If I was to plant a walnut tree beside my pond, would the juglans toxin that inhibits plants growing under the walnut have an effect on the water plants, and other plants downstream? thank's in advance for the answers.

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yahoo.com), April 05, 2002

Answers

Might look at: Univ. Minnessota, http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h407blkwa l-tox.html Minor amounts of juglone are supposedly generated in several other ways: by leaf decay on the soil surface, from nut husks, and even from rain water dripping through the leaf canopy. The quantity generated by these other means, however, is small. In addition, juglone is not very water soluble, so it will not move far in the soil.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 05, 2002.

You will be fine. The toxin only really affects things in the nightshade family, tomatoes potatoes etc. It should'nt bother aquatic life or other grasses etc. It would take a small pond, with no outlet, completly encircled with mature trees with a complete canopy to cause problems.

-- John in Mn. (nospam@mywork.com), April 05, 2002.

Walnuts don't like wet feet or flooding usually, close but not wet.

-- John in Mn. (nospam@mywork.com), April 05, 2002.

I will have to disagree with John on black walnuts having a negatative effect on fish. I have not tried it myself, people have told me to put green walnuts in a gunny sack, beat (chrush & mash) them til the chemical will be released. Then put gunny sack in pond & fish will come to the top of water helpless or dead. you may want to try that before planting black walnut at waters edge. Larry

-- Larry in OK (Nuts4bees@aol.com), April 05, 2002.

I wouldn't think it would. Here in my neck of the woods there are walnut trees all up and down the creeks and you always see one or two around a pond. I haven't seen it kill anything yet except some of my garden vegetables.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), April 06, 2002.

thanks for the responses. I had concluded much of the ideas on my own, it is nice to see some confirmation. Larry, I think that the concentration of the toxins in the mashed green nuts is what caused the fish going belly side up. Anything, in an undiluted form, has a potential to cause harm-take oxygen, for instance. I appreciate your thoughts on the subject though... I like the brainstorming that comes from this site... Good free form cerebral architecture!

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yaho.com), April 07, 2002.