How to prune black walnut 'thomas'

Late winter while fully dormant — ideally late February in temperate regions. Train a central leader for the first several years, selecting scaffold limbs with wide crotch angles. Remove water sprouts in summer by hand-rubbing or cutting. Thin interior crowded growth in winter, keeping cuts small and clean at the collar. Avoid cutting into the main trunk.

Annually for young trees; light thinning every one to two years once established. 'Thomas' black walnut is a vigorous tree; prune it in late winter to shape the canopy and develop scaffold branches. Like all walnuts it bleeds freely if cut when sap rises, so dormant pruning is essential. On bearing trees, light annual thinning of crowded laterals improves light penetration and nut quality.

Train a central leader for the first several years, selecting scaffold limbs with wide crotch angles. Remove water sprouts in summer by hand-rubbing or cutting. Thin interior crowded growth in winter, keeping cuts small and clean at the collar. Avoid cutting into the main trunk.