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Soil, Compost & Mulch

English walnut shell mulch?

17 years ago

Has anyone used nuts shells as mulch? Or would putting them in compost pile be better? I have been using them as fire starters in wax milk cartons (works great) but I have too many wood stove ashes to be able to use and hate to waste anyting organic. Thanks.

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Comments (7)

bpgreen
17 years ago
They'll take a really long time to break down so I think they'd be a better mulch than compost.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
17 years ago
Although concentrations are higher in black walnuts, English walnuts also emit a substance called juglone that has growth suppressing properties termed allelopathy. All parts of the tree emit this substance to varying degrees, including the shells. I'd consider them a better material for pathways or other non-plant areas than using either as a regular mulch or adding to the compost.
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The black walnus I have here are like the ones in the video also, not like Ann T's. They're a mess to deal with and more work than they are worth to get out of the shell, plus they are bitter. I don't like them, but Dad loved them. e also had a butternut tree, I liked those better. Both trees, however, give off juglone from their roots, making it impossible to grow most other things within a distance from their roots. I found that beans would grow, but rhubarb wouldn't, not even horseradish. I love trees but when I bought the farm I had them both cut down, they made a huge mess and when you hit a black walnut with a lawn mower they turn into a projectile, capable of breaking windows and messing up the mower blades. The butternut tree was older than me and apparently hollow, one night it just fell over and so I didn't have to deal with feeling guilty over cutting down Dad's butternut tree. We'd take 5 gallon buckets full of the black walnuts and dump them on the back of the property, I only wish we could have sold them. We can't give the darned things away and I still have black walnuts on the property. annie
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Neither of them is going to contribute much to the soil short term. Both are very durable materials (provided what species tree the "cedar" actually comes from - too many different conifers are referred to as "cedar", of which most are not) and used as mulch will take considerable time (several years) to break down/decompose enough to the point they release nutrients back into the soil. btw, wood chip or bark mulches do not rob nitrogen from the soil. That is a tough to kill garden myth :-) Nitrogen tie up (not robbing or stealing) occurs during decomposition of the wood product by soil organisms and only happens if the wood product is incorporated into the soil, not if left on the soil surface as a mulch. And is of minimal consequence to established woody plants, like any fruit trees. It is also only a temporary condition, resulting in a net release of N long term. If you want a fast acting mulch that will encourage soil improvement and biological activity, mulch with compost or composted manure. You will get an almost immediate effect. You can always bark over the top if you want a more long term appearance.
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bpgreen
17 years ago
Gardengal--considering how slowly the shells break down, would enough juglone be released for it to make a difference? I wasn't thinking about juglone when I wrote my response, because I thought it was only an issue with the black walnut, and also because I thought the breakdown of the shells would be so slow it wouldn't really affect anything.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
17 years ago
I dunno - never used it myself. Commercially packaged walnut shell mulches are available, so I'd assume the effects are not that severe or far reaching. You do see references to avoiding including walnut shells or other walnut materials in compost, but I've got no walnuts around to test out these concepts :-)

From just a personal perspective, I prefer mulches that breakdown a bit faster and return OM and nutrients to the soil. I do use nut shells - hazelnuts, specifically - as pathway materials throughout my garden as they hold up well to weather and provide a dry, unmuddy walkway and provide a great source of entertainment from foraging squirrels. And they make a great crackling sound when you walk on them.
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
17 years ago
The Purdue University horticulture web site says "English walnuts do not have the high levels of juglone (the chemical that causes nearby plants to suffer) like the black walnut, unless the English walnut is grafted to a black walnut root stock."
wobur
Original Author
17 years ago
Hmmmm....good thoughts everyone. Maybe I'll just put them on the path between my raised beds. Thanks!
bob64
17 years ago
For whatever it is worth, we have some black walnut trees that do not seem to be suppressing nearby plant growth much if at all.

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