Sometimes you feel like a nut..........

[mywaynow]

Anyone in the Northeast observing the lack of nuts on the trees this year? Acorns and Walnuts are sparse. Mother Nature is saying a mild winter.

 

[smokinj]

Only one thing would cause lack of nut... :cheese: Lack of water...

 

[maxed_out]

we have had plenty of rain but now that you mention it my walnut tree seems to be dropping less this year. It may be early but I see what you mean.

I'm not familiar with the "nut" theory but is there any more details to less nuts=milder winter?

 

[woodchip]

We have less nuts over here too (we have some smallish hazel trees for eventual coppicing), not many nuts on them, but I assumed it was because of the dry spring.

Last winter was unusually cold, that did help make this years blossom on the apple trees to be the best ever here, but as to nuts foretelling a mild winter.......

We get enough nutty weather forecasts here from the Met Office as it is............. ;-)

 

[shawneyboy]

After this past winter I will take a mild one in the future. I think it may be a smidge early for judgement on accorns, I think.... We certainly have not had a dry spring where I am at, that is for sure

Shawn

 

[fsr4538]

Certainly not a dry spring or summer here. I will say that we had an overabundance of nuts last season. The winter was then long. (Connection?) It would also seem that our weather pattern is running about a month behind. Perhaps the nuts are too? Perhaps with last years bumper crop it will be smaller this year as nature evens it out.



Forrest

 

[chvymn99]

Haven't heard that one before. I know Oaks cycle in nut production, from all the years of deer hunting. Maybe its Mother Natures way of putting her little animals on a diet. :lol:

 

[mywaynow]

I can say for certain that last years winter was long, cold and snowy. I did notice that my White Oak produced more acorns that year than I have ever seen fall of a tree. That nut production vs winter severity is one of those folk-lore issues that may be quite true. This year, I can't find enough Walnuts to fill both hands, and there are very few on the trees. Here is an article on some more of these "predictors":

http://ronwilsononline.com/pages/ronW_seasonal.html?feed=301031&article=6215674

 

[Thistle]

Very wet April May & June here - over 20 inches.

Most all fruit & nut trees are cyclical in nature.Especially Walnuts,Oaks & Hickories.A heavy or extra heavy crop one year is normally followed by 2-3 years of lighter production.My 3 Black Walnuts hardly had any last year,usually I get a bushel at least,while next door neighbor's had quite a lot.Answered a CL ad on southside of town to get some of the 2 1/2 bushels I ended up with after hulling (use an old New Idea hand-cranked corn sheller),washing,agitating & spread out on wire mesh to dry.They'll keep 2 yrs in the shell that way,untill you have time to crack & freeze or bake the nutmeats. Just remember to keep shed or garage door closed,otherwise squirrels & chipmunks will bring down your supply very fast.... ;-P

 

[jimbom]

.......

We get enough nutty weather forecasts here from the Met Office as it is............. ;-)

:lol: :lol:

 

[kettensäge]

I have noticed a yearly cycle as well, acorns about covered the ground last year so expecting less this year.
Never seemed to me to be weather related.

 

[cygnus]

Haven't really noticed yet. I know last year was abundant but I also remember about 3 years ago not a single acorn could be found anywhere. That was very strange.

 

[jimbom]

Lots of info on the net:

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2007/09/mast-production-nutshell

is a good article.

 

[NCPABill]

Here we have huge amounts of apples (no late frost), little other nuts, but the peculiar thing is that beech nuts are prolific. I haven't seen this many beech before in my 40+ years.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Of course weather plays a role, but it's a better reproductive strategy to "bust a nut" all at once than to have a string of average years. Trees naturally go through larger then smaller crops- in boom years the critters can't possibly eat all the nuts.

You see fish do the same thing- spawn all at once- so that by sheer numbers, some will get through. Sea turtle hatching- same thing. Coral and other primitive sea critters- same thing.

Last year we had lots of mast crop. Fruit growers know to prune and thin out fruit to increase size of fruit and also to promote better predictability of production year to year (artificially breaking this cycle).

 

[muncybob]

I'm with ya Bill, our apple trees seem to be exploding with apples this year and this is after a good production last year. Other than that the only thing I have noticed this year in abundance compared to other years is the number of chipmunks! Many more holes in the ground and I can't keep them out of my veggie garden.

A better weather predictor for us is to notice the thickness of our horse's coats....esp my quarter horse. If she's more "wooly" than usual come December we can count on some colder than normal weather. May just be coincidence but seems to be just as accurate as NOAA

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I'm with ya Bill, our apple trees seem to be exploding with apples this year and this is after a good production last year. Other than that the only thing I have noticed this year in abundance compared to other years is the number of chipmunks! Many more holes in the ground and I can't keep them out of my veggie garden.

A better weather predictor for us is to notice the thickness of our horse's coats....esp my quarter horse. If she's more "wooly" than usual come December we can count on some colder than normal weather. May just be coincidence but seems to be just as accurate as NOAA

I have a lot more chippies too- I bet their population (like deer) follows mast production, lagging a year. Good acorn crop and deer will have more fawns. I'd guess that there's a lot of yearling white tails, but they might not get fat enough to make it through next winter if they don't have the chow.

 

[smokinj]

Let the deer come to my house bigger crop every year! (must be the trees growing) Maybe some of this explains the sap wood I see on alot of the northeast walnuts...50 percent is unheard of around here. Yard birds will only have a couple inchs.

 

[lukem]

We had a bumper crop of acorns last year. Walking thru the yard was risky business after they all fell down...the ground was so hard from the late summer drought, and all the acorns made it like marbles on granite. I'll have to pay attention to what they do this year...but last year was the most I can ever remember...truly an exceptional year.

 

[mecreature]

We had a bumper crop of acorns last year. Walking thru the yard was risky business after they all fell down...the ground was so hard from the late summer drought, and all the acorns made it like marbles on granite. I'll have to pay attention to what they do this year...but last year was the most I can ever remember...truly an exceptional year.

same here last year was big.. far and few between this year. Probably cyclical.

Some times the lack of rain is good for the fruits... Apples sure are sweeter after a hot dry summer.
Not sure about nuts

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I've heard the nut theory many times but have never noticed a connection.

Interesting that rdust had so many acorns last year and I know of others the same but here we had very few. The weather does not vary a whole lot between his place and ours so out the door goes the nut theory.

Also, last year we had very few apples. This year will be a bumper crop. Theory has it there will be a glut of cider this fall.

 

[cptoneleg]

More acorns last yr than I ever remember here in VA. and my mother lives in Tx, and she said the same :zip:

 

[firefighterjake]

Interesting . . . up here where I live I had a banner year for acorns last Fall . . . the most I have seen in a long time . . . and in fact I collected a bag full of them to plant over on the family land since we do not have many oaks out there . . . seems this was a common occurence for most folks.

 

[fireview2788]

We've got pignut hickory dropping all over the yard. It's still a few months before the acorns start dropping so I have no idea there.


fv

 

[smokinj]

I've heard the nut theory many times but have never noticed a connection.

Interesting that rdust had so many acorns last year and I know of others the same but here we had very few. The weather does not vary a whole lot between his place and ours so out the door goes the nut theory.

Also, last year we had very few apples. This year will be a bumper crop. Theory has it there will be a glut of cider this fall.

:coolsmile: