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How to Plant Hickory Nuts
How to Plant Hickory Nuts. Starting a hickory tree from a nut will give you great rewards in the years to come. Hickory trees can grow more than 60 feet high with beautiful canopies that make great shade trees. Growing them from nuts is generally more successful, as they grow very deep tap roots that can be damaged by transplanting. One thing to...
Starting a hickory tree from a nut will give you great rewards in the years to come. Hickory trees can grow more than 60 feet high with beautiful canopies that make great shade trees. Growing them from nuts is generally more successful, as they grow very deep tap roots that can be damaged by transplanting. One thing to know before you begin is that if you are expecting to eat hickory nuts in the next couple of years, you will be disappointed. Hickory trees grown on their own roots will take from 10 to 15 years to produce nuts.
Things You'll Need
Hickory nuts
Screening
Fertilizer
Garden hose
Compost
Mulch
Gather hickory nuts from a tree. You will have more success planting a nut from a tree that you know already grows in your area. There are many varieties of the tree and some do well in certain areas, while others do not.
Remove the husks from the hickory nuts and soak the nuts in water for a few days. Change the water twice a day to ensure proper oxygen levels.
Plant the nuts outside in the area you want the trees. Hickory trees prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Place two or three nuts in two separate areas of your yard, at least 24 feet apart, if you want to be assured of nuts. Plant the nuts about 3 inches deep in the fall.
Place screening or wire mesh over the area where you planted the nuts. This will keep the squirrels and other animals from digging up the nuts as snacks. Water the area and leave it alone until spring. If you have a very dry fall, water occasionally. Do not soak the hickory nuts, or they will rot in the ground.
Fertilize in the spring with some 10-10-10 fertilizer and then again once a month. Between fertilizer applications, place a little compost on top of the soil. Water heavily once the hickory nuts start to sprout, but do not leave them standing in water.
Thin out the seedlings to one in each area. Keep the strongest or largest seedling and discard or transplant the others. Keep the area free of weeds by placing some mulch around the new trunk. Even when the trees are large, do not plant other plants under the hickory trees. Keep them watered and fed and they will grow quickly.
