WALNUT VARIETIES

Our Walnut Tree Varieties

three Chandler walnuts in the shell, the middle one cracked open to show a full pale kernel, with a handwritten Chandler label below

Chandler Walnut Tree

Chandler is our top selling walnut seedling variety. It is known for its superior productivity. Chandler nuts are large with excellent quality, light colored oval shaped kernels, nuts have a thin shell. It leafs and blooms late, so it is more resistant to frost than other varieties. Franquette is recommended as pollinizer.
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three Fernor walnuts in the shell, the one on the right cracked open to show its kernel, with a handwritten Fernor label below

Fernor Walnut Tree

Fernor is a late leafing, highly productive French variety which is blight tolerant. It is often recommended for cold climates that are not suitable to grow Chandler. Fernor is highly productive and produces large fruits with excellent quality and flavor. Fernette is recommended as pollinizer.
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a Lara walnut cracked open showing the kernel, beside two whole nuts in the shell

Lara Walnut Tree

Lara is a French lateral bearing variety that produces some of the largest in-shell walnuts available, 32-38 mm and 10-13 grams, with a thin shell and a fairly light kernel. It leafs out later than Chandler and is harvested early. Lara is the strongest choice where the market pays a premium for large calibre in-shell or fresh walnuts. Franquette or Fernette are recommended as pollenizers.
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a Howard walnut cracked open showing the kernel, beside two whole nuts in the shell

Howard Walnut Tree

Howard is Chandler's sister variety from the same University of California cross, and one of the most widely planted commercial varieties in California. It is lateral bearing and produces a larger, heavier nut than Chandler in a strong, very well sealed shell, and it is harvested about ten days earlier. Growers often plant Howard as an early block alongside Chandler to spread the harvest workload. Franquette is recommended as pollenizer.
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a Tulare walnut cracked open showing the kernel, beside two whole nuts in the shell

Tulare Walnut Tree

Tulare is a University of California variety and the second most planted walnut in California after Chandler. It is strongly lateral bearing and produces a very large, nearly round nut of 13.3-14.1 grams with a heavy, well filled kernel at around 53% of the nut. It is harvested about ten days before Chandler, and its own male and female flowering overlap well enough that it is often planted with few or no pollenizer trees.
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two Robert Livermore walnuts in the shell beside a cracked kernel showing its natural red colour

Robert Livermore Walnut Tree

Robert Livermore is the red walnut. It is a University of California variety and the one commercial walnut cultivar whose kernel skin is naturally red to purple instead of the usual light tan. The kernel underneath is a normal, well filled, good quality walnut kernel at 48-50% of the nut, and the tree is a familiar lateral bearing Chandler-like tree harvested about ten days earlier. Its yield is classified as moderate rather than strong, so it is a variety for specialty and premium markets where the kernel is visible, not for maximum tonnage.
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three Franquette walnuts in the shell, the middle one cracked open to show its kernel, with a handwritten Franquette label below

Franquette Walnut Tree

Franquette is a late leafing variety and it is very resistant to frost. It produces thin shelled high quality nuts nuts with good taste . Franquette offers fair productivity and it is used as a pollenizer for Chandler.

four Fernette walnuts in the shell, one cracked open to show its kernel, with a handwritten Fernette label below

Fernette Walnut Tree

Fernette is a variety with similar characteristics to Fernor. Its fruits are large and tasty. Fernette offers fair productivity and used as a pollenizer for Fernor.

SUGGESTION FROM WALTREE What is the best walnut variety?

If your land is located at an altitude below 1200 meters, we strongly recommend Chandler variety. Chandler offers the best variety among all walnut tree varieties. In order to maximize the productivity of Chandler, it should be planted with its pollinator variety (Franquette). The ratio of the pollinator variety trees in the total number of trees should be 5%.

If your land is located at an altitude above 1200 meters, we recommend Fernor variety. Fernor offers slightly lower productivity compared to Chandler. But it doesn't get affected by early frosts which are common at high altitudes. Fernor should also be planted with its pollinator variety. Fernor's pollinator is Fernette and the recommended ratio is the same, 5%.

Choosing a Variety

Choosing the right walnut variety is one of the most important decisions for growers. Your profit and satisfaction from your orchard depends on this. Therefore growers should pay attention to this subject. There are several important considerations when choosing a walnut variety for your new orchard.

Climate

Climate of your country and land's location is important in choosing your walnut variety. If your land is in a cold region, you should consider choosing a late leafing variety. Late leafing varieties don't get affected by late spring frost or diseases caused by heavy rains like walnut blight.

Yield

Yield is the amount of walnuts each tree produces. Higher yield means you will collect more walnuts from your tree. This determines the profit you will make from your orchard. Several factors affect yield:

Lateral bud fruitfulness: Some varieties bear fruits on the tips of the branches and some varieties bear fruits on several lateral (side) points of branches. Therefore, lateral bearing varieties offer higher yields.
Precociousness: This refers to how early the variety starts yielding walnuts. Some varieties start producing walnuts at 4th year, some varieties start as late as 8th year. The sooner you start collecting walnuts from your trees, earlier you start earning from your investment.

Nut Quality

You may collect great amounts of walnuts from your trees. But what will be the price for them? Higher quality nuts will sell for higher prices. Here are the factors that affect nut quality:

Kernel color: Walnuts with lighter kernel color will sell for higher prices. It is an important element in determining the walnut price.
Nut size: The larger the nuts, the better.
Shell characteristics: Walnuts that are easy to remove from the shell sell for higher prices. However, the shell should be strong enough to keep diseases and worms out.

Pollenization

Most walnut varieties require a second variety in order to pollenize and provide better yield. Therefore planting the varieties with the right pollenizer is very important. As a general rule of thumb, about 5% of the trees in your orchard should be the pollenizer variety. Example: If you are planning to plant 10.000 trees in your orchard, 9.500 of them should be Chandler and 500 of them Franquette.

Growing guidance: Choosing the Right Variety Orchard Design and Tree Spacing The full Grower's Handbook

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