Best time to prune a black walnut tree in the Gulf Islands? (Not sure what this cold snap may do, but everything in the garden already is emerging or budding.) Thanks for your thoughts!
I'm curious, what did you end up doing? I bought a Carpathian Walnut tree from a nursery several years ago. The trees they sold were about four years old. For the first few years, as it grew, I pruned the lowest few branches off until I could walk around it without getting poked in the face. I am no expert, but I ask a lot of questions and read a lot. According to many people with experience growing Walnut trees, Autumn is the best time of year to prune Walnut trees. That's the time of year when the tree sap is going down, not welling up. Otherwise, the tree might bleed out more than necessary. So wait until the tree starts dropping its leaves in the Autumn, or has shed its leaves completely. According to notes I made in Google Calendar (I try to record most gardening activities), the last time I pruned the tree (in Coquitlam) was October 19. That also gives it some time for the wounds to seal up before the heavy rains come and possibly cause mold and mildew (infection), and well before first frost of the year. So make a note in Google calendar, with an email reminder, and make it a repeating event, that your Walnut tree should be inspected for possible pruning in the second half of October every year.
