Walnut Tree Research Continues… The Chandler

Now that I know the Black walnut tree is a hard NO… and the Chandler walnut tree is a desirable variety of the English Walnut family, here is what I learned about the Chandler!

Information by:

https://www.willisorchards.com

https://www.waltreeturkey.com

The Chandler Walnut Tree produces very heavy crops of medium-sized, quality nuts that are oval in shape and fairly smooth in texture. This nut ripens in late September. It is moderately vigorous and needs approximately 1000 chill hours. I’m finding that ‘chill hours’ are very important to both nut and fruit trees! The Chandler walnut tree will grow in zones 4-8. Just a reminder, Palisade is zone 7.

The Chandler starts producing walnuts very early. If the tree is two years old at planting it can provide fruit the first year after planting. However, to conserve the energy of the tree and improve the productivity for the following years, you should cut the walnuts off from the tree when they emerge, and not let them develop. This allows the tree to use its energy for growing a stronger trunk and bigger roots, instead of producing walnuts. This increases the productivity of the tree in the long term. After three years you can start collecting the nuts. Yield increases gradually every year after planting the trees until year ten when the production levels off.

Tree size: 

The Chandler grows in a moderately vigorous way, and it is semi upright. Chandler walnut tree's height can reach up to 49 feet. But since they are pruned, they are usually kept at a smaller height. Usually, the tree's branches are pruned to keep it at approximately 16 feet width.

Leafing time (Blooming date): Chandler is a late leafing and blooming variety. This is an advantage, because late leafing varieties are less likely to be affected by frost, walnut blight and codling moth.

Lifespan: Chandler walnut trees are the same with regular English walnut trees in terms of how long they live. Walnut trees can live 100 years or longer.

When to plant: Chandler can be planted from November until April of next year, depending on your country. I will need to check what the planting season is for the United States… another thing to add to my ‘to do’ list.

Pollination: Chandler is a self-pollinating tree; it can yield walnuts without a pollinizer. But it can give you higher yields when used with a pollinizer. The Fanquette is a good pollinizer for the Chandler. I think I know where my research is taking me next!