How to plant a walnut from a fruit or seedling. How to plant a walnut in the spring? How to grow a walnut from a shoot
Foreword
Landing walnut in the fall - the process is simple and quite interesting. But despite all the simplicity, the cultivation of trees during this period has its own subtleties. Only by studying them will it be possible to plant and grow a healthy plant.
The autumn period is great for planting a walnut from the fruit. It is at this time that ripe nuts fall to the ground. You will be required to select the best fruits and properly prepare them.
So, as soon as you harvest, you need to set aside the strongest and largest nuts for planting. The shell of each selected nut should not be damaged. It is also worth paying attention to whether the green peel is easily separated from the shell. If it does not stick, then this fruit is suitable for further landing. Do not immediately throw away waste, as. In the future, it can be used to prepare tinctures and useful potions.
sprouted walnut
After harvesting the fruits, you can begin to prepare them for planting. To do this, put the nuts in a container, pour them wet fine sand and refer to dark room with high air humidity. It is important that there are no drafts in the room. The optimum storage temperature will be between 0-5 °C. Many gardeners germinate fruits on the shelf of the refrigerator or in the cellar.
Every week, the fruit container must be checked. Nuts need to be ventilated, leaving under an open window for 2 hours. The sand in the tank will need to be moistened.
In order for the fruits to germinate faster, they need to be cleaned of the pericarp. This can be done 2 weeks after collection. Peel the fruit very carefully, without damaging the inner shell of the fruit. A damaged nut usually does not germinate or develops into a diseased plant.
Immediately before planting in late autumn, all fruits must be poured into a bucket of water. Those nuts that remain on the surface should be thrown away immediately. And those that sank to the bottom can be confidently planted in the soil.
Planting a walnut
For planting fruits, you need to select a site with moderately moist soil. The plant will not germinate in places with high groundwater. Also, do not plant the fruit next to the bath or garden house- walnuts have very powerful roots that can destroy the foundation of a building.
For planting, it is best to choose loamy soil. If necessary, the soil must be strengthened organic fertilizers. To do this, you need to dig a hole at least one meter deep. The excavated earth must be prepared using the following additives:
- 1 bucket of fresh manure;
- a glass of ash;
- half a bucket of humus;
- 100 g of superphosphate.
Stir and pour the mixture back into the pit. In the future, you should not feed the earth, as this may reduce the fertility of the tree.
In loosened soil, you need to make a hole 15 cm deep. During planting, in no case should you put the fruit with the tip up. A tree planted in this way will bear fruit much later. It is best to arrange the walnut fruit flat. Planting one fruit in a hole is also not worth it. It is best to put 4-5 fruits inside, and subsequently choose the strongest and healthiest of the sprouted seedlings.
Often watering the planted fruit is not necessary. Watering twice a month at the rate of 5 buckets per 1 m² will be optimal. In principle, a growing seedling can be watered more often. So he will grow faster, but it will be much more difficult for him to endure winter frosts.
The first fruits on the tree will appear 7–15 years after planting, it all depends on the variety of the nut. However, a grown tree will delight more than one generation of your family with its fruits for a long time, because life expectancy walnuts is over 300 years old.
If your garden does not have a mature walnut tree, then this crop can be propagated as a seedling. Before work, you need to purchase a tree. As practice shows, it is best to buy seedlings on the market. Among the variety presented to you, you need to choose only the strongest tree, in which there are no flaws in the upper part of the bark. Special attention it is worth paying attention to the state of the roots. The seedling must have a clear and strong tap root. Such a tree will easily take root in your garden and will eventually produce a good harvest.
walnut seedlings
After buying a seedling, it can be planted in the ground. As practice shows, not all gardeners can cope with this. Before planting a walnut, you need to prepare the soil. First you need to dig a fairly deep hole. The excavated land will need to be fertilized. We take a large amount of a mixture of manure and ash, add 50 g of superphosphate to the mixture. After preparing the soil at the bottom of the pit, we pour drainage from broken bricks or small stones. Then we cut the main core of the root system of the seedling, pour a small layer of prepared soil on top of the drainage, and put a tree on top of it.
After filling the hole with the seedling with earth, a large amount of water should be poured into the landing site. It is best if the liquid is warm. In order for the roots to take root faster, the covered earth must be tamped.
Caring for a planted tree or fruit is not difficult. In most regions of Russia in the fall heavy rains so the plant does not need to be watered often. The seedling should be well lit. This should be taken into account when choosing a landing site. Do not forget that with the onset of the first frosts, the lower part of the tree will need to be wrapped with a film, otherwise the plant will freeze.
After planting throughout the life of the plant, you need to ensure that it does not get sick. Among the most dangerous gardeners distinguish bacteriosis. This disease is actively developing in spring period. The main symptoms of the disease are dark spots on leaves, fruits and inflorescences of the plant. As a result of this, the bark of the tree becomes brown, and young branches die off completely. The causative agent of this disease lives in the buds and leaves of the plant. To prevent the appearance of bacteriosis, the tree is treated with a solution of 5 liters of water, 20 g of Bordeaux mixture and 50 g of urea. Processing should be done two weeks before and two weeks after flowering.
Bacteriosis on the fetus
Other dangerous disease- root cancer. It penetrates the root system through wounds and cracks in the plant. Convex growths appear in the affected areas. If the tree has undergone a severe infection, then it may cease to bear fruit and eventually die. As soon as you find the first symptoms of the disease, the growths on the pole must be removed immediately. After that you need to remove upper layer soil and treat the roots with caustic soda. At the end, you will need to thoroughly rinse the roots with warm clean water.
Another dangerous disease of walnuts are bacterial burns. Symptoms of this disease include watery spots on the petioles and leaves of the tree. If the plant is left untreated, the spots will turn black over time. This disease affects not only mature trees, but also young seedlings. Well-marked ulcers form on their stems. If you have not noticed the main signs of the disease on the tree, then you should take a close look at the fruits of the nut. If your tree is infected, then black spots will appear on the peel of its fruits, similar to rot.
To overcome diseases, it is best to use copper-based preparations. Among the most powerful funds in terms of composition, it is worth highlighting "Impact", "Byleton" And "Shavit". Despite their effectiveness, do not forget that these drugs are very toxic. They should be applied no later than a month before the flowering of walnuts. However, even they do not always help to protect plants from extinction. If the tree is heavily infected, then it is cut down. The stump of the remaining plant must be uprooted. Infected fruits are best burned.
Planting a walnut is not such a strange undertaking, because delicious nuts from their own garden plot is a very feasible dream. To do this, you just need to properly plant a walnut and treat it with the same care as other plants in the garden.
Planting a walnut: the nuances of agricultural technology
Walnut is a long-lived tree. Now all over the world there are walnut trees that are over 500 years old. For centuries they have given people useful fruits and continue to do so even at such, to put it mildly, venerable age. So why not get this tree on your site? May it grow and benefit future generations.
Ways to plant a walnut
Choosing a place to plant a walnut tree is a responsible matter. Here it is important to take into account the distance to the nearest objects. The walnut has fairly spreading branches, so more space will be needed so that it does not interfere with other plants in the future. You should not plant it near buildings, otherwise later, as it grows, it will destroy the foundation with its powerful roots.
Berry bushes will be good neighbors for the first few years, they will improve yields. When the walnut tree grows and gets stronger, they can be removed. Yes, and they do not want to grow under a nut - the effect of allelopathy is too pronounced.
How to plant a walnut from a fruit
Most often, the nut is propagated by seeds, because it is easy to predict from them what fruits the tree will bear in the future. You can, of course, buy seedlings in the store, but then you have to take the word of the seller, who talks about their high fertility. In the first method, massive fruits are selected for planting. correct form with a thin shell and a hard core.
If planting is supposed to be in the spring, then they must be dried, after removing the green shell. Drying consists of two stages: first in the sun, and then in a shaded place in a draft. In this case, the nut seeds should be located in one layer. Dry on batteries and others heating appliances absolutely impossible.
At autumn planting drying the fruits is optional, and even undesirable. It is better to land them immediately in the allotted place in order to avoid possible injuries. As for the direct planting of seeds, small dimples are enough to plant them - the depth of planting of walnut fruits is not more than 20 cm.
In one big landing pit it is necessary to lay 4 fruits in a square so that there is about 25 cm between them. It is correct to lay the seeds with the point down, so the seam of the fruit is on top. If you ignore this planting rule, the grown tree will begin to bear fruit 2-3 years later. When the seedlings grow up a little, the strongest one is selected and left, and the rest are removed. You can distribute to neighbors and work colleagues.
How to plant a walnut seedling
Alternative way planting - ready-made seedlings. It is better to plant them in a permanent place at the age of two. Saplings are carefully dug out of the ground, trying not to touch the lateral roots with a shovel. Since the vertical root by this time grows more than a meter, it can be cut in the middle, leaving at least 40 cm. The cut is smeared with clay. And if you managed to purchase seedlings with a closed root system, then when planting, you need to "fluff" the lower part of the earthen root.
Some gardeners disseminate erroneous information in their environment, which beginners are often led to. They say that in order for the roots to grow and strengthen quickly, when planting a seedling, you need to place a flat wide stone under its root system. This impenetrable block, on the contrary, will only slow down their growth. And put it on top trunk circle stones can be - moisture supply will improve due to condensate. This is often done in Dushanbe.
A hole for a nut is dug large enough, up to 1 meter deep with the same diameter. The excavated earth should be mixed with completely rotted manure and pour it back. Thanks to such actions, the soil for planting will become loose and contain needed by the tree nutrients.
In the pit, the roots of the seedling should be given the same position as they occupied before young plant was dug up. Then everything is as usual: backfilling, compaction, watering and mulching the soil around the seedlings.
Walnut: cultivation and care
Caring for a walnut tree comes down to one thing - pruning. However, in the first year of the growing season, it is better to refuse this event, even if the crown branches die off massively due to severe frosts. It is more advisable to wait until next spring, when young shoots begin to appear on the affected areas of the tree, allowing the formation of new branches and restoration of the crown. Damaged branches are cut to living tissue. Together with them, tall vertical tops are also cut off around the shoot that was chosen to continue growing.
If the tree is not badly damaged in winter, you can limit yourself to the usual sanitary pruning: remove diseased and dry twigs, slightly thin the crown if necessary. Like others, it is recommended to cut the walnut in February-March, while it is still at rest. It is important to have time to prune before the sap flow begins in order to avoid apiary. With abundant release of this fluid, trees can infect fungal diseases.
During the season, you can re-pruning. It is best to do this in the second half of summer, at this time of the year the intensity of sap flow decreases. summer pruning it is desirable to carry out either in cloudy weather, or late in the evening. Particularly large wounds must be cleaned and covered with a mixture of clay and mullein.
That, in fact, is all that an unpretentious walnut needs. But if your plot is small, it’s better to forget about this tree, otherwise it will grow and “take away” the entire area - its diameter is at least 10-12 m. Our neighbors planted it this way, now there is almost no space left for a vegetable garden. So planting a walnut requires not only proper agricultural technology, but also a banal area.
The walnut was first brought to Russia a very long time ago, along the famous route called "from the Varangians to the Greeks." For this, in fact, the nut got its name. Often it is called not just walnut, but also Greek, royal, Volosh. Despite the fact that this nut is an overseas plant, it can also be grown in an ordinary Russian garden, however, only on condition that the area for growing the plant is located in the southern region of the country. Unfortunately, this plant cannot survive in cold climates. In this article, we will learn how to plant a walnut and care for it after the seedling has taken root.
The plant we are considering is a deciduous tree, a nut. The desired green organism can reach a height of 25 meters. At the same time, the maximum diameter of the trunk is one and a half meters.
In addition to its fruits, which have significant nutritional value, the tree is a supplier of one of the most valuable wood species. According to the conclusions of many experts, a product made of walnut wood can last up to five hundred years.
The walnut is cultivated, as a rule, for the sake of receiving its fruits. Growing a tree is quite easy if you know how to properly plant it.
Walnuts did not originally grow in Russia, they were brought to our homeland on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks"
For landing you need to stock up planting material, given that this plant can reproduce in the following ways:
- seeds;
- vegetatively.
So, let's get down to considering the features associated with planting a walnut.
Video - How a walnut ripens
How to plant a walnut: instructions
Step 1 - choose a place to plant a nut
It is very important when placing a nut to carefully choose a place for planting it. As we have already said, this tree can grow rather big, so you need to place it at a relative distance from other plants, so that the nut does not hamper them.
The fact is that the crown of the plant is formed quite sprawling, and it can close Sun rays for everyone else in your garden. Therefore, if nothing is growing in the indicated area yet, plan to plant only shade-loving plants there.
If you will plant several trees, leave a distance of at least 5 meters between each seedling.
It is also very important to look at ground water don't leak too close to the surface where your seedling is planted, as nuts don't like excess moisture.
Step 2 - choose high-quality planting material
It is better to purchase seedlings for cultivation in a specialized store or on the market from a trusted seller who is able to grow strong walnut seedlings.
High-quality planting material - a strong seedling with a well-developed root system
It is important to remember that the walnut first develops the root system, and only then the green part plants goes up, therefore, if you see an overgrown sprout with a small rhizome in the market or in a store, it is most likely not viable, and the increase in its green part is artificially stimulated.
In order for the tree to quickly take root on the site, it is necessary to choose a seedling that, according to appearance will:
- strong;
- strong;
- without damage to the cortex.
By the way, buy better trees, on which there are no leaves, so that all its resources are focused precisely on rooting. If you take a seedling with abundantly growing foliage, then it may die.
Step 3 - prepare the landing hole
As with many other fruit trees, growing a walnut requires preparing a planting hole. The dimensions of this recess should be:
- 50 centimeters wide;
- 50 centimeters long;
- 70 centimeters deep.
You need to dig a hole in advance, about 60 days before planting occurs.
- rotted manure;
- ground limestone (no more than a kilogram);
- mineral fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus.
Such a nutrient medium will not only help the root system of the nut grow, but also stimulate its development.
Step 4 - plant a nut in a prepared hole
So, in the prepared pit we lay the purchased seedling, so that root collar plants were about 5 centimeters above ground level. Then the roots of the plant are covered with soil remaining after digging the hole, which subsequently:
- carefully trampled down;
- watered abundantly with clean water (at least 2 ten-liter buckets).
When trampling, do not accidentally damage the roots that may have remained close to the ground.
Step 5 - mulch the ground around the seedling and protect the plant from the wind
So that moisture does not evaporate so quickly from the thickness of the earth in which the plant is planted, it is best to spread mulch around the perimeter of the plant - a special flooring made of various materials, For example:
- from straw;
- sawdust;
- special agro-fabric, etc.
It is advisable to protect the seedlings of this plant also from strong winds. Their fragile trunk can break from gusts of air, therefore, it is necessary to tie each tree to a wooden peg buried in the ground at a distance of 10 centimeters from the trunk.
Landing features
Walnut planting can be carried out in two periods of the year:
- spring;
- autumn.
Planting at each of these seasons has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a look at them further.
Planting walnuts in spring
It is believed that in the spring it is necessary to plant in a hole prepared for planting an already grown seedling, which has “knocked” from one to two years. By the way, it happens that some gardeners still dig a few nuts into the ground in the fall, and those that germinate in the spring are transplanted and begin to cultivate.
However, if you still intend to try this method, you can use the trick and select the most viable seeds for cultivation, and then stimulate their growth and development.
Table 1. How to stimulate the growth and development of planting material for planting nuts in the spring
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| Selection of viable planting material | Nuts previously selected for planting are poured into a large container with water. Those of them that immediately drowned become ideal planting material in the future, since such a rapid immersion is justified by the integrity of their nuclei, which means that there are greater chances for successful germination. |
| Stratification | In the spring, the selected nuts begin to be subjected to the so-called stratification - a procedure that involves simulating the impact on the nuts of negative weather conditions. In other words, the nuts are periodically strongly cooled. Thus, they awaken hidden energy resources, increasing the vitality of seedlings. |
If in the spring you are transplanting a tree already growing on your site, then you need to carry it out as follows:
- carefully dig a seedling;
- release the roots of the plant from excess soil;
- carry out a minimal pruning of the rhizome in order to stimulate its further growth.
Note: among experienced gardeners a very common trick associated with the cultivation of a walnut, which says that to prevent the tree from drying out and for the growth of its root system, it is necessary to put it in a hole for planting metal object. For example:
- tin can;
- rusty nails, etc.
It is also very important to keep track of the condition and composition of the soil on which you plan to plant a tree. So, the walnut does not tolerate:
- too dense soil;
- swampy lands.
These are the features of planting a walnut in the spring.
Planting walnuts in autumn
Many gardeners refuse to plant a walnut in the fall, because it has a number of disadvantages, in particular we are talking about O:
- reduced survival rate of plantings when propagating walnut seeds;
- infection of plantings, subsequently manifested in many different diseases and weakness of the plant.
So, by planting nuts in the ground in autumn, you give them time to crack open before germination. As a result, various can get inside the fetus:
- bacteria;
- worms;
- even rodents.
The desired organisms are able to completely damage the nut or infect it with some kind of disease.
However, despite the above circumstances, planting a nut in autumn time nevertheless, it is considered more relevant, since future trees have time to finally prepare for germination and become stronger in the ground during the winter.
In addition, in the fall, seedlings quite simply go into a state of rest, while having enough time to take root, since at this time the movement inside the green body of the plant slows down:
- water;
- nutrient substances.
How to care for a walnut after planting
In order for the plant to develop and grow as you intended, it is necessary to provide it with sufficient care. It is especially necessary to carefully take care of the tree for the first three years of its life, subsequently the grip can be somewhat loosened.
Watering the plant
After the tree is planted, it is necessary to provide it with daily watering in order to nourish the roots and compact the soil covering them. So you need to continue to water for about a week, then a smooth transition is made to much less frequent watering up to once every seven days.
Of course, one must also look at weather, given that in the summer heat the plant needs much large quantity water. By the way, so that the sun's rays do not burn the foliage and trunk of trees, it is necessary:
- water the plant under the root;
- refuse to water daytime days.
When the tree reaches a height of four to five meters, it will practically cease to need watering.
Walnut fertilizer after planting
After the tree is planted, it must be fed about once every six months.
To increase the yield of walnuts, "spring" fertilizers containing nitrogen are used. In autumn, substances containing various minerals are added to the ground on which the nut grows, as well as having in its composition:
- phosphorus;
- potassium.
Nuts must be fertilized strictly according to the instructions so as not to harm the root system of the plant with overly aggressive preparations.
When to expect the first harvest
The first harvest of the nut planted by you will have to be expected for at least 6 years. As you can see, the period is considerable, but the wait is worth it, since the fruits collected later can be used:
- raw for food;
- as a cosmetic;
- as an ingredient in various dishes;
- for making jam;
- in sauces;
- How medicine etc.
Note: to collect walnuts, it is better to wear gloves, otherwise the hands will turn black from the iodine secreted by the pericarp. The collected nuts must be washed and then dried thoroughly.
How to plant a walnut
This tree reproduces very easily, however, it grows too long. To speed up this process, you can graft a plant that can seriously shorten the waiting period.
It is better to graft a walnut at the very beginning of summer, since it is at this time that the maximum probability of the so-called adaptation of the cutting is observed, which is approximately 80%.
However, vaccination can also be carried out in the winter-spring time (February-March). To do this, in the fall, you need to be puzzled by the preparation of cuttings, cutting them from a walnut shoot one year old. The length of each cutting should be from 10 to 15 centimeters.
Finished cuttings are sent to a container in which abundantly moistened sawdust or sand lie, and then they are moved to storage in a room where the temperature of their content will be from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius.
Rootstocks (parts of trees of less whimsical varieties) also need to be prepared in advance, in autumn, even before the onset of very coldy. Rootstocks are wrapped in cellophane film and sent for storage under the same conditions as walnut cuttings.
The day before you start grafting, you will need to heat both rootstocks and cuttings, leaving them in a room or other room where the temperature is about 15 degrees.
Heated parts are combined with each other by the copulation method, which implies:
- grafting with a cutting and scion of the same thickness;
- creating oblique cuts on both materials;
- combination of components with corresponding tissues exposed on sections.
We wrap the combined parts of the future tree with a bag or a simple plastic film, and then install them in a container with wet sawdust or sand. So it will be necessary to store the workpiece until the moment of planting (approximately mid-April or another date at the time the earth is completely warmed up).
Summing up
Walnut is a valuable plant, the benefits of which are invaluable in many ways. So, in warm regions, it is an essential food for people, which determines their excellent health. Planting a walnut is quite simple, as is propagating it, in this sense it is a malleable plant. However, in order to speed up the process of obtaining a crop, it is best to graft this plant, and only then plant it in a permanent place of residence. When the tree grows, you will be able to enjoy nutritious fruits, eating them to your heart's content and enjoying your labors.
A bunch of useful properties walnuts allow the use of the fruits and other resources of this tree in various industries. Walnut can be planted and grown even as a garden decoration.
Walnut seedlings - best way growing this tree
For planting a tree, walnut seedlings are often used, which are important to choose correctly. Part of the work on planting a seedling and caring for it is done in the fall, some of them in the spring.
Why is it better to propagate a walnut using seedlings
Planting a nut can be done using fruits and seedlings. The gardener has the right to decide how to plant nuts for his site, because each method of planting a tree has its pros and cons.
Planting a walnut with seedlings has the following differences:
- more high probability the fact that the tree will take root, because it is formed;
- fruiting begins earlier;
- big harvest at proper fit seedling;
- walnut sapling is more expensive than fruits.
When growing a walnut from a seedling, it is worth contacting those gardeners who distribute young trees for a rather long time and can provide the buyer with the desired variety of walnut.
A faster start of fruiting and a high likelihood of cuttings taking root make this method of planting a plant more profitable than planting tree nuts.
When planting seedlings, you can get a good harvest
Seedling selection rules
There are several options for how to properly plant a walnut and grow it. First you need to choose the right walnut seedlings. Many novice gardeners make a number of mistakes that adversely affect the survival of the tree and its subsequent growth and development.
Purchase seedlings for planting and growing in middle lane from specialists. A seedling purchased on the market may have a damaged root system. Experts know how to group the soil so that the roots of the seedling do not get damaged or dry out during movements.
When choosing seedlings for planting, follow these guidelines:
- To plant a walnut seedling and grow a mighty tree out of it, choose seedlings with a well-developed root system. If the tree has a developed trunk, but weak roots, it is unlikely to take root due to disturbed vegetation processes.
- Don't buy seedlings that have leafy cover. They have a low survival rate. When planting in open ground, most of the trunk is cut off from seedlings, and as a result, the height of the seedling does not exceed 25–30 cm.
- Pay attention to the condition of the roots of the seedling. Traces resembling decay or drying out indicate that the plant is affected by a disease or pests. The probability that such a seedling will take root and bear fruit is zero.
If you want to propagate a walnut on the site, you need to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of each of the varieties of this tree. In order for planting and caring for a tree to give a result, it is worth choosing a seedling of the variety that is unpretentious to the conditions, resistant. Before planting a walnut, it is worth calculating its location, taking into account further growth tree.
Before planting seedlings, you should determine the optimal place for the future tree
Exists whole line walnut tree varieties, which gardeners call the most unpretentious. Wide use in the middle lane for this reason received the following varieties:
- Chandler;
- Giant;
- Ideal;
- fruitful;
- Dessert;
- Abundant.
Having carefully studied the characteristics of each variety and the requirements for caring for trees, the gardener can make the final choice, purchase the seedling he needs and plant it.
Planting a seedling
Many novice gardeners can puzzle over how to plant a walnut for a long time, using walnut seedlings for this. The landing procedure is quite simple to perform. The main thing is to remember a few key recommendations and follow them when planting purchased seedlings in the soil.
This fruit-bearing tree does not like groundwater, which can flow a short distance from the surface. It should be borne in mind that the walnut does not like cramped space, so it is important to keep a distance of 5 m between young seedlings. When planting in the soil on a gentle slope, the distance can be reduced to 4 m.
Manure is suitable as a fertilizer when planting a nut
Prepare the soil in advance in which the tree will be planted. With insufficient fertility, the soil is recommended to be replaced with a richer one or to fertilize the existing one. Planting land is fertilized according to the following algorithm:
- Dig a hole 80 cm deep, remove all the soil from it.
- Spread the extracted soil in a thin layer separately.
- Pour a mixture of ash and manure over the soil. The mixing ratio is 10 to 1 (1 part of manure is 10 parts of ash), the mixture can be diluted with phosphates.
- Thoroughly mix all the ingredients of the fertilizer for uniform distribution on the ground.
- Fill the hole with a mixture of fertilizer and soil.
It is not necessary to compact the earth too much. Such plant bait must be carried out not only before planting a nut, but every year. Fertilizers are added to the topsoil. It is necessary to fertilize the area corresponding to the width of the tree crown.
After fertilizing the soil, the seedlings are placed in recesses measuring 40x40 cm. Remove all the earth from the pit and cover the bottom with a film. root system walnut develops in a horizontal direction, the film will become a growth stimulator in the right direction.
Gently, without haste, spread Lower level seedling roots in the pit, cover them with a layer of soil, and then lay out the next level of roots. Such manipulations must be carried out with all levels of the roots of the seedling. As a result, the upper part of the root system should be at a depth of 7 cm from the surface level.
Grafting a seedling
Grafting a seedling is one of the mandatory steps in growing walnut trees. This enables the grower to keep special properties varieties. Usually those trees whose age has reached 2 years are grafted. In late autumn or December, the tree is transplanted from open ground into another container, which is brought into the room, which allows the plant to adapt to favorable conditions and prepare for grafting, which is carried out in February.
As a scion, a stalk of the mother tree up to one year old is selected. It is recommended to harvest it in late autumn. Grafting is carried out in the same way as in other fruit trees. After that, the plant is kept in the house at an air temperature of 25 ° C, and only in the spring, in May, is it again transplanted into open ground. From February to May, the graft takes root to the seedling, preserving the characteristics of the variety and accelerating the onset of fruiting. Grafted plants begin to produce crops 1-2 years earlier than those that have not been vaccinated.
Walnut seedlings need to be grafted
How to care for seedlings
Walnut - unpretentious plant but young trees still need care. The main support of the seedling is regular watering. During dry summer periods, water twice a month. The volume of water is calculated from the area over which the crown of the tree has grown. For 1 sq. meter of soil area consumes 3 buckets of liquid.
Twice a year it is necessary to fertilize the seedling. According to many recommendations, it is better to do it in spring and autumn.
There is no need to prune the branches of the tree at all. One of the properties of this tree is that it independently gets rid of those branches that it no longer needs. You can remove them from the site already in the middle of the summer season.
It is widely believed that walnuts can be grown exclusively in warm regions and on very large plots. However, at present, quite a lot of frost-resistant varieties suitable for cultivation in areas with a harsh climate have been bred, and many early maturing varieties which do not require very large space.
Most popular varieties walnut:
- Dessert - does not tolerate frost, therefore it is suitable for cultivation in regions with a mild climate. A high yielding variety early term maturation, fruits are sweetish. It begins to bear fruit for 4 years, from each tree they get a crop weighing up to 25 kg.
- Graceful - the variety is resistant to drought, frost, and. The fruits ripen in the 5th year of life. Productivity - up to 23 kg from one tree.
- Abundant - the variety has a reduced winter hardiness, but is resistant to brown rot. Fruits in the 4th year. Productivity - up to 30 kg of nuts from each tree, the fruits are distinguished by excellent taste.
- Productive - the variety is resistant to frost and diseases (medium). The crop begins to ripen from 3 years. Fruiting is regular. Up to 29 kg of nuts are harvested from one tree.
- Aurora is a frost and disease resistant variety. It differs in that every year the yield increases.
- Ideal is the most popular variety among gardeners. Withstands frosts down to minus 35 degrees, does not need shelter for the winter. The fruits begin to ripen from the second year. Over the years, the yield increases, from one ten-year-old tree, up to 120 kg of nuts are harvested per year. The ideal bears fruit twice a year, only reproduces.
- Giant - in popularity is in second place after the Ideal. It is also frost-resistant and high-yielding, but the fruits begin to ripen in 4-5 years.
In regions with a mild warm climate, early-growing walnut varieties are grown, which are characterized by:
- Small tree height.
- Fruiting from 3 years of age.
- Early fruit ripening: early August.
- High yield.
- Frost intolerance.
The best varieties of early-growing nuts:
- Dawn of the East
- Breeder
- Five-Year Plan
- Beloved Petrosyan
Walnuts are grown in well-lit areas. It can be planted on any slopes, except for the southern southwestern ones. The fact is that on the southern slopes the earth warms up faster, and accordingly, the trees wake up earlier, which reduces their winter hardiness. In addition, in such areas there is a large difference between day and night temperatures, so the plants suffer simultaneously from burns during the day and from frost at night.
The walnut needs a lot of space: it is planted according to the scheme 8 x 10 or 10 x 12 meters.
Small areas for growing a tree are not suitable, with the exception of early ripening varieties that have a small crown and size. The type of soil for planting a nut is moderately moist calcareous loam, sod-podzolic, soddy or supersandy soil (humus content 3%), groundwater should not rise more than two meters to the surface.
On heavily waterlogged and compacted soils, the walnut does not take root. The earth should be loose and retain moisture. The level of soil acidity is 5.5 - 5.8 pH. Soil fertility must be maintained without fail. Good results gives green manure under the tree: peas, oats.
Walnut is propagated in two ways: Seeds and grafting. Seeds are collected only from walnut varieties that grow in your area. Choose strong healthy tree with a good yield: up to 20 kg of dry nuts from a 30-year-old tree.
The maturity of the fruit is determined by the green shell - the pericarp: it should begin to crack and easily separate when cut.
The collected nuts must be immediately cleaned of the pericarp and dried for 7 days in the sun, then under a canopy. Finally, the fruits are dried indoors at a temperature of 20 degrees. For sowing, you need to select large nuts of the correct form, without flaws.
Propagation by seeds:
- Walnut seeds are sown in autumn and spring. At spring sowing nuts need to be subjected to stratification, otherwise they will sprout for a very long time. The duration of the procedure depends on the thickness of the shell: nuts with a thin shell are stratified at a temperature of 15 degrees for about 40 days, seeds with a thick shell are treated for about 100 days at a temperature of 5 degrees.
- To obtain uniform seedlings, nuts are kept in sand at a temperature of about 18 degrees before planting until they begin to germinate.
- After that, sprouted and unsprouted nuts are sown separately, the latter more densely.
- Nuts are planted in April after the soil warms up to 10 degrees in the soil prepared in advance.
- Large nuts are placed at a depth of 11 cm, medium - at a depth of 8-9 cm. The seeds must be placed on the edge, then they will turn out straight.
- When sowing, the walnut germinates slowly, and seedlings ready for planting in a permanent place in the garden can be obtained no earlier than after five years, for rootstocks - no earlier than after 2 years.
- To accelerate the growth of seedlings, you can sow in film greenhouses, then the plant will be ready for planting in two years, and for rootstocks in a year.
- Seedling care consists in loosening the soil, weeding and watering in dry weather.
For propagation by grafting (the most common method is budding), seedlings at the age of 2 years grown in a greenhouse (you can buy) are used for stock. Best time for budding - the period of sap flow (beginning or middle of June).
In order for budding to be successful, it is important to prepare high-quality cuttings from healthy high-yielding trees. The cuttings should be straight, from 30 cm long, with well-formed axillary vegetative buds.
Budding technology:
- At a distance of 10 cm from the soil surface, make two transverse cuts.
- Make 2 longitudinal cuts to make a rectangle.
- Separate the bark.
- The same is done on the handle so that the eye is located in the middle of the rectangle.
- A "rectangle" (shield) is attached to the place of the removed rootstock bark.
- Tie the place of attachment tightly with polyethylene, leaving the petiole and eye open.
- After 25 days, the strapping can be removed.
- The next spring, after the buds swell, the stock should be cut above the shield at an angle of 70 degrees.
- During the growing season, shoots growing on the rootstock should be cut off.
A hole for planting a walnut is prepared in the fall:
- Dig a hole 60 x 60 cm deep and 60 cm in diameter. fertile soils and 100 x 100 cm on less fertile soils.
- Set aside the fertile layer separately, remove the rest of the soil outside the site.
- Mix the fertile layer with peat and humus (or compost) in equal proportions.
- Take 800 grams of potassium chloride, 3 kg of superphosphate and about a kilogram dolomite flour and mix with soil mixture.
- Fill the hole with soil.
Planting seedlings in spring:
- The soil in the pit must be mixed again and removed.
- Place a peg about 3 meters long in the center of the pit.
- 2/3 fill the hole with the mixture.
- Pour water (one or two buckets).
- Pour a mound so that the horse neck of the seedling is at a height of 5 cm above the soil surface.
- Remove diseased roots from planted trees.
- Dip the roots in a mash with a growth stimulator.
- Place the seedling on a mound and sprinkle with the remaining soil mixture.
The walnut forms a crown on its own, so it does not need pruning. If there is a need to remove any branches, they are cut in stages:
- In the first year in June (not in spring!) 7 centimeters of length are left at the shoot.
- In the second year, they are cut to the ground and the place of the cut is treated with garden pitch.
Young seedlings during the growing season require a large amount of moisture. carried out once every 14 days: 3 buckets of water for each square meter soil.
After the nut reaches 4 meters in height, watering is reduced.
Walnuts need to be done in spring and autumn:
- In the spring, up to 7 kilograms of ammonium nitrate are applied under each tree (over 20 years of age, reduce weight for young trees).
- In autumn - up to 3 kg of potassium salt per tree and up to 10 kg of superphosphate.
Nitrogen creates a favorable environment for the development of bacteriosis, so they should be used with caution. And for the first two or three years of fruiting, refrain from using them, otherwise the yield of the tree may decrease in the future. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers can be applied to the soil from the second year, they contribute to the formation of a large number of ovaries. When fertilizing, loosen the soil in depth so that nutrients can more easily penetrate to the roots.
In comparison with others fruit trees walnut is much less susceptible to disease and invasion. The most common pests affecting walnuts are:
- American white butterfly - places where caterpillars accumulate are treated with microbiological preparations (lepidocide, bitoxibacillin) or insecticides.
- Apple or nut codling moth - to fight from May to September, pheromone traps are used that attract males and are sprayed with viral preparations. In addition, you need to collect and destroy caterpillars, as well as remove damaged nuts.
- Aphids - trees are treated with a solution of "Karate" or "Decis".
- Sapwood - when a beetle appears, the trees are sprayed with insecticides. To prevent the appearance of a pest, diseased and dry shoots must be removed.
Due to improper care, lack of light, excess moisture, and for other reasons, it becomes less resistant to diseases:
- When the soil is waterlogged, brown spotting develops. Trees thrice Bordeaux liquid 1% (before bud break, after the leaves appear and 14 days after the second spraying).
- In warm damp weather, trees are affected by bacteriosis. For prevention, spray the plants with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture and a 1% solution of urea. Spraying is done twice with an interval of two weeks.
- Root cancer affects the roots of the walnut, forming growths on them, which must be removed and the damaged area treated with a 1% solution of caustic soda. After that, the roots should be washed with clean water.
More information can be found in the video.
