1. Planting

• Once you've picked the perfect planting location, dig a hole that’s just as deep as the root ball on your tree and three times as wide.
• Take a pitch fork or shovel and scrape it along the sides of the hole to loosen the soil. Check for any debris like rocks, grass, or dirt clumps and remove them from the hole.
• Next place your tree in the hole and make sure that it’s level with the surrounding ground and standing straight upwards at a 90 degree angle.
• Slowly back fill the hole and gently tamp the soil down.
• Once you’ve completed the planting process give your tree a long drink of water and mulch the area to conserve soil moisture.

2 Watering: We often find that plants are harmed more by over watering than under watering. Keep this in mind when it comes to watering your walnut tree. Allow the soil to dry out two inches below the surface before watering your trees. When it’s time to give your trees more water hold a hose to their bases and count to 30 seconds in order to give them a slow, deep watering.

3. Fertilization: In order to give your walnut trees a boost give them some well balanced fertilizer like formula 10-10-10 twice a year. Once in the early spring and again in the early fall. If your soil is lacking in nutrients you can fertilize up to once a month during the growing season. Always remember to wait until your tree has experienced one year of growth before fertilizing.

4. Weed Control: Prevent weeds from growing under the canopy by spreading 3 to 4 inch thick layer of mulch around the base. The mulch won’t allow weeds to grow, and it will also help your soil retain moisture. If you spot some weeds that need removing, you can remove them by taking a firm grasp on them and pulling them upwards out of the ground in a twisting motion.

5. Pruning: During the early spring is the best time of year to prune your walnut trees. You will want to prune any broken, damaged, or diseased branches. Also, remove any crisscrossing or rubbing branches. Make sure that your tree has sunlight and air flow through the canopy, this will allow the air and sunlight to knock out molds and fungi.

Be sure to look at your tree and plan where to make your cuts. Just like with a haircut, you can always remove more hair later, but if you cut too much it may take a while to grow back. Use a sharp and sterile pair of hand pruners or loppers and make your cuts at 45 degree angles facing upwards in order to promote new growth.