Walnut growing conditions. Walnut - tree of the Walnut family
Walnut is a tree that came to us from Central Asia over a thousand years ago. It was brought by traders from Greece, which is why it got its name.
Now it is grown in many regions of our country, in Ukraine, in the south of Belarus, in Moldova, as well as in the Caucasus. At different times, the walnut was called differently: the tree of life, the food of the heroes, the acorn of the gods. And there were reasons for that: the kernels of these nuts are not only very useful, but also pleasant to the taste. Other parts of the plant are also widely used, for example, the leaves are used for medicinal purposes, and wood has long been used to make magnificent furniture.
Description
Today, probably, everyone knows what a walnut tree looks like. It is a perennial that belongs to the Nut family. It can reach a height of twenty meters, with a dense spreading crown. The leaf of the walnut tree is odd-pinnate, located on a petiole, up to forty-five centimeters long. This is a monoecious culture with small unisexual flowers.
Walnut, care, cultivation, watering, the planting of which will not be a burden even for a beginner in gardening, is a dioecious plant. It has two types of generative buds - female and male. Buds with developing female flowers are laid at the ends of fruiting one-year shoots. Male buds on a fruiting shoot are located on the side and collected in an inflorescence. They are sometimes called earrings. Walnut is a tree in which dormant buds are also formed, they are always located on the central shoot and are intended to restore the plant in case of damage to its aboveground part.
This powerful tree stores pollen in catkins (male flowers). The wind blows it to a distance of up to one hundred meters. This long-liver grows for 500-600 years, if the cultivation and care of the walnut tree is carried out in accordance with agricultural technology. Almost all types of soil are suitable for it. The only exceptions are saline, waterlogged, highly eroded soils.
Walnut is a plant that loves illuminated areas, tolerates fairly low temperatures. Quickly and easily recovers from damage. Dead shoots are replaced by actively growing new branches.
Fruit
Today, many gardeners from different regions of our country can hear: "We grow walnuts in the country." And this is not surprising, because the fruits of the tree in question, which are a false drupe, are the most valuable food product.
The outer pericarp is light green and has a flat surface. When the nut is fully ripe, the pericarp turns brownish brown or black. Its function is to protect the nut-seed.
The plant blooms, as a rule, in April-May. The fruits fully ripen at the end of August. Outwardly, the kernel of a nut resembles a human brain. It contains many valuable nutrients - at least 65% fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and tannins, a huge amount of vitamins (B, A, C, B2 E, K, P and others). The chemical composition of the nucleus includes a wide range of amino acids.
We plant a nut on the site
The walnut, which is not very difficult to plant, grow and care for, is a tree that tolerates fairly low temperatures. With constant sunlight, it forms a luxurious spreading crown. Walnut does not like crowding in the area and close-lying groundwater. In addition, it is not recommended to plant walnuts on compacted or heavily waterlogged soil. The best soil for it will be carbonate loams (wet).
Seat selection
Walnut is a tree, the cultivation of which and obtaining a good harvest of fruits largely depend on the correct choice of a place for planting. Gardeners are often interested in: "How many walnut trees to plant on the site?" This largely depends on the available space. Anyone who wants to grow this plant needs to know that it gives a good harvest only in the most illuminated area. A walnut aged 25-30 has a crown with a diameter of 8-12 meters.
If you decide to plant not one, but several seedlings at once, then you must leave a distance of at least five meters between them. The only exceptions are landings on slopes, where they can be planted a little closer to each other (3.5 m).
Soil preparation
In the event that the fertile soil layer is rather shallow, it should be replaced or additionally fertilized. To do this, a large amount of manure is introduced, which is mixed with ash, and superphosphate is added. This composition is applied to a depth of 80 centimeters in the planting pit. In the future, with a favorable growth of the tree, every year it is necessary to change the soil along the width of the crown.
In the prepared and fertilized soil, we make a hole 40 x 40 cm in size. In order to further stimulate the growth of young side roots, a sheet of PVC film can be placed on the bottom of the hole. When planting, carefully spread the side roots horizontally and sprinkle them with fertile soil. The upper roots are left at a depth of about seven centimeters from the surface.
Walnut (tree): cultivation in the Moscow region
Increasingly, certain types of crops, which have long been considered exclusively southern, began to be planted in the central regions of Russia. Such plants include persimmons, apricots, peaches, cherries and walnuts.
Growing this tree in the Moscow region has its own characteristics. The fastest growing and winter-hardy varieties are usually used here. This durable and unpretentious culture bears fruit well on various soils and on various terrain. It is not recommended to plant the nut on deep sandy and poorly ventilated land.
Reproduction
For many gardeners of the Moscow region, the cultivation of walnuts is still a novelty. Plant propagation methods are by seeds and grafting. Let's consider them in more detail.
Seed propagation
First select seeds for planting, with preference for local varieties. They must be large, without any visible damage, and the core must be easily removed. Harvesting of seeds can be carried out when the green shell of the nut begins to crack. The nuts should be well dried indoors at room temperature.
To make them germinate faster, carry out additional stratification. Varieties with thick shells stratify for about a hundred days at temperatures no higher than +7 ° С, seeds with medium and thin shells - at +18 ° С for about 45 days.
Seeds are planted at the very beginning of April. By this time, the earth should warm up to +10 ° С. In fertile, previously prepared soil, large nuts are placed at a depth of ten centimeters, medium and small ones - at a depth of seven centimeters. In order for the seedlings to have straight shoots, the nut must be placed in the prepared hole on the edge, sideways.
Immediately we want to warn impatient gardeners that a nut planted in open ground germinates slowly, you will have the first seedlings suitable for planting in seven years, and those that can be used for rootstocks in three years. It is more expedient to grow them in film greenhouses. Thus, you will have seedlings for rootstocks by the end of the first year, and suitable for planting in open ground in two years.
Graft
This method is especially effective when it is necessary to preserve the positive properties of the mother tree. For the stock, two-year-old seedlings are used, pre-planted in ordinary pots with a diameter of about 12 centimeters. It is better to keep them indoors in winter so that by the time of vaccination they can give good shoots. February is the best time to get vaccinated.
After this procedure, a constant temperature of +26 ° C should be maintained in the room, and this should be the same both in the air and in the soil. It is optimal for continuous growth. Plants are planted in the ground in mid-May.
Care
Today, many gardeners dream of having a walnut (tree) on their site. How to grow it healthy and fruitful? To do this, you need to know some of the intricacies of caring for him.
Pruning
Walnut is a tree that does not need to be pruned to form a crown - it will cope with this issue on its own. If you need to remove unnecessary branches, then do not do this in the spring - the nut loses a lot of valuable sap, and this will negatively affect the further development of the tree. You can remove branches in early June, and it is better to do this in two stages. Some branches are cut off in the first year, leaving a twig about 7 centimeters long, which is removed the next year in the spring. The cut must be treated with a garden pitch.
Watering
Watering is necessary for young trees in the spring and summer. In addition, the plant needs it during prolonged drought. Each tree will need approximately 30 liters of water per square meter. m. Watering is carried out twice a month. Mature trees that have grown to four meters in height can be watered less intensely.
Top dressing
Walnut is a tree that needs to be fed 2 times a year - in spring and autumn. Phosphorus and potash fertilizers are applied in the fall, and nitrogen fertilizers in the spring. Using nitrogen fertilizers, some nuances must be taken into account. They must be introduced carefully, since they are able to favor the development of certain types of bacteria that are harmful to the plant.
When to Harvest?
Look at the green pericarps to answer this question. Once they begin to crack, the nuts can be harvested. After that, they should be kept in the basement for about a week - this way it will be easier to clean them of the blackened top layer. After peeling, the nuts should be rinsed with water and dried in the sun. If you have some of the fruits left on which the pericarp is not removed, then you can pour all of them in a heap and hold them in the sun for a while - this way they will ripen faster.
Diseases
Many people love walnuts. Diseases of the tree sometimes negate all the gardener's efforts to grow high-quality fruits. To prevent problems, it is necessary to study the possible risks in order to help the plant in time and save the crop. We will talk about the most dangerous diseases in this article.
White butterfly (American)
This is a serious quarantine pest. Damages all fruit species in the southern regions, develops in two generations. Summer (July) and autumn (early September).
Apple moth
The pest develops in two generations. Caterpillars of the first generation appear at the very beginning of June and practically destroy young fruits. They eat away at their core.
In August, the most harmful appears - the 2nd generation of caterpillars. They penetrate into the fruit through the base and eat out the cotyledons. Such fruits fall off prematurely. One caterpillar is capable of destroying several fruits.
Wart mite
This is a pest, the size of an adult of which is no more than 0.1 mm. It hibernates in buds on the plant and causes great damage to the leaves even before they are fully developed. Young plants suffer more often. This mite rarely damages fruits. As a result of the activity of the mite, dark brown spots resembling warts are formed on the leaves along the entire plate.
Miner moth
This pest develops in three generations, but the second and third are considered the most harmful. The caterpillars bite into the young leaves and feed on their pulp, while not touching the skin. Damage of this type is called "mines". An adult does not “mine” the leaves; it prefers to live in a folded leaf, gradually destroying it.
Moth control should be given serious attention, as if uncontrolled reproduction, mining moth can cause enormous damage to trees.
Brown spot
The causative agent of this disease is the mushroom Marssonina juglandis Magn. The disease affects green shoots, fruits and leaves. In early May, small rounded spots of brown and then grayish color with a wide brown border appear on young leaves. Often the spots merge. The affected leaves fall off. On the ovaries, red-brown, slightly depressed spots appear. In the areas affected by the pest, the tissue slows down growth, the fruits begin to dry, crack and crumble. Often they rot, the core deteriorates, and it becomes inedible.
Particularly favorable conditions for this disease are created in the first half of summer with heavy rainfall. Brown spotting leads to huge crop losses - up to 50% or more.
Bacteriosis
Dark spots appear on the branches, leaves, inflorescences and fruits. Especially often, the disease develops intensively in warm and damp spring weather.
Bacteria are carried by insects. Getting on pistillate flowers, pollen significantly accelerates the penetration of bacteria into them. During the flowering period, the disease destroys up to 90% of young ovaries and flowers.
Walnut tree: benefits and harms
The fruits of this tree are rich in nutrients. That is why doctors recommend including it in your daily diet. This is especially true in the spring and autumn periods, when many of us are overcome by vitamin deficiency.
Due to the high content of iron, cobalt and zinc in the composition of the fruit, they help to increase the level of hemoglobin in case of anemia.
Walnut increases potency. This has been known since the time of the ancient Greeks. And its oil is a powerful aphrodisiac.
The fruits significantly improve bowel function. The protein contained in the fruits normalizes the microflora, which, in turn, eliminates the problem of dysbiosis and constipation.
Walnuts lower blood sugar levels. In order to achieve this goal, you should only use the infusion from the nut shell partitions, but not the fruit itself. Endocrinologists do not recommend this remedy for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Harm
As you can see from the above, this is a very useful plant - the walnut tree. Harm, or rather, contraindications for these fruits are also available.
These tasty nuts should be avoided by people who are prone or allergic to protein. In especially severe cases, the use of fruits can provoke anaphylactic shock.
The same can be advised for people prone to obesity, since these fruits are very high in calories. In patients suffering from psoriasis, eczema, neurodermatitis, the disease can worsen even after consuming two or three nuts.
Doctors advise against exceeding the daily intake of this product. Otherwise, the beneficial properties can have an undesirable opposite effect, as well as cause inflammation of the tonsils or irritation of the oral mucosa.
Walnut is a tree that is undoubtedly useful. However, care must be taken when consuming its fruits. If they darken or become moldy, it means that a toxic enzyme has begun to be produced in them, which can seriously harm your health.
The walnut tree grows up to 300-400 years old. This means that at least 5 generations of one family can take refuge in its shade and feast on the fruits. If you are just decorating your site and dream of a family tree, perhaps this article will help you make a choice in favor of a walnut.
Walnut wood is a valuable wood species, has a beautiful dark shade and is often used for the production of expensive designer furniture. The leaves are used to make a natural dye for fabrics. And if you rinse your hair with a decoction of walnut leaves, then they will acquire a darker shade.
From unripe fruits, which contain vitamin C, all kinds of desserts are cooked in the form of jam or ground with honey and dried fruits. And the kernels of ripe nuts contain such essential vitamins as K, which regulates the blood coagulation mechanism and P, which normalizes the condition of the capillary walls, increasing their strength and elasticity. Over time, stored nuts only concentrate their beneficial substances.
How to harvest and store crops correctly
Nuts begin to bear fruit, depending on the variety, at the age of 3 years. At about 5-6 years old, we will collect only 5-10 nuts. At 15 years old, 1-2 buckets of harvest await us, at 20 years old - a sack, and at the age of 50-100 years - a whole centner! The fruits ripen in different periods from August to mid-October.
When the ripe pericarp, the green peel around the nut, begins to crack, and the nuts fall to the ground, then it's time to harvest. You should not hit the branches with sticks to get the fruits. Perhaps you need to wait a bit and collect the fallen nuts or use ladders and ladders to avoid damaging the branches with "barbaric" methods.
At about 5-6 years old, we will collect only 5-10 nuts. At 15 years old, 1-2 buckets of harvest await us, at 20 years old - a sack, and at the age of 50-100 years - a whole centner!
The collected nuts must be cleaned of the green pericarp so that there is no rotting. Dry by spreading in a thin layer in the open air. Place the nuts in linen bags and store them in a cool, dark place. Do not store nuts in hot rooms, as their oils become toxic and bitter at high temperatures. Walnuts stored in the shell retain their antioxidant properties, and without the shell, they quickly oxidize and reduce their usefulness. It is better to plant these trees at the edge of the plot so as not to shade the rest of the planting. Walnut is quite unpretentious and disease-resistant. The nut is undemanding to the ground, it grows practically everywhere. But he does not like heavy and damp soils.
Planting a walnut
Planting of seedlings is carried out in the spring, since a young nut is sensitive to frost and does not take root well during autumn planting. But it is better to prepare a hole for seedlings in the fall. You need to dig a hole of about 1X1X1m. It should be 20-30 cm deeper than the roots. The fertile soil layer is mixed with humus and peat in a 1: 1: 1 ratio. We add fertilizers: dolomite flour - 500-1000 g, superphosphate - 2.5-3 kg, potassium chloride - 800 g. Fertilizers are mixed with the soil mixture, fill the pit and leave for the winter.
In the spring, the main root is cut to a length of 40 cm and the cut is covered with clay. The rest of the roots are straightened, you can treat them with a growth stimulant.To do this, prepare a clay mash: take 1 part of rotted manure and 3 parts of clay. Water is brought to a creamy consistency with the addition of growth stimulants - "Epin" or "Humata". The roots are placed in a pit and covered with a mixture of earth and humus 1: 1. The root collar should be placed at ground level or slightly higher. The soil is well trampled down and watered with 1-2 buckets of water. When the water is absorbed, the soil is mulched with straw, humus or peat to retain moisture. In drought, watering should be 2-3 times a week.
Planting of seedlings is carried out in the spring, since a young nut is sensitive to frost and does not take root well during autumn planting. But it is better to prepare a pit for seedlings in the fall.
Walnut pruning
The nut is a light-loving plant, and the dense crown reduces the tree's fertility. Pruning stimulates growth and forms the future crown. The crown can be improved-tiered, cupped with 3-4 or shift-leader with 5-6 branches.
Fertilizer
Walnuts are fertilized with special complexes or siderates, such as lupine, oats, rank, peas. Siderata are sown in the aisles at the end of summer and are plowed into the soil in autumn. Mineral fertilizers should be applied carefully, as the root system does not like loosening. Nitrogen fertilizers should not be applied during fruiting and under young trees, as they can cause plant diseases. And phosphorus-potassium is well perceived and increases fertility. A middle-aged tree requires 10 kg of superphosphate, 6 kg of ammonium nitrate, up to 3 kg of potassium salt, 10 kg of ammonium sulfate per year. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring, and the rest in the fall.
Diseases and pests
Brown spot or marsoniasis - the most dangerous disease of the walnut. It affects leaves, nuts, fruits. Brown spots appear on the leaves, they grow in rainy summers. The leaves fall off, the fruits remain unripe.
- Method of struggle: We collect and burn the fallen leaves, cut off the damaged branches. You should also spray the tree with 1% Bordeaux liquid 3-4 times with an interval of 2 weeks. Also, it is good to use the fungicides "Strobi", "Horus", "Reedom il Gold", etc.
Walnut moth... Its caterpillars bite into the pulp of the leaves, weaken the tree.
- Method of struggle: To combat them, you need to spray the plant with systemic poisons for fruit crops: Bombardir, Tanrek, Confidor, Calypso.
. Caterpillars live first in spider nests, and then crawl along the tree. Leaves and young shoots are damaged.
- Method of struggle: If nests are found, they must be urgently removed and burned. Can be treated with insecticides: Aktara, Calypso, Confidor, etc.
. Caterpillars feed at the beginning of June and eat away the kernels of young fruits, after which the fruits fall off.
- Method of struggle: It is necessary to carry out timely insecticide treatment, like with the American white butterfly.
Aphids are of different types. They feed on the juice of the leaves and buds, and also weaken the nut.
- Method of struggle: In the fight against aphids, pesticides, such as Decis 2.5 EC 0.025%, will help. During the growing season, the treatment is repeated, since aphids have two or more generations over the summer.
Walnut moth- the most dangerous pest. Caterpillars attack young fruits, and they fall off prematurely.
- Method of struggle: To combat the pest, a lining on the trunk of "trapping belts" is used, which are reinforced at a height of 30-50 cm from the ground. This is a tape of dense fabric, 15-20 cm wide, non-drying glue (ALT) is applied to it. If too many pests have accumulated, the belt is changed, and the old one is burned. We also spray with Decis 2.5 CE 0.025% or Karate 2.5 CE 0.1-0.15%.
Nut wart mite... A very small pest (0.1 mm), as a result of its harmful activity, formations resembling warts appear on the leaves. Damages young plants.
- Method of struggle: To fight the tick, you need to use special preparations - acaricides, for example, Vermitic.
Walnut breeding is developing very actively, and many new varieties have been bred, winter-hardy, resistant to diseases and pests. For example, varieties: Yarovskoy, Chernovetsky, Skinosky, Kozaku, as well as early-growing varieties, for example, Ideal, Bukovinsky-1, etc., which begin to bear fruit already in the 2nd year. But this topic is a separate article.
If there is no walnut in your garden yet, be sure to plant it. In the summer, in the shade of its crown, you can hide from the heat, and in the winter you can enjoy tasty and healthy fruits. A noble, unpretentious, prolific walnut can become your family tree for centuries!
Foreword
Many are accustomed to the fact that most trees are planted in the spring. However, there are crops that are best grown before the first frost. How to properly propagate these plants - we will learn in detail.
The autumn period is great for planting walnuts from the fruit. It is at this time that ripe nuts fall to the ground. You will need to select the best fruits and prepare them correctly.
So, as soon as you harvest, you need to set aside the strongest and largest nuts for planting. The shells of each selected nut must 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 planting. Do not throw away waste immediately, because. In the future, it can be used to prepare infusions and useful mixtures.
Sprouted walnut
After collecting the fruits, you can start preparing them for planting. To do this, put the nuts in a container, sprinkle them with moist fine sand and take them to a dark room with high air humidity. It is important that there are no drafts in the room. The optimum storage temperature is between 0-5 ° C. Many gardeners sprout fruit on a refrigerator shelf or cellar.
The fruit container must be checked every week. The nuts must be ventilated by leaving them under an open window for 2 hours. The sand in the container will need to be moistened.
For the fruits to germinate faster, they need to be cleaned of the pericarp. This can be done 2 weeks after collection. You need to peel the fruit very carefully, without damaging the inner shell of the fruit. A damaged nut will usually not germinate or develop into a diseased plant.
Immediately before planting in late autumn, all fruits must be poured into a bucket of water. It is better to discard those nuts that remain on the surface immediately. And those that have sunk to the bottom can be confidently planted in the soil.
Planting a walnut
For planting fruits, you need to select an area with moderately moist soil. The plant will not germinate in areas with high groundwater levels. Also, do not plant the fruit next to the bathhouse 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 with organic fertilizers. To do this, you need to dig a hole at least one meter deep. The excavated ground must be prepared using the following additives:
- 1 bucket of fresh manure;
- a glass of ash;
- half a bucket of humus;
- 100 g superphosphate.
Mix and pour the mixture back into the pit. In the future, you should not feed the land, as this can reduce the fertility of the tree.
In the 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 begin to bear fruit much later. It is best to place 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 then choose the strongest and healthiest of the sprouted seedlings.
Often it is not necessary to water the planted fruit. Watering twice a month will be optimal at the rate of 5 buckets per 1 m². 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 the winter frosts.
The first fruits on the tree will appear 7-15 years after planting, it all depends on the nut variety. However, the grown tree will delight more than one generation of your family with its fruits for a long time, because the life expectancy of walnuts is more than 300 years.
If your garden does not have an adult walnut tree, then this crop can be planted as a seedling. Before work, you need to purchase a tree. As practice shows, it is best to buy seedlings from the market. Among the variety presented to you, you need to choose only the strongest tree, which does not have any flaws in the upper part of the bark. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the roots. The seedling must have a clear and strong taproot. Such a tree will easily take root in your garden and will yield a good harvest over time.
Walnut seedlings
After purchasing a seedling, it can be planted in the ground. As practice shows, not all gardeners can cope with this. Before planting a nut, you need to prepare the soil. First you need to dig a hole deep enough. The excavated soil 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, we pour drainage from broken bricks or small stones at the bottom of the pit. Then we cut the main core of the root system of the seedling, put a small layer of prepared soil on top of the drainage, and put a tree on top of it.
After filling the pit with the seedling with earth, a large amount of water must be poured into the planting site. It is best if the liquid is warm. In order for the roots to take root faster, the covered earth must be tamped.
Taking care of a planted tree or fruit is not difficult. In most regions of Russia, it rains heavily in autumn, so you often don't need to water the plant. 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 frost, the lower part of the tree will need to be wrapped in foil, 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 identify bacteriosis. This disease is actively developing in the spring. The main symptoms of the disease include dark spots on the leaves, fruits and inflorescences of the plant. As a result, the bark of the tree becomes brown, and the young branches completely die off. 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 liquid and 50 g of urea. You need to do the treatment two weeks before and two weeks after flowering.
Fetal bacteriosis
Another dangerous disease is root cancer. It enters the root system through wounds and cracks in the plant. Bulging growths appear in the affected areas. If the tree has been severely infected, then it may stop bearing fruit and eventually die. As soon as you find the first symptoms of the disease, the growths on the pillar should be removed immediately. After that, it is necessary to remove the topsoil 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 the walnut is bacterial burns. Symptoms of this disease include watery spots on the stalks and leaves of the tree. If the plant is left untreated, the spots will eventually turn black. This disease affects not only adult trees, but also young seedlings. Well-visible 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 fruit of the nut. If your tree is infected, black spots that look like rot will appear on the skin of its fruit.
To overcome disease, it is best to use drugs based on copper. Among the most powerful in terms of composition of funds, it is worth highlighting "Impact", "Bayleton" 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 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.
Not everyone knows how to grow a walnut at home, however, like any other fruit crop, it is not difficult to grow it, it is enough to plant the plant correctly and take regular care of it. Growing in tubs or large pots has its advantages: it is easier to protect a heat-loving plant from severe frosts and gusty winds, as well as to provide it with the soil mixture it needs. A walnut, planted in this way, grows in the form of a small shrub, and due to its small size does not give large yields. The fruits of the home tree are somewhat smaller, and their peels are stronger than those grown in the open field. It should be noted that with proper care, the quality of the fruit can be quite high.
Walnut at home - choice of capacity
Before planting a walnut at home, you need to choose a container where it will grow. Any deep container with good drainage will do. The first vessel for a young tree should be 25-30 cm in diameter and deep, that is, such that the root system can freely fit in it. When grown in a tub, the plant is limited in growth, therefore 1-3-year-old seedlings must be transplanted annually, picking up a pot 8-9 cm in diameter larger than the previous one with each transplant.
A tub, box or pot of walnuts is placed in a well-lit place where it will be protected from wind and drafts. During the period of flowering and the formation of ovaries, it is recommended to build a temporary shelter for the tree, which will serve as protection from the negative effects of the environment. You can put the tub in the greenhouse for this time.
When planting a tree in any container, the gardener selects the necessary soil for him. A slightly alkaline, nutritious, loose soil is suitable for walnuts. This culture does not tolerate soil compaction.
How to grow walnuts at home - plant care
When caring for a plant, you need to avoid waterlogging and drying out of the soil. With an excess of moisture, the roots begin to rot, which leads to their death. Lack of moisture negatively affects the development of ovaries. The soil should be moderately moist, but not too moist. In extreme heat, the volume of irrigation is increased.
How can you grow walnuts at home
At high air temperatures, wrap the pot with a damp thick cloth to cool the roots.
In spring, in order to protect the walnut from frost, it is covered with burlap or brought into a closed room. In the same way, you can save the tree from birds (in winter - buds, in summer - fruits). Winter frosts are detrimental to this culture, therefore, for the winter, the pot is buried in drained soil or transferred to a shelter (in a greenhouse, winter garden, on a loggia).
When growing walnuts at home, in the spring they mulch the soil with a layer of peat, moss or rotted manure. The mulch layer is renewed annually.
Homemade walnuts are practically not affected by diseases and pests. When brown leaf spot appears, it is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.
Top dressing is applied during the growing season, when additional nutrients are very important for the plant. For this, liquid mineral fertilizers containing potassium are used. Top dressing is applied every 14 days from the beginning of the growing season, and then every 7 days until the fruits are fully ripe.
Walnut at home - transplanting and molding
The transplant is carried out in the fall, carefully removing the tree from the tub, 1/10 of the roots are cut off, and its aboveground part is cut off the same way. Repotting is necessary until the nut reaches its final size.
A tree growing in a tub can be given any shape. The first years of his life, the formation of the crown is combined with the removal of some of the flowers in order to prevent abundant fruiting. In the summer, remove weak thin shoots, excess and dry branches.
Walnut grows well and bears fruit in our region.
And it seems that there is no trouble with him. Unless you choose a suitable variety - large-fruited and thin-bored. But in order to keep a tree healthy for a long time (and a nut lives for about 300 years!), You need to take care of it.
Firstly, dry, damaged and thickening branches are cut out from an adult tree, elongated shoots are shortened. But they do this not in autumn or spring, as in fruit trees, but in the second half of summer. At this time, the leaves of the nut are well developed and the roots work intensively, which will help it to quickly restore the loss of juice, heal the cuts.
Secondly, many believe that the nut does not get sick and does not have pests. Unfortunately, over the years it often happens that the fruits crumble ahead of time, and most of them are empty or rotten. The reason is plant diseases and pests. The most harmful diseases of the walnut are bacteriosis, brown spot.
Bacteriosis is the most common nut disease. There are practically no varieties resistant to this disease. The disease affects all aboveground organs of the tree: buds, leaves and their cuttings, male and female flowers, one- and two-year branches, shoot growth points, fruits at different stages of their development. On non-lignified shoots, as well as on leaves, elongated brown spots are formed due to the disease. In rainy weather, the shoots dry out and bend.
How to plant walnut walnut in autumn
The infection hibernates on the bark of diseased branches. In the spring, it enters the leaves through the stomata, and into other organs of the tree through mechanical damage. Large doses of nitrogen fertilizers in plantings increase the development of the disease. Varieties with thin-peeled nuts are more susceptible to disease than thick-peeled ones.
Brown spot, or anthracnose, of a walnut affects leaves, shoots, fruits. Numerous round or irregular spots appear on the leaves. This usually occurs in early or mid July. In years with high air humidity, these spots grow very strongly, the leaves dry out prematurely and fall off. At first, small spots are formed on the shoots, sometimes ulcers, the shoot is bent. Damaged fruits remain underdeveloped. At a young age, they fall off, at a later period they remain hanging, due to spots they have an irregular shape. In damaged fruits, the skin of the kernel becomes dark.
Now, in autumn, the measures to combat bacteriosis, anthracnose and the main pests of the walnut (walnut moth, aphid, tick, nut moth) are the same: collection and burning of leaves, damaged branches of fruits and residues.
Thirdly, like all fruit-bearing trees, walnuts need feeding. If, when planting seedlings, the recommended organic and mineral fertilizers were added, then the nut will be provided with the necessary substances for the next 3 to 5 years. In the future, organic (3 - 6 kg of rotted manure or humus), phosphorus (5-10 g) and potassium fertilizers (3 - 8 g) are introduced (per 1 sq. M) once every 2 - 3 years in the fall, embedding them in soil (usually in grooves along the perimeter of the crown) to a depth of 10 - 20 cm.Nitrogen (10-15 g) - annually in the second half of April in the form of a solution or dry to a depth of 3-4 cm. For the growth, development and fruiting of the nut, it is important and trace elements (boron, manganese, magnesium, etc.). Especially if signs of their lack in the soil are noticeable - the death of ovaries, yellow spots on the leaves, weakening of growth, etc. The doses are the same as for other fruit trees.
How to grow a walnut tree from a walnut
How to grow walnuts from walnut seeds
By applying fertilizers to the soil when growing walnuts, they pursue an increase in growth, an increase in fruiting and the general stability of the walnut tree.
The use of fertilizers to enhance the growth of walnuts is not always necessary. According to its biological properties, it has a rapid growth and therefore does not require additional stimulation.
Growing walnuts at home
For its culture, areas with a sufficiently fertile soil are usually chosen, where fertilizers are not needed in the first years of plant life. Thus, it is possible to use fertilizers to enhance the growth of walnuts only in very limited conditions, for example, when growing it on poor, marginal soils (sandy slopes with highly washed out soils, etc.).
Enhancing the growth of walnuts by applying fertilizers on sufficiently fertile soils can lead to undesirable consequences. Excessive growth of shoots will cause prolonged vegetation, their wood will not ripen in time and the plant will be killed by the winter cold. This danger of a decrease in the winter hardiness of the walnut must be taken into account when fertilizing. VM Rovskiy (1970) emphasized the need to use fertilizers to increase the growth of walnuts in nurseries only on insufficiently fertile soils (sierozem, etc.).
Fertilization of walnuts in orchards in order to enhance the fruiting of its trees is necessary and has long been used. This was mentioned in our country by N.I.Kichunov in 1931.
A. A. Richter suggested for young walnut orchards of the Crimean region. in the first 10 years after planting, annually apply on nutrient-depleted soils the following fertilizers per 1 m2 of garden area, g: ammonium sulfate 60, ammonium nitrate 35, superphosphate 80, potassium salt 15. In the absence of mineral fertilizers, apply to the same area 3-4 kg of manure, and with the combined application of mineral and organic fertilizers, the rates of both are reduced by half. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in spring, the rest in autumn, to a depth of 30 cm.
PP Dorofeev for the conditions of Moldova advises to apply fertilizers in walnut orchards growing on marginal soils in the following amount per hectare of area, q: ammonium sulfate 3, superphosphate 2 and potassium salt 1. In the absence of mineral fertilizers, you can apply half-rotted manure in the amount of 30 t / ha.
In experiments on the fertilization of fruiting walnut trees in Gorny Bostandyk (Uzbekistan), 1.5 kg of ammonium nitrate at the rate of 50 kg / ha of pure nitrogen was applied under each tree before the beginning of the growing season, and in October - November 4 kg of superphosphate at the rate of 75-80 kg / ha phosphoric acid. Fertilizers were applied for 3 years - from 1964 to 1967. A year after the fertilization, fruiting began to increase. At first, the yield on the fertilized plots exceeded the control by 4-5 times, and in 1967, even more than 10 times. The average weight of fruits also increased under the influence of fertilizers (Butkov and Talipov, 1970).
Studies have also shown that the addition of ammonium sulfate, as well as superphosphate and potassium salt, reduces the attack on walnut fruits by the moth.
According to N.A.Tkhagushev (1970), in the Black Sea regions of the Krasnodar Territory, it is necessary to apply a complete mineral fertilizer under a fruitful nut orchard at 1200 kg / ha a.c. or 1 t / ha of manure and 60 kg / ha a.c. NPK. The same amount of NPK is required in the conditions of the Kuban fruit zone.
According to A.K. Kairov, in Kabardino-Balkaria, the main fertilizer for walnuts is applied for autumn plowing. Manure is given once every 4 years at 20 t / ha. Superphosphate and potassium salt are applied annually, respectively, 5-8 and 1-1.5 c / ha. For feeding, ammonium nitrate is used at the rate of 1-1.5 c / ha during the second cultivation.
Walnut seedlings in nurseries need fertilizers. The use of nitrogen and phosphorus at 60 kg / ha increases the growth of seedlings, the yield of large-sized planting material, and improves the water regime.
In Bulgaria, when creating a walnut orchard for deep plowing (30-40 cm), holes for trees are dug every 12 m, measuring 0.6X0.6X0.6 m, with finer plowing, the size of the holes is larger, 1X1X0.6 m. The bottom of the hole is poured the top layer of the soil and a mixture of 15 kg of well-rotted manure, 300 kg of superphosphate and 80 kg of potassium fertilizer is added to it, based on an area of \u200b\u200b0.1 ha. In school branches of the Bulgarian nursery, the soil is fertilized (20-30 t / ha of manure, 6 centners of superphosphate and 2 centners / ha of potash fertilizer), spud at least 5 times, 2 times a summer fertilized with ammonium nitrate (50 kg each time) and regularly watered (Bonev, 1967).
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From antiquity to the present day, the walnut is called the "tree of life." Due to the unique composition, rich in vitamins, micro- and macroelements and other useful substances, nuts are used in the treatment of many diseases, restore the loss of strength, satisfy hunger. To saturate the body with useful elements, a few nuts a day are enough.
Rules for buying walnut seedlings
Walnut cultivation begins with the right choice of planting material. The walnut has one interesting feature: the plant first gives all its strength to the development of the root system, then to the growth and development of the trunk and green mass. Therefore, seedlings capable of taking root and giving offspring in the future are not developed shoots with leaves, but a powerful root system. A seedling with leaves, on the other hand, may not take root, besides, when planting, the seedlings are pruned so that the nutrition goes exclusively for rooting.
A healthy seedling should be strong, with developed roots (the root system of the nut is pivotal). The bark of the plant should be meticulously examined, it should not have any mechanical or other damage.
Important! If a walnut seedling has too dry bark, rotten and soft roots, you should refuse to buy it - the plant is sick.
The best option for choosing a seedling is to contact the nursery, where you can choose high-quality healthy planting material.And then, in the nursery, you will be told whether the plant has a seed origin or is it grafted. From a grafted seedling, if it is also fast-growing, a harvest can be obtained in the third year, and from a seed in the tenth, not earlier. Choosing a place for planting walnuts
Walnut loves bright sunlight, with enough light, the crown becomes spreading, dense. Walnut is a powerful plant, the height of the tree is up to 25 meters, and the trunk diameter often reaches seven meters. The tree can grow on a small slope, with an 18-degree slope.
It is undesirable to plant the nut on dense, poorly aerated and marshy soils. Soil for walnuts is recommended with a uniform content of sand and clay, the location of groundwater close to the surface is contraindicated.
As already mentioned, the nut grows into a tall and spreading tree; when planting, it should be taken into account that it will block the light of the plants growing nearby. If this happens, these plants should be transplanted elsewhere. 
Where to plant walnuts on the site - the best place for walnuts would be the south or southwest side of the site, sheltered from the wind. When choosing a site for a nut, do not plant it next to a house or outbuildings, the roots of the plant, growing, can damage the foundation of the building. Do not plant close to the fence.
Did you know? Pliny's mentions of nuts have survived. In them, he writes that the plant came to Greece from the gardens of the Persian king Cyrus, then by trade expeditions from Greece to Rome, and from there to the territory of modern France, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Germany. The nut came to America only in the 19th century.
Preparatory work before landing
Walnuts will not require much attention when growing and caring for themselves if you carefully prepare the seedlings and planting area. The landing site must be cleaned of plant debris, loosened and leveled. If the soil does not meet the requirements, some of it can be replaced with a more fertile one.
The planting hole is dug just before planting so that the amount of moisture the plant needs is preserved in it, since it is not desirable to pour water into the hole. Its depth depends on the length of the roots, it should be dug deeper so that the roots are conveniently located and do not break.
The seedlings will need high-quality feeding. Fertilizer for walnuts is prepared from the following components: a bucket of manure, 400 grams of wood ash, 200 grams of superphosphate. This nutrient mixture is placed on the bottom of the pit, and when planting, sprinkle with soil, it is undesirable for the roots to come into contact with the fertilizer.
The process of planting seedlings and the distance between them
The most favorable time when planting a walnut as a seedling is spring. The plant will have time to take root and grow stronger before winter frosts, which can destroy young trees.
Before planting, seedlings should be inspected, if there are damaged, rotten or dried roots, they are cut off. To facilitate and speed up the rooting process, the roots of the seedlings are dipped in a clay mash with the addition of a growth stimulator. A chatterbox is made from clay, rotted manure and water (3: 1: 1), the density is like shop sour cream.
Planting a walnut is carried out slowly, the roots are gently straightened, it is desirable to give them a horizontal position. Then, starting from the lowest roots, they are gradually covered with soil. As a result, the top of the roots should be six to seven centimeters below the soil surface. The soil of the trunk circle is gently compacted, a shallow groove is made around the circle for irrigation. The planted nuts are watered abundantly, about 15 liters of water per tree. Since the crown grows a lot in diameter, the tree does not need neighbors closer than five meters. 
Walnut, subject to planting rules and timely careful care, will respond to a good harvest. Caring for the plant is not difficult, the main thing is to carry out the procedures on time and know some of the features.For example, soil care, weeding, loosening are carried out no deeper than five centimeters, since the upper roots of the plant are located close to the surface.
Did you know? The priests of Ancient Babylon knew about the benefits of walnuts for the activity of the brain. Dignitaries forbade ordinary people to eat nuts for fear that they would become too smart. Walnut, according to many scientists-researchers of antiquity, is one of the ten first plants cultivated by people.
Preventive treatment of trees from diseases and pests
In early spring, the plant requires some preventive measures: from the trunk and skeletal branches of the nut, it is necessary to remove the bark that has died out during the winter and the whitewash that has come off; cleaned surfaces must be washed with a solution of copper sulfate (3%); refresh the whitewash.
In the spring, while the buds are still asleep, the tree and the soil of the trunk circle are sprayed with one percent Bordeaux liquid to prevent diseases and pests.
In the summer, to prevent the appearance of pests and diseases around the nut, they clean the soil, the tree itself from time to time needs to be carefully inspected for insects, any suspicious spots on the bark and foliage. If detected, immediately treat with fungicides (in case of signs of illness) or insecticides (if insects appear).
After harvesting and falling leaves, trees are treated again for prevention, you can use the same means. Experienced growers recommend using a 7% urea solution instead of Bordeaux liquid and copper sulfate. This solution is multifunctional, it is also a rescue from insects, has a fungicidal effect and is a nitrogen fertilizer.
Important! Since the nut needs nitrogen during the growing period, it is better to process it with urea in the spring.
Watering rules
After a winter with little rainfall, or even no snow at all, moisture is vital for the nut. Water the tree well, up to about twenty liters of water. With normal precipitation, watering the walnut is carried out every two months in the spring. In summer, when it is hot and there is no rain, the need for watering increases. From about May to July, walnut trees are watered twice a month with three to four buckets of water per tree, a lack of moisture can affect the yield of a walnut.
Loosening of the soil does not need to be carried out after each watering, the nut does not like this. If there are frequent rains in spring and summer, it is not worth watering, the nut loves moisture, but due to the structure of the root system, its excess will be destructive. Watering is also reduced for trees above four meters, their root system draws moisture from deep soil layers.
At the end of summer, watering is reduced. 
If the autumn is not rainy, it is watered abundantly, this is necessary for wintering. Mulching is necessary to avoid cracking and the formation of a rough earth crust. Thus, the soil will also avoid drying out on especially hot days. Mulch is made from straw or sawdust, peat in a five-centimeter layer.
Tree feeding
In May, it is time to apply fertilizers and the question arises: how to feed walnuts? Adult trees over three years old need up to six kilograms of ammonium nitrate, nut is fed in early spring or in the first days of summer.
At the end of June, for better growth of shoots, pinch their tops and feed the tree with phosphates and potassium, adding trace elements. On sale there is fertilizer for fruit trees with a complex composition. A tree that bears fruit needs 10 kg of superphosphate, 10 kg of ammonium sulfate, 3 kg of potassium salt and 6 kg of ammonium nitrate for the whole season.
Important! You can use biological fertilizers: plant green manure plants (lupine, oats) between the walnut trees, which are plowed into the ground in late autumn.
When and how to trim
In the first three years of a nut's life, its trunk and crown need to be formed.Each year, the side branches are cut off the tree. Sanitary or formative walnut pruning is carried out with a sharp instrument so as not to harm the plant, not to leave burrs.
For crown formation, the best period is when the tree has reached one and a half meters of growth, while the bole is up to 90 cm, and the crown height is up to 60 cm.
When forming the crown, the branches are shortened by 20 cm, leaving about ten skeletal shoots, and the stem is cleared of germinating shoots. It will be possible to give the crown its final shape in four to five years, but after that, it will only be necessary to cut off the branches that interfere with the growth of the main shoots, growing inward and too thickening the crown.
The basic rules for pruning a walnut tree include:
- The procedure is carried out either in the spring before the active movement of juices, or in the fall;
- In autumn, pruning of dry and damaged branches is done so that the tree does not give valuable food in winter to the obviously doomed shoots;
- All slices after the procedure must be treated with garden varnish to avoid infections.
Walnut wintering
After harvesting and autumn pruning, the site needs to be cleaned, all plant residues removed, because it is in them that harmful insects winter. Examine trees, branches and bark, pests often hibernate in it, whitewash the tree trunk with lime. It is advisable to carefully prepare young trees and seedlings of the current year for winter: the tree trunk circle of plants must be covered with mulch. You can also cover with manure, but so that it does not come into contact with the bark, the walnut trunks are wrapped in burlap, then you can lay fir branches on the trunk circle.
