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When to Harvest Nuts

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From: Arnold Taube City: Geneseo, IL
When is a good time for planning to harvest black walnuts in the Homer / Sidney, Illinois area?
	Extension Message From: Jay Hayek Extension Specialist, Forestry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences jhayek@illinois.edu
Black walnuts typically ripen in September/October as the husks transition from a solid green color to a yellowish/green with some brown & black spots. To determine ripeness during these two months, simply press on the walnut husk with your thumb – a ripe walnut should show an indentation.
From: Frank A Caputo City: DeRuyter, NY
Thank you for your response, Jay. One last Question... A local school would like to dig seedlings.. Up to what size would you consider too large for bare root transplanting? Thanks again... Your site has answered a lot of questions.
	Extension Message From: Jay Hayek Extension Specialist, Forestry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences jhayek@illinois.edu
Hi Frank: Many individuals encounter poor success when trying to dig up seedlings for transplanting to different locations -- honestly, you're better off buying barefoot seedlings at $0.50/each in my personal opinion. However, the goal to successful transplanting is to dig up as much of the root ball as possible while minimizing damage to the tap root and lateral roots. This small task can be more difficult than you think since some tree species have very robust root systems.
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