How to Order Walnut Saplings

Waltree Nursery has been grafting walnut saplings at Bandirma in Turkey since 1992 and exports most of what it grows. This page sets out how an order actually works, from the first enquiry to the trees arriving on your land. If something here does not suit the way you prefer to buy, tell us and we will say what is possible rather than leave you guessing.

WHO WE SELL TO

We supply commercial growers planting their own orchards, and nurseries that resell trees in their own country. The quote form asks which one you are because the two orders are put together differently -- it lets us answer usefully the first time rather than after an exchange of emails.

We are a wholesale nursery, so there is a minimum order, and it depends on where the trees are going rather than on a company rule. A shipment has to fill enough of a truck to be worth sending, so the threshold is lower for a destination we can reach overland in two days than for one that needs a long haul or air freight. The figure we publish as a general guide is 3,000 trees. For some destinations it is lower and for a few it is higher. Tell us your country and the number you have in mind and we will confirm it in our reply.

If you are planting a garden rather than an orchard, a nursery in your own country will serve you better than we can, and we would rather say so than take you through a quote that was never going to work.

WHERE WE SHIP

We have exported walnut saplings to 35 countries, from Portugal to Nepal. If yours is on one of these lists we have shipped there before, we know what its plant health service asks for, and we can tell you what the documents and the freight will look like before you commit to anything.

Market Countries
Main markets in the EU Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain
Main markets outside the EU Georgia, India, Moldova, Russia
Also exported to Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

We can export to countries in Europe and Asia that are not on these lists, and we do most seasons. What decides it is not the distance but whether your country will let the trees in and whether the order fills enough of a truck to be worth sending -- so ask rather than assume. One thing is worth knowing early: some countries require an import permit that only you, as the importer, can apply for, and a few of those take months.

HOW A QUOTE IS BUILT

There is no fixed price list, because the price of a grafted walnut tree depends on what you order and when you want it. Three things move it: the grade of sapling, the number of trees, and the delivery. The price per tree is the same for every variety we graft, so choosing between Chandler and Fernor is an agronomic decision rather than a cost one.

  1. You tell us what you are planning

    Your country, roughly how many trees, and the month you want them. If you do not yet know the variety or the exact number, give your best estimate and say so -- we would rather advise you than quote the wrong thing.

  2. We send a price list

    By email, usually within 24 hours, priced for the quantity and the delivery month you gave us. If something in your plan does not add up -- a variety that will struggle at your altitude, a pollenizer ratio that is off -- we will say so in the same reply.

  3. We agree the order and a delivery window

    Once the price is settled we fix the quantities, the varieties and the month, and your trees are reserved in our fields for that season. You are welcome to visit the nursery and see them before they are lifted.

The quote covers the trees themselves, the phytosanitary certification and export paperwork, lifting and cold storage, and transport to your address -- with the delivery cost shown as its own line rather than folded into the price per tree.

SAPLING GRADES

Every tree we ship is a two-year-old grafted sapling on Juglans regia, lifted bare-root while dormant. What differs between grades is size. A larger tree carries a thicker trunk and a bigger root system, establishes faster and starts bearing sooner; a smaller one costs less per tree and is easier to handle in quantity. The grade is one of the three things that move the price, so tell us which you are interested in when you ask for a quote.

Grade Height Age at delivery Typically chosen for
Small 40-80 cm 2 years Tighter budgets and sheltered sites
Medium 80-120 cm 2 years The usual choice for a commercial orchard
Large 120-200 cm 2 years The earliest bearing, and exposed sites

Heights are measured on the tree as it leaves the nursery and describe a band rather than a guaranteed figure for every individual tree: these are field-grown plants, not a manufactured product. If you are not sure which grade suits your climate and your planting plan, say so in the form and we will recommend one rather than sell you the largest.

PAYMENT

Payment is by bank transfer, in two parts. 5% confirms the order. That is what reserves your trees in our fields for the season, so the earlier it is settled the better your chances of the delivery month you asked for. The balance is due seven days before the trees are shipped, which is what lets us book the load with confidence. We send you the banking details and the invoice with the confirmed order, not before.

We will never send you different bank details part-way through an order. If you receive a message that appears to come from us asking you to pay into another account, telephone us before you act on it.

DELIVERY, AND WHO DOES WHAT

That is your choice, and we quote on two Incoterms depending on which you prefer.

FCA Bandirma, Turkey
You organise the transport. You or your freight forwarder collect from the nursery, and we hand the consignment over loaded, with the Turkish export formalities completed and the phytosanitary certificate issued.
CPT your destination
We organise the transport. We appoint a Turkish logistics company and the trees are delivered to the place you name. The carriage is quoted as a separate line from the price per tree, so you can see what the trees cost and what the delivery costs instead of having the two folded into one number you cannot check.

What falls to you is the import side: clearing the trees into your country, and any import permit your government requires. Some countries need that permit applied for months in advance, and it can only be applied for by the importer, not by us. Tell us your country early and we will tell you what we know about it.

EXPORT DOCUMENTS

We prepare the export paperwork ourselves and it is part of what we quote. A shipment normally travels with:

  • A commercial invoice.
  • A phytosanitary certificate issued by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, confirming the trees were inspected and found free of quarantine pests. Our saplings are checked by our own agricultural engineers before they reach that stage.
  • A certificate of origin.
  • The transport documents for the load.
  • The Turkish customs documents.
  • An EUR.1 movement certificate where your country is entitled to one. This is what lets an importer claim the preferential duty rate under a free trade agreement with Turkey, so it is worth telling us early if it applies to you.

Requirements differ by destination and they change. Some countries also require an import permit obtained by you before the trees can be shipped. Tell us where you are and we will confirm what is needed on both sides before you commit to anything.

WHEN WE LIFT AND SHIP

Our season runs from November to April, and nothing ships outside it. Trees are lifted dormant and bare-root, then held in cold storage with their roots wet, which is what lets us deliver in good condition to countries where spring arrives late instead of shipping trees that have already broken bud on the way.

This is why the quote form asks which month you want them. It is a real scheduling question rather than a formality: the earlier we know, the better we can plan your load, and the likelier you are to get the month you asked for rather than the one that is left.

WHEN THE TREES ARRIVE

Your trees arrive dormant and bare-root with their roots kept moist. Check them on arrival and get them into the ground as soon as your land allows.

If the ground is not ready, heel them in rather than leaving them in their packing: lay the roots in a shallow trench, cover them with soil or damp sand, and water them every few days. Trees will wait several weeks like that. If you have cold storage, hold them between 0 and 8 degrees Celsius with the roots kept damp.

Our chapter on planting a walnut orchard covers the arrival checks, heeling in, hole size, planting depth and the first watering in detail. Advice afterwards is free, and it is not a courtesy -- we would far rather spend an hour on the telephone than watch an orchard fail for something avoidable.

OUR GUARANTEE

We guarantee that your trees leave the nursery healthy and free of disease, and that they reach you in that condition and undamaged. Every consignment is inspected by our own agricultural engineers and carries a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry before it is allowed to leave the country.

If any tree arrives unhealthy or damaged, we replace it. Check the consignment when it reaches you and tell us what you have found, and we will arrange the replacements.

VISITING THE NURSERY

You are welcome to come and see the trees before you buy them, and customers regularly do. The nursery is about three hours from Istanbul: we can collect you from Sabiha Gokcen airport, or you can take the Istanbul to Bandirma ferry. Tell us roughly when you would like to come and we will arrange it.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT ORDERING

It depends on the destination rather than on a fixed company rule, because a shipment has to fill enough of a truck to be worth sending. The figure we publish as a general guide is 3,000 trees; for some countries it is lower and for a few it is higher. Tell us your country and the number you are planning and we will confirm it in our reply.

Yes, both. We supply commercial growers planting their own orchards, and nurseries that resell the trees in their own country. The quote form asks which one you are because the two orders are put together differently.

By bank transfer, in two parts: 5% to confirm the order and reserve your trees, then the balance seven days before they are shipped. We send the banking details and the invoice with the confirmed order.

Two, and you choose between them. FCA Bandirma, Turkey if you want to organise the transport yourself -- you or your forwarder collect from the nursery and we hand over loaded, with the Turkish export formalities done. CPT your destination if you want us to organise it -- we appoint a Turkish logistics company and deliver to the place you name, with the carriage quoted as a separate line from the price per tree. Under either term, clearing the trees into your country and any import permit your government requires fall to you.

A commercial invoice, a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, a certificate of origin, the transport documents and the Turkish customs documents. Where your country is entitled to one we also issue an EUR.1 movement certificate, which lets an importer claim the preferential duty rate under a free trade agreement with Turkey. Requirements differ by destination, so tell us your country and we will confirm.

Between November and April. Trees are lifted dormant and bare-root and held in cold storage with their roots wet until it is time to send them, and nothing ships outside that window. Tell us the month you want in the quote form -- the earlier we know, the better we can plan your load.

Yes, and customers regularly do. We are about three hours from Istanbul; we can collect you from Sabiha Gokcen airport, or you can take the Istanbul to Bandirma ferry. Once an order is agreed your trees are reserved in our fields, and you are welcome to come and see them before they are lifted.

We have exported to 35 countries. Our main markets in the EU are Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain, and outside it Georgia, India, Moldova and Russia. We have also shipped to Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. We can quote for other countries in Europe and Asia as well: tell us where you are and we will confirm what the import side of it needs.

We replace them. We guarantee that your trees leave the nursery healthy and free of disease and that they reach you in that condition and undamaged, so if any tree arrives unhealthy or damaged, tell us what you have found when the consignment reaches you and we will arrange the replacements.

Tell us what you are planning

Send us your country, roughly how many trees and the month you want them, and we will come back within a day with a price list and an honest answer on whether the order works.

Request a price quote