Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-541
Mockernut Hickory
Carya alba
Mockernut Hickory is the most drought-hardy of the hickories, an upland tree of dry ridges and hillsides named for a shell so thick it mocks the effort of cracking it. The kernel inside is sweet and worth the work, though small for the size of the nut, and the tough, heavy wood is the classic choice for tool handles, with the rest going to fuelwood and smoking meat. A deep, heavily branched taproot makes it nearly impossible to transplant, so it needs to go into its final spot as seed or a young plant. Squirrels, black bear and deer all use it, and older stems develop cavities that give birds a place to nest.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 4–9
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Well-Drained · Moderate
Vertical layer
Canopy- Soil pH
- 5.5–7
- Plant type
- Deciduous Tree
- Mature height
- 60–80 ft
- Mature spread
- 40–60 ft
- Plant spacing
- Not yet recorded
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
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The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
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