they were growing, I never really took note of the trees that grew around them, but raspberry canes would grow vigorously whenever a tree came down, punching a light tunnel through the canopy. I have apples growing in two different places within 80 ft of the young walnuts, so it'll be interesting see if they really fail to thrive in time...but I suppose I'll have to wait thirty years (if I'm lucky enough).