beach nuts??

Xcellerator · 10-07-2002, 09:58 AM

I'm not lucky enough to have oak trees,but we do have alot of beach trees.My question is why are all the beach nuts empty? I've cheched hundreds of them and only found one with a nut in it ,tasted good too! this has been going on for years.

Rangeball · 10-07-2002, 10:57 AM

If by empty you mean nuts never developed in the hull and not something ate them all

, perhaps the trees are lacking proper minerals in the soil. If this is the case, do some research on them, and fertilize a group of trees where you plan to hunt. From what I've read, deer will go to a beech nut before any available food, but we don't have any around us so I have no idea if this is true. If it is, you could create an early season gold mine.

Strut&Rut · 10-07-2002, 11:35 AM

I can think of 4 possible explanations:

1) Beechnuts are a turkeys #1 favorite Fall food. Some wildlife biologists will claim that turkeys even favor Fall beechnuts over Summer grasshoppers.

Could it be possible that the turkeys are beating you to the nuts, hence therefore you're only finding empty hulls?? Turkeys do not need to rip open the hulls to reach the nut, their beaks are sharp enough to usually pull the nut out by just reaching into the hulls crack. Squirrels are also pretty efficient.

2) There is a disease, Beech blight, similar to Elm disease. This is usually evident by distinct off-coloration of the trunk (you can usually detect whitish "spots" or streaks). If the trees are diseased, the end result could be reduced fruit production. I've seen this in upstate NY, but usually 2/10 trees still produce a large amount of ripe fruit.

3) Another possibility is the natural pollenator (either a bird or a bee, I'm not sure which for Beech---I'm pretty sure it's not a wind-borne fertilizer) could be lacking in your area. Hence, the flowers are not being fertilized, resulting in the production of empty hulls.

4) Finally, is the beech grove in an area with a low water table, or have you experienced drought conditions. In years of drought, mast productions historically are very low, as most of the water is spent for simple "maintenance" with little left over for reproductive capabilities.

S&R

sixpoint40 · 10-07-2002, 05:54 PM

Those are some af the best to the point answers I have ever seen on these boards.
I would have to say that Strut&Rut knows his beechnut tree.
Rangeball gave some great advice for every hunter. From oaks to perrsimmon trees and even muscadine and honysuckle vines. If you take the time to fertilze these plants and you will have a goldmine other hunters will pass by.

sixpoint40

Xcellerator · 10-08-2002, 08:31 AM

thanks for the help guys! we did not have a good spring for the bees to do thier job, that may be part of it,and the drought,and lack of a good ferilizer. most of the greenish hulls have the two nuts in them but the nut it self is empty. thanks again, i will do some research on it . ( i'm form the herkimer area in ny)

Duffy · 10-08-2002, 08:37 AM

Oh ! sorry I thought this topic was going to be about that uncomfortable condition (rash) when you get sand in your swim-trunks. "beach nuts"

Robin

Strut&Rut · 10-09-2002, 11:02 AM

Xcellerator,

I'm originally from Otsego county!!! My best guess (now knowing your locale) would be the blight. It spreads rapidly---once one beech is affected, the entire beech grove goes downhill pretty quick.

Within your area, give your local extension office a call, or place a call to the Cornell Cooperative Extension agency. They should be able to give you a much better reason than I, and will probably be able to give you comments/suggestions if a feasible solution exists. They may require you to obtain both a fruit (nut) sample and a soil sample, with instructions for each.

Also try HCCC, they have both 2 & 4 year programs for agronomy, horticulture and plant science; they should be able to give you pretty answers too.

Godd luck.

S&R

Edited by - Strut&Rut on 10/09/2002 12:04:21

nhten · 10-11-2002, 06:56 AM

xcellerator,Im betting its because of the drought.I have both beech and oak on the property I hunt and the beech nuts didnt develope but the acorns did,although they are smaller than usual.We had a very dry spring and summer in the area,so I think the reason for the hulls being empty is lack of water.I have 1400 acres in the middle of NH and I finding the same conditions with the beech nuts there.Good luck this season.