Walnut in central Russia. Walnut care in the middle lane

Wood walnut (lat. Juglans regia)- a species of the genus Nut of the Nut family. Otherwise, this nut is called Voloshsky, royal or Greek. IN wild nature walnut grows in western Transcaucasia, northern China, Tien Shan, northern India, Greece and Asia Minor. Individual specimens of the plant are found even in Norway. But the largest natural hazel trees are located in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Iran is believed to be the birthplace of the walnut, although it has been speculated that it may be of Chinese, Indian or Japanese origin. The first mention of the walnut in historical documents dates back to the 7th-5th century BC: Pliny writes that the Greeks brought this culture from the gardens of Cyrus, the king of Persia. From Greece, the plant came to Rome already under the name "walnut", and then spread throughout France, Switzerland, Germany and Bulgaria. The walnut was introduced to the American continent only in early XIX centuries. The walnut came to Ukraine from Moldova and Romania under the name "Voloshsky".

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Planting and caring for a walnut (in a nutshell)

• Landing: in areas with a cool climate - in the spring (before the start of sap flow), in the southern regions, autumn planting is preferable.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• The soil: any with a pH of 5.5-5.8.
• Watering: regular, in summer - 2 times a month at a consumption of 3-4 buckets of water for each m² of the near-stem circle, watering is stopped from August. In dry autumn, water-charging winter watering is carried out.
• Top dressing: nitrogen fertilizers are applied twice: in spring and early summer, under the root, and potash and phosphorus - in the fall. For a season, one adult nut needs an average of about 10 kg of superphosphate, 6 kg of ammonium nitrate, 3 kg of potassium salt and 10 kg of ammonium sulfate.
• Pruning: sanitary and formative pruning - in the spring, before the start of sap flow, in the fall - sanitary.
• Reproduction: seeds and grafting.
• Pests: American white butterfly, codling moth, walnut warty mite, walnut moth and aphid.
• Diseases: bacteriosis, marsoniosis (brown spot), root cancer, bacterial burn.

Read more about growing walnuts below.

Walnut - description

The walnut is a large tree growing up to 25 meters in height, the trunk of the walnut sometimes reaches three, and sometimes seven meters in girth. The walnut bark is gray in color, branches with leaves form an extensive crown. Walnut leaves, complex, pinnate, consisting of elongated leaves 4 to 7 cm long, bloom at the same time with small, greenish flowers pollinated by the wind - in May. On the same tree, both male and female are revealed. female flowers. The fruit of the walnut is a one-seeded drupe with a thick leathery pericarp and a globular bone with incomplete partitions, which can be from two to five. Inside the shell is an edible walnut kernel. The weight of one fruit is from 5 to 17 g.

Greece walnut does not have high frost resistance - it freezes already at a temperature of -25-28 ºC. A walnut tree lives 300-400 years, its wood, which belongs to valuable species, is often used for making designer furniture. And from the leaves of the walnut, a dye for textiles is produced. The main producing countries of valuable walnuts today are China, the USA, Turkey, Iran and Ukraine.

We will tell you how to plant and care for walnut, how to form its crown, how to fertilize a walnut so that its yields are stable and consistently high, how to process a walnut from pests and diseases, which walnut varieties are best grown in the garden and we will give you a lot of other interesting and useful information.

Planting a walnut

When to plant a walnut

Usually walnut seedlings are planted in spring, but in the southern regions autumn planting is also possible. With a good drainage layer, any soil will do for walnuts. Clay soil can be improved by adding peat and compost to it. The place for planting a nut should be sunny, because this tree is photophilous, and in the shade the seedling will simply die. The highest productivity is distinguished by trees growing alone in the sun. Walnut does not like plots with high occurrence ground water, and the optimal soil pH for walnuts is pH 5.5-5.8.

Since male and female walnut flowers do not bloom at the same time, it is good if there are a couple of other varieties of walnut trees nearby, and they can grow even in neighboring gardens - pollen is carried by the wind to a distance of 200-300 m.

Walnut seedlings are examined before planting: rotten, diseased or dried roots and shoots are removed, after which the roots are lowered into a clay mash with the density of store sour cream. The composition of the talker, in addition to water, includes 1 part of decomposed manure and 3 parts of clay. You can add a growth stimulator to the talker - Humat or Epin.

How to plant a walnut in spring

A pit for walnuts has been prepared since autumn. Since a young tree at first does not have a powerful root system, the main source of nutrition for it will be soil one meter in diameter from the nut, so it is so important to create optimal conditions for its growth and development.

The size of the nut hole is determined by the composition of the soil. On fertile soils, a pit with a depth and diameter of 60 cm will be quite enough, on less fertile soils, the depth and diameter of the pit should be greater - within 1 m. another - you will not need it to plant a walnut. Mix the top layer of soil with peat and humus (or compost) in equal proportions, but in no case use fresh organic matter to enrich the soil. Add 2.5 kg of superphosphate, 800 g of potassium chloride, 750 g of dolomite flour and one and a half kilograms to the soil mixture wood ash, thoroughly mix all the ingredients with the soil. This amount of fertilizer mixed with a fertile layer of soil will be enough for a tree for the first 3-5 years of life, during which a powerful root system will develop in a walnut, capable of independently extracting nutrients.

Fill the pit with cooked soil mixture to the top and pour one and a half to two buckets of water into it. This completes the autumn preparation of the walnut pit.

During the winter, the soil in the pit will settle and compact, and in the spring, when it is time to plant a nut, remove the soil mixture from the pit, drive a 3 m high support stake into the center of the bottom, pour a hill around it from the same soil mixture of such a height that the root neck of the plant installed on mound of the seedling turned out to be 3-5 cm above the surface of the site. Fill the hole with the remaining soil mixture, tamp the surface and pour 20-30 liters of water under the seedling. When the water is absorbed, the soil settles, and the root neck of the seedling is at the level of the surface of the plot, tie the tree to the support and mulch its near-stem circle with a layer of peat, sawdust or straw 2-3 cm thick. At a distance of 30-50 cm from the trunk, form from humus and earth in a ratio of 1:3 roller 15 cm high to collect rainwater.

Planting walnuts in autumn

Autumn planting of a walnut is not much different from spring. The only difference is that the pit is not prepared for six months, but two to three weeks before planting. And we remind you: the autumn planting of a walnut is permissible only in the southern regions, where there are no frosty winters.

Spring walnut care

How to grow a walnut in the garden and how to properly care for a walnut? Garden work begins in early spring. In the third decade of March, if the air temperature does not fall below -4-5 ºC, it is possible to carry out sanitary and formative pruning of the walnut. If weather conditions do not allow pruning during this period, postpone it for more late time, but you need to have time to trim the nut before the start of sap flow.

Walnuts need moisture in the spring. In April, if there was little snow in winter, and no rain in spring, carry out water-charging watering of the tree. Clean its bole and skeletal branches from dead bark, wash them with a 3% solution of copper sulphate and refresh the whitewashing of the walnut bole that has come down over the winter with lime. At the same time, preventive treatment of trees from diseases and pests is carried out and seedlings are planted.

May is the time to fertilize. What to feed a walnut? An adult tree needs about 6 kg of ammonium nitrate per year, which is best applied in spring and early summer. This applies to trees older than 3 years - planted in a pit when planting fertilizers should be enough for the plant for at least three years.

Summer walnut care

In hot, and especially dry summers, the need for watering walnuts increases. From May to July inclusive, the near-stem circle of the walnut is moistened twice a month without subsequent loosening of the soil, since the walnut does not like this. But weeds need to be fought. Walnuts can suffer from fungal diseases and harmful insects in the summer, so it is very important to inspect the tree daily so as not to miss the onset of the disease or the appearance of pests, and in case of danger, the walnut should be treated with the appropriate drug - an insecticide or fungicide.

At the end of July, pinch the tops of those shoots whose growth you want to accelerate - the shoots must have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather, otherwise they will die from frostbite in winter. Carry out foliar feeding of the walnut with phosphate and potash fertilizers with the addition of trace elements. Some varieties of walnuts ripen as early as the end of August, in which case you should be ready to harvest.

Autumn walnut care

Autumn is harvest time walnuts. Depending on the variety, nuts ripen from late August to late October. When the harvest is over, it is necessary to put things in order in the garden: carry out sanitary pruning of the walnut after leaf fall, rake fallen leaves and cuttings of shoots, treat the trees from pests and pathogens that have settled for the winter in the walnut bark and in the soil under the tree, whiten the bole and the base of the skeletal lime branches. Saplings and young trees must be prepared for winter.

Walnut Processing

In order for the walnut not to be attacked by pests or infected with diseases, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment twice a year. When and how to process a walnut? Spring processing is carried out early, on still dormant buds - the walnut and the soil of the near-stem circle are sprayed with a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate. Autumn processing walnut with the same preparations is carried out after leaf fall, when the trees go into a dormant period. Many gardeners instead of Bordeaux mixture or copper sulphate use a seven percent urea solution for processing, which is also a fungicide, insecticide and nitrogen fertilizer. It is better to treat trees with urea in the spring, when the nut needs nitrogen.

Watering a walnut

Growing a walnut requires regular watering. This is a moisture-loving plant, but if it rains from time to time in spring and summer, the nut can not be watered. In a hot and dry season, it is necessary to water the nut twice a month from May to the end of July, spending 3-4 buckets of water per m² of the near-stem circle. From the beginning of August, watering should be stopped. If the autumn is without rain, carry out a sub-winter watering of the walnut to make it easier for him to survive the winter.

Walnut nutrition

The root system of the walnut does not like loosening, so mineral fertilizer complexes must be applied with great care. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied only in spring and early summer, since during the fruiting period they contribute to the infection of the nut with fungal diseases. Phosphates and potash fertilizers are well perceived by the culture; it is better to introduce them into the soil of the near-stem circle in the fall. In total, a fruiting walnut needs 10 kg of superphosphate, 3 kg of potassium salt, 10 kg of ammonium sulfate and 6 kg of ammonium nitrate during the growing season. As fertilizers, you can also use green manure - lupine, peas, oats or rank, which are sown in the aisles of hazel at the end of summer, and plowed into the soil in autumn.

Wintering walnut

Since the walnut culture is thermophilic, some of its varieties can only grow in areas where there are no cold winters. However, there are varieties that can withstand short frosts down to -30 ºC. Adult plants hibernate without shelter, but seedlings and one-year-old trees must be wrapped in burlap, and their near-trunk circles, retreating 10 cm from the tree trunk, must be mulched with manure for the winter.

Walnut pruning

When to prune a walnut

In the spring, in March or April, when the air in the garden has already warmed up to positive temperatures, but the sap flow has not yet begun, sanitary and formative pruning of the walnut is carried out. Some gardeners prefer to prune the walnut in the second half of summer, since it is difficult to determine which of the shoots is too weak or frostbitten in early spring. Walnuts are pruned in autumn for sanitary purposes so that the plant does not feed sick, drying and broken branches and shoots in winter.

How to trim a walnut

If the walnut crown is not formed, it may eventually show major defects - breaking forks with sharp corners, too long branches that have few lateral branches, fruiting shoots dying off due to thickening of the crown, and many other troubles. Shaping the walnut improves the quality and quantity of the fruit and regulates the growth of the tree, making it easier to care for.

For pruning - sanitary or forming - use a sterile and sharp knife or secateurs, which makes the cuts even, without burrs. The first time the nut is cut when the tree reaches a height of 1.5 m. The stem of the tree should be 80-90 cm, and the crown should be 50-60 cm. Forming a crown, no more than 10 skeletal branches are left on the tree, the shoots are shortened by 20 cm, and the bole is regularly cleared of overgrowth. In order to lay the skeleton of the crown, you will need three or four years, but as soon as it is formed, you will only have to remove the shoots that are fattening, competing and thickening the crown.

pruning walnut in spring

In the spring, as soon as the weather permits, carry out a sanitary pruning of the nut, removing all frostbitten, diseased, dry and improperly growing branches and shoots. Treat slices thicker than 7 mm with garden pitch. Simultaneously with the sanitary pruning of the walnut is carried out.

If the tree has not been properly cared for for a long time, over time, fruiting shifts to the periphery - fruits form only in the upper parts of the crown. To fix this, it is necessary to carry out anti-aging pruning of the walnut. In early spring, skeletal branches located too high are cut down, after which the crown of the tree is strongly thinned out to ensure the penetration of air and light into it. Branches are cut off in places of a lateral branch in order to direct their development not up, but to the sides. The influx of tree sap over time will cause the awakening of the buds, which will give new shoots, from which the crown will form.

Pruning a walnut in autumn

During the harvest, a walnut branch sometimes breaks or shoots are accidentally cut off. Some shoots can be affected by disease or pests, therefore, after leaf fall, it is advisable to carry out sanitary pruning of diseased, broken, improperly growing and drying shoots so that in winter the tree does not consume food on them. Thick sections after pruning are treated with garden pitch.

Reproduction of a walnut

How to propagate a walnut

Walnuts are propagated by seeds and vegetatively by grafting. In order to graft a varietal cutting, you have to grow a stock from seeds, so we will describe to you both methods of propagating a walnut.

Propagation of walnut seeds

Growing walnuts from seeds is a long-term perspective. It is advisable to harvest seeds from healthy, productive trees growing in your area. Choose large fruits with an easily extractable core. The maturity of the kernel is determined by the state of the pericarp - the pericarp. If the pericarp is cracked or can be easily separated by making an incision, then the nucleus is ripe. Nuts are freed from the pericarp, and dried for a week in the sun, and then transferred to a room where they are dried at a temperature of 18-20 ºC. You can plant nuts this fall, or next spring, but then they need to be stratified. Thick-skinned nuts are stratified for 90-100 days at a temperature of 0 to 7 ºC, and varieties with a medium-thick shell and thin-skinned - a month and a half at a temperature of 15-18 ºC. In order for stratified nuts to germinate faster, they are kept in moist sand at a temperature of 15-18 ºC until they peck, and then they are sown: those that have pecked are sown less often, those that did not have time to peck - thicker. Sow walnut fruits when the soil warms up to 10 ºC. The distance between seeds in a row is 10-15 cm, between rows - 50 cm. Nuts medium size they are embedded in the ground to a depth of 8-9 cm, and those that are larger - by 10-11 cm. Shoots begin to appear by the end of April. As a rule, 70% of stratified nuts germinate. When the seedlings have two true leaves, they are planted in a school, pinching the tip of the central root. Seedlings grow slowly in the school garden - in order to grow a rootstock, you will need 2-3 years, and in order to grow a full-fledged seedling that can be transplanted into the garden, you will have to wait 5-7 years. You can speed up the process if you grow seedlings not in open ground, but in a greenhouse - under a film coating, a stock grows in a year, and a seedling in two years.

Propagation of walnuts by grafting

The walnut is grafted using the budding method, but since the buds of this tree are quite large, the shield cut from the graft and inserted under the bark of the rootstock should also be large so that it can provide the eye with water and nutrients. The problem is that even in ordinary winters, almost all buds that have taken root by autumn die in the cold due to insufficient winter hardiness of the culture, so budded seedlings must be dug up after leaf fall and stored until spring in the basement at a temperature of about 0 ºC. In spring, when the soil warms up to 10 ºC, seedlings are planted in a nursery. By the end of the growing season, they can reach a height of 100-150 cm, and they can be planted in a permanent place.

walnut diseases

The walnut is quite resistant to both diseases and pests, but mistakes in care and failure to comply with agricultural practices can lead to the tree getting sick. Most often, walnuts are affected by:

bacteriosis, which manifests itself as black spots on the leaves of the plant, because of which they are deformed and fall off. Fruits damaged by the disease lose quality and, as a rule, fall before ripening. Varieties with thick shells suffer less from bacteriosis. Rainy weather and nitrogen fertilizers provoke the development of the disease. To cope with the disease, treat the tree before flowering with copper sulphate, Bordeaux liquid or other fungicide in two stages. In autumn, do not forget to rake and remove fallen walnut leaves from the site;

brown spotting, or marsoniosis, looks like brownish spots, which, with the development of the disease, spread all over the leaf. As a result, diseased foliage dries and falls off prematurely. Fruits affected by spotting, which have not had time to ripen, also fall off. The disease progresses in wet weather. Affected leaves and shoots must be removed from the tree until the disease has spread throughout the nut. Review the moisture regime - you may be watering the nut too often. Walnut treatment for spotting is carried out with Vectra (2-3 ml per 10 liters of water) and Strobi (4 g per 10 liters of water). The first treatment is carried out as soon as the buds begin to bloom on the tree, the second time the nut is sprayed in the summer;

root cancer affects the root system of the walnut. The causative agent of the disease penetrates the roots through cracks in the bark and wounds, forming convex growths. If the disease goes into full force, the tree may stop growing and fruiting, and in the most severe cases, the walnut will dry out and die. The growths on the tree must be opened, cleaned and treated with a one percent solution of caustic soda, after which it is necessary to wash the wounds running water from a hose;

Bacterial burn affects leaves, flowers, buds, catkins and walnut shoots. At first, reddish-brown leaves appear on the young leaves of the plant, and depressed black girdle spots appear on the shoots, leading to their death. The leaves and buds of male walnut inflorescences darken and die. The pericarp is also covered with black spots. The most severe outbreaks of the disease are caused by prolonged rains. Infected parts of the plant must be cut and burned, and the wounds treated with a one percent solution of copper sulphate. The plant is sprayed with copper-containing preparations.

walnut pests

Of the walnut pests, the American white butterfly, apple codling moth, walnut warty mite, nut moth and aphid can infect.

American white butterfly- one of the most dangerous insects damaging almost everything fruit crops. During the growing season, it develops in two or three generations: the first generation conducts its destructive activity in July-August, the second - in August and September, and the third - in September and October. Butterfly caterpillars settle on the leaves and shoots of the walnut and rapidly eat all of its foliage. To destroy the pest, it is necessary to burn the places of accumulation of pupae and caterpillars, and then treat the tree with one of the microbiological preparations - Lepidocide (25 g per 10 l of water), Bitoxibacillin (50 g per 10 l of water) or Dendrobacillin (30 g per 10 l of water) . The consumption of the solution is approximately 2-4 liters per tree. But in no case should it be processed during the flowering period.

Nut warty mite damages mainly young foliage, without touching the fruits, and most often it appears on a walnut during a period of high humidity. It is possible to determine that a nut is occupied by a tick by the dark brown tubercles that appear on the leaves of the plant. Since the tick is an arachnid insect, you can get rid of it with an acaricide - Aktara, Akarin or Kleschevit, for example.

Apple, she is codling moth it does not eat leaves, like other pests, but the fruits of the nut, penetrating inside and eating away the kernel, which is why the fruits fall prematurely. During the growing season, it gives two generations: the first harms the nut in May and June, the second - in August and September. To prevent codling moths from multiplying, pheromone traps are fixed on the trees that attract male codling moths. In addition, be sure to collect fallen nuts and destroy the codling moth nests found on the tree.

nut moth lays "mines" in the leaves of the walnut - its caterpillars feed on the juicy pulp of the leaves from the inside, without damaging the skin. You can determine that a tree is affected by moths by the presence of dark tubercles on the leaves. They destroy the nut moth by treating the tree with Lepidocide, and with a total lesion, pyrethroids are used - Decis, Decametrin.

Aphid ubiquitous, it can harm any plant, but the main danger is that it carries viral diseases for which there is no cure. No point in applying on an aphid occupied walnut folk remedies, immediately resort to drastic measures - processing the tree with Actellik, Antitlin or Biotlin.

Varieties of walnut

Today, there are many varieties of walnuts that have developed resistance to diseases, pests, frost and drought. Many of them are productive, and their fruits are different high quality. According to the ripening time, the varieties of nuts are divided into early, ripening in late August or early September, mid-ripening, whose fruits ripen from mid to late September, and late, which are removed in late September or early October. Scientists are engaged in the selection of walnuts different countries– varieties of Ukrainian, Russian, Moldovan, American and Belarusian selection are known. We bring to your attention a description of the best varieties, among which you will surely be able to choose a walnut that will bear fruit in the garden for many decades for you, your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Skinos

- winter-hardy and productive early variety of Moldovan selection, in years from high humidity air affected by brown spotting. Its fruits are large, up to 12 g in weight, ovoid, with a shell of medium thickness and a large core, easily separated from the shell.

Codrene

- a productive and winter-hardy late Moldavian variety, resistant to pests and marsonia, with large nuts in a thin, almost smooth shell, which easily splits and releases the whole kernel or halves.

Lunguece

- a frost-resistant and resistant to brown spot variety of Moldovan selection with large oblong-oval nuts with a smooth, thin, easily splitting shell and a kernel completely extracted from the shell.

In addition to those described, famous varieties Walnuts of Moldavian selection include Kalarashsky, Korzheutsky, Kostyuzhinsky, Chisinau, Peschansky, Rechensky, Kogylniceanu, Cossack, Brichansky, Faleshtsky, Yargarinsky and others.

Bukovinskiy 1 and Bukovinskiy 2

- mid-season and late productive varieties of Ukrainian breeding, resistant to marsoniosis, with a relatively thin, but strong, easily splitting shell and a completely separating core.

Carpathian

- consistently productive and relatively resistant to brown spot, a late variety of Ukrainian selection with a thin but strong shell and a core that easily separates from it.

Transnistrian

- a stable high-yielding mid-season Ukrainian variety, characterized by frost resistance and a high degree of resistance to marsoniosis, with rounded, medium-sized fruits weighing from 11 to 13 g with a thin but strong shell, thin internal partitions that do not interfere with the separation of the nucleus.

Of the varieties bred in Ukraine, Klyshkivskyi, Bukovinskaya bomba, Toporivskyi, Chernivtskyi 1, Yarivskyi and others were also noted for high fruit quality and resistance to adverse conditions.

Of the Californian varieties allocated to a special group, the most famous are:

Black California Walnut

- a variety with very large fruits with an almost black shell, furrowed with convolutions;

Santa Rosa Soft Shell

- high-yielding early ripening california variety, known in two varieties: the first blooms at the same time as all the walnut trees, and the second - two weeks later, when the spring frosts are left behind. The fruits of this variety are of medium size, enclosed in a thin white peel, the core is also white, of excellent taste.

Royal

- high-yielding hybrid between California black walnut and black walnut from the East of the USA, with large fruits in a thick and strong shell, which contains the kernels of high palatability.

Paradox

- also a highly productive variety with large fruits in a very thick and strong shell with very tasty kernels.

Breeding work with these varieties has not been stopped - scientists continue to try to get hybrids with a thinner shell.

Of the Soviet and Russian varieties, the most popular are:

• Dessert- an early productive and drought-resistant variety, recommended for cultivation only in the southern regions, with sweetish, very tasty kernels;
• Elegant- drought-resistant, almost not affected by diseases and pests, a variety with medium frost resistance and nuts of a sweetish taste, medium size, weighing up to 12 g;
• Aurora- winter-hardy, disease-resistant mid-season and early-ripening variety, the yield of which increases with age. The average fruit weight is 12 g.

In a special category are early maturing varieties walnut, for which characteristic features are a small height of trees, early ripening of fruits - in the second half of August or early September, entry into fruiting from the age of three and moderate frost resistance. The most famous of the early-growing varieties are:

• Dawn of the East- a low-growing productive tree, successfully grown in the conditions of the middle lane;
• Breeder- productive and resistant to diseases and pests, a variety with low frost resistance. The fruits are medium in size, weighing about 7 g.

The well-known early-growing varieties of walnuts also include Pyatiletka, Beloved Petrosyan, Baikonur, Pinsky, Pelan, Sovkhozny and Pamyat Minov.

The best and most commonly grown varieties are:

• Ideal- high-frost-resistant, the most productive of all walnut varieties, since it bears fruit twice in one growing season. Its fruits reach a mass of 10 to 15 g. The kernels are distinguished by a pleasant sweetish taste. This variety reproduces only generatively, however, its seeds inherit all parental traits;
• Giant- A highly productive variety with regular fruiting. Fruits in their weight reach no more than 10 g, but the advantage of the variety is that it can be grown almost throughout Russia.

Walnut properties - harm and benefit

Useful properties of walnut

All parts of the plant contain biologically active substances. For example, the bark contains triterpenoids, alkaloids, steroids, tannins, quinones and vitamin C. Walnut leaves contain aldehydes, alkaloids, carotene, tannins, coumarins, flavonoids, anthocyanins, quinones, high aromatic hydrocarbons, phenol carboxylic acids, vitamins C , PP and essential oil. And the tissues of the pericarp include vitamin C, carotene, tannins, coumarins, quinones, phenolcarboxylic and organic acids.

Vitamins C, B1, B2, PP, carotene and quinones were found in green fruits, and in mature fruits the same set of vitamins, sitosterols, quinones, tannins and fatty oils, including linoleic, linolenic, oleic, palmitic acids, fiber, cobalt salts and iron.

The shell of walnuts contains phenolcarboxylic acids, coumarins, tannins, and the thin brown skin covering the fruit - the pellicle - contains steroids, coumarins, tannins and phenolcarboxylic acids.

The amount of vitamin C in the leaves of the plant increases throughout the season and reaches its maximum in July. But main value walnut leaves - a large amount of carotene and vitamin B1, as well as the dye juglone, which also has a bactericidal effect, and tannins.

Ripe walnut fruits are not only a high-calorie food product, but also a highly active agent. Their calorie content is twice that of wheat bread. premium. They are recommended for use for the prevention of atherosclerosis and with a lack of vitamins and salts of iron and cobalt in the body. The oil and fiber that make up the fruit makes it an excellent remedy for constipation.

The wound healing effect of a decoction of walnut leaves is used to treat scrofula and rickets in children. A leaf infusion is used to rinse the mouth with bleeding gums and inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity.

Walnut preparations have a tonic, astringent, anti-sclerotic, antihelminthic, hypoglycemic, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, laxative and epithelizing effects.

The most valuable of all preparations is walnut oil, which has a high nutritional value and valuable taste. It is prescribed to patients in the recovery period after suffering serious illnesses and surgical operations. It consists of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, macro- and microelements, biologically active substances. The record amount of vitamin E contained in the oil has a beneficial effect on the elderly, especially those who suffer from hypertension, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, chronic hepatitis, hyperacidity gastric juice, hyperfunction of the thyroid gland. In addition, walnut oil protects the human body from carcinogens, increases the body's resistance to radiation and removes radionuclides.

With the help of walnut oil, tuberculosis, inflammatory diseases of the skin and mucous membranes, cracks, long time non-healing ulcers, eczema, psoriasis, varicose veins and furunculosis.

Scientists at the University of California have experimentally proved that after patients ate walnut oil for a month, the cholesterol content in their blood stopped growing and remained at the same level for several months. Walnut oil is prescribed for chronic arthritis, burns, ulcers, chronic colitis with constipation, diseases of the stomach and intestines. It is recommended for pregnant and lactating mothers.

Walnut - contraindications

The use of walnuts and preparations from it is contraindicated for people with individual intolerance to the product. Patients with psoriasis, neurodermatitis and eczema should use walnut or walnut preparations under the supervision of a physician, since the product may cause them to exacerbate the disease. People with diseases of the pancreas and intestines, as well as those who have increased blood clotting, eating walnuts is contraindicated. Overeating the product can cause swelling of the throat, severe headaches and inflammation of the tonsils. The daily norm of walnuts for a healthy person is 100 g per day.

Walnut is the strongest tree of the Walnut family. It has a long life cycle. The homeland of the plant is warm countries, but today it can be grown in middle lane.

Walnut is an unpretentious, cold-resistant plant, so it is often planted as a valuable fruit and ornamental crop.

The walnut has two sexes and is pollinated by the wind. Male buds are located on the side branches, collected in inflorescences. Their pollen spreads within 100 m or more. Buds with female flowers are based on the tips of one-year young shoots. Sleepers are on the central branch. If damaged above-ground part, they restore the plant.

Different-sex flowers do not bloom on the same tree at the same time, for this you need to plant varieties of different types of flowering in one area in order to get a crop. This is how cross-pollination occurs. If this is not possible, it is necessary to graft a cutting from another variety to the tree crown.

Character traits

Walnut loves warmth. There are many varieties of plants that can tolerate a short-term drop in temperature, reaching -25 ̊С. In the case of a decrease in temperature to -30 ̊С, one-year shoots freeze slightly and are damaged.

The most dangerous are spring frosts. Even at the slightest drop in temperature, young shoots die. The walnut tree in the middle lane is being restored with the help of dormant buds.

Given the shortcomings of the plant, scientists have deduced different varieties that tolerate winter and frost. They are:

• undersized - 8 meters;
• dwarf - 5 meters.

Persistent and fruitful are the varieties "Ideal", "Osipov". The first has a number of advantages:

• super-precociousness;
• winter hardiness;
• the core tastes pleasant and sweetish, the shell is thin.

This variety is popular not only in Russia. There are new varieties of hybrids that contain the properties of "Ideal".

The cultivation of walnuts in Central Russia is carried out with additional manipulations. So, in winter they are covered with snow.

seating methods

Walnuts are transplanted in several ways:

• seeds;
• grafting;
• with the help of cuttings;
• layering.

A common cultivation of nuts is by seeds. With this method, the plant receives 80% of varietal characteristics. In this regard, the tree must be grafted. To grow a plant in central Russia, frost-resistant, high-yielding, large-fruited seeds are selected. They do not last more than a year. During autumn planting, walnut seeds can not be dried, there are much more worries during spring sowing.

Growing vegetatively provides good nut. When grafting a tree, young branches are used, on which there are large vegetative buds.

You can grow a walnut in central Russia by bending down the layers and additionally filling them with snow. How the process is carried out can be seen in the photo.

planting seeds

Planting a walnut in the middle lane is carried out in autumn and spring. Before spring planting, it is necessary to inspect the material, selecting unsuitable specimens. The roots of the remaining seedlings are processed. How the process takes place is shown in the video.

A pit for planting is prepared in the fall. It must be fertilized:

• humus;
• peat;
• superphosphate;
• potassium chloride;
• dolomite flour;
• wood ash.

Planting a plant with this fertilizer will provide it with the necessary nutrition for 5 years. Autumn is more suitable for planting in the southern parts of the country.

Planting land requirements

To achieve effectiveness in obtaining fruits, you need to know how to choose the right soil. Any soil is suitable for growing a tree. She must be:

• fertile;
• loose;
• drained.

Walnuts are planted on clay soil, where there is little acidity and groundwater is low. Plots of land with strong compaction and waterlogging are not suitable for growing a plant.

We should not forget about the useful elements that the earth should receive. With such care, the tree fully develops. The necessary trace elements are found in special fertilizers and green manure.

Judging by the reviews, in the middle lane it is impossible to do without fertilizing the soil.

Care

Walnut growing in Russia needs proper care. It includes the following points:

1. Pruning. The procedure is carried out in two stages. The first is in the spring. The end of March is more suitable for the northern strip of Russia. The second stage is in autumn.
2. Watering. It is needed by a young tree, the roots of which have not yet reached the groundwater.
3. Whitewash. "Wounds" on the trunk are treated with copper sulphate. Whitewashing is done with garden lime in the spring.

Based on the reviews, scrupulous care increases the effectiveness of fruiting.

Spring frosts are considered the main danger for growing walnuts. Therefore, you need to choose early-ripening varieties.

Walnut is a tall thermophilic plant that can delight gardeners with abundant harvests for decades. If you provide the tree with proper care, it will bear fruit abundantly every year. Walnut is grown not only in the southern regions of our country - it will take root well in temperate climate if you choose the right way and time of landing.

Can you grow a walnut? from seeds or by grafting. The second method, although it allows you to save the best varietal qualities of the "mother" plant, is only suitable for experienced gardeners– this is the highest skill! It is much easier to buy a healthy seedling in the nursery and root it on your site.

What kind of walnut to grow?

If your main goal in growing walnuts is to harvest a bountiful harvest of tasty fruits from the tree at the end of each season, choose prolific walnut varieties. Breeders have bred many types of plants that are not afraid of cold weather, resistant to diseases and pests, and are famous for the high quality of ripe nuts.

Choosing a walnut variety for planting on your site, consider the following indicators:

yield;

terms of fruit ripening;

Resistance to cold, pests and diseases;

Taste qualities of fruits.

Let's designate the most popular walnut varieties that will take root on the site of an ordinary summer resident:

Ideal. The most popular variety that takes root well in any climate, even in the north. Since trees can withstand temperatures down to -35 ˚C, they can not be covered for the winter if the thermometer in a particular region does not fall below this mark. The plant begins to bear fruit already in 2-3 years. Adult specimens reach a height of 4-5 m. You can harvest in September. The kernels are very tasty. Reproduction of the Ideal variety is possible only by seeds.

Giant. The seedling will bear fruit only for 5-6 years after planting, it reaches a height of 5 m. The fruits are very large, rounded.

Elegant. A drought-resistant variety resistant to many diseases and pests. It does not tolerate severe frosts well, therefore it is more suitable for cultivation in southern and middle latitudes. The tree bears fruit 5 years after planting. The kernels ripen at the end of September.

Breeder. The tree bears fruit with nuts with a thin shell, resistant to pests and diseases. You can taste the ripe kernels already in early September.

Abundant. The plant stretches up to 4 m in height, comes into fruition for the 4th year of planting. Walnut is resistant to disease, but does not tolerate cold.

Dessert. A mid-ripening variety that produces slightly sweet fruits already in early September. The tree is drought-resistant, in severe frosts the wood of the plant can be damaged - you can’t do without winter shelter. The kernels on the branches appear 4 years after planting.

Harvest. Tall, high-yielding variety, entering into fruiting for 3-4 years. The nuts are ready for harvest at the end of September.

Dawn of the East. An early ripening variety, loved by many Russian gardeners for its nuts of excellent taste. The plant up to 4 m in height perfectly withstands severe frosts. Fruits for 4-5 years.

Aurora. The tree can grow up to 6 m in height. It begins to produce tasty fruits for 4 years of life. Harvesting takes place at the end of September.

For growing walnuts in northern latitudes, choose winter-hardy early maturing varieties. For the middle band, almost any kind of plant is suitable.

Where to grow walnuts?

Walnut not only gives delicious fruits, but also decorates the garden. In order for the crown of the tree to please with lush foliage, choose a suitable place for the new resident of the garden.

give preference sunny, ventilated areas with well-drained soil. The walnut will not tolerate waterlogged soils. The best place to grow it will be the area behind the house - so the tall tree will not shade other plantings.

Seedlings will grow strongly over time, and therefore, settle them at a distance at least 5 m apart. When planting a plant on a slope, you can follow a different scheme - 3.5 m between specimens. The rows, on the advice of experienced gardeners, should be directed from north to south - this will give best angle illumination of trees during the daytime.

Preparing the soil for growing walnuts

Walnut prefers loose carbonate loams. If the water does not drain well from the ground, the tree will stop its growth and will not give a bountiful harvest at the end of the season. If there are poor soils on the site, it is advisable to replace (or at least additionally feed) upper layer earth. To do this, enter here manure, ash and superphosphate with subsequent digging of the landing site by 50-80 cm. Such a “replacement” of the soil will have to be carried out every year in the future, digging up the earth in the trunk circle along the width of the tree crown.

To make the tree grow faster and produce bountiful harvests for several years before planting prepare the ground:

Dig a planting hole 50 cm in diameter and 40 cm deep.

A couple of days before planting seedlings, lay fertilizers at the bottom of the hole - humus, phosphorus and potash top dressing.

Stir the nutrient mixture and pour 40 liters of water.

In the first years of the life of a walnut on the site, the “correct” composition of the soil is very important for him. So don't ignore the importance preparatory phase.

Planting walnut seedlings

The easiest option for a beginner gardener is to buy a tree seedling 3-4 years old. Take planting material in specialized nurseries or from trusted private sellers. The seedling must have developed shoots without traces of disease and wilting.

If you live in the middle or northern regions, plant in the spring, when the threat of a return of frost has passed. The seedling will withstand autumn planting only on condition warm winter, which is observed only in the southern regions.

walnut sapling

Before planting, remove damaged roots and treat them with a special solution that will improve the plant's survival in new conditions. Root the tree in a prepared hole, carefully spreading its roots. Make sure the root neck is at ground level. Tamp the earth a little and water it.

If necessary, a support can be provided for the nut for the first time.

Planting walnut seeds

Growing a walnut from seeds is a rather laborious method of planting. But its main advantage is that with proper care of the plant, it can surpass the “mother” tree in terms of quality. The main problem is to buy high-quality seed material. Head to the farmers market for the "right" nuts:

large,

With an intact shell

No traces of rot.

Buy seeds from the previous season. It is impossible to say exactly when they will hatch. It all depends on the specific variety, quality of the material and climatic conditions. Seed preparation begins long before planting.

Be patient and follow the technology:

Soak nuts for 2-4 days warm water. To do this, you can use special solutions that accelerate germination. Change the water every day to prevent the kernels from rotting.

Stratified seeds germinate better. To do this, they are placed for a couple of months in slightly moistened sand or sawdust. Keep planting material at a temperature of 2-5 °C.

After this time, transfer the seed container to a warmer place, change the soil in the pot. This is where they will grow. Sprouted nuts can be planted in the ground in early May or grown indoors until the autumn planting.

Sprouted walnut seeds

When planting seeds in the ground, lay them on their side, to a depth of 5-11 cm. Sprinkle with earth on top and tamp a little. In the first years of life, the walnut will require careful care. But as practice shows, with good care, seeds planted in spring by the end of autumn give a seedling up to 20 cm high.

Good result shows the cultivation of walnuts in a greenhouse. After a couple of years, you will receive a seedling ready for planting in an open area.

Proper walnut care

Young plantings are especially in need of care. Now they need a lot of light and nutrients for active growth. In the future, when the tree stretches, it must be cut regularly.

The rules for caring for a nut are as follows:

Watering. Plantings are actively watered in the spring and summer - 2 times a month will be enough. Water young trees more frequently in hot weather. If you choose a drought-tolerant nut variety, the plant can survive a month without watering. Moisten the ground with the calculation of 3 buckets of water per 1 m2 of land. To protect the soil from drying out, mulch tree trunks with sawdust

Top dressing. Walnuts are fertilized 2 times per season. In early spring, before plowing the area under the trees, nitrogen fertilizers are applied. Use such top dressings carefully, as their excess can lead to the spread of diseases. In the first few years of fruiting the nut, refrain from using nitrogen - this is important for further high yields. In the fall, before the plant goes into hibernation, feed it with potash and phosphorus fertilizers.

Pruning. Only young seedlings need to form a crown - adult specimens do not need this. Try not to cut dried branches from the tree in early spring - the plant can lose a lot of juice, which will affect its growth and development. All manipulations should be carried out no earlier than June. Do not completely remove the shoot - leave a small knot until the next season.

Walnut pruning pattern

Walnut does not like deep loosening- its roots during the period of active fruiting should remain at rest. Even fertilize without intensive digging of the tree trunks.

When to harvest?

You can easily determine the time of harvesting ripened fruits by the green pericarp. When they start to crack, you can enjoy delicious nuts. But from the "fresh" fruits, the pericarp is peeled off poorly. Therefore, hold the nuts in a dark place for a couple of weeks - a basement will do. The shell will soften, you can easily remove it from the fruit.

Walnut in the pericarp

Doesn't hurt while cleaning. put on gloves, since there is a lot of iodine in the pericarp - the hands will turn black. Rinse the nuts well and dry in the sun.

How to protect a walnut from diseases and pests?

Compared to other fruit trees, walnuts are less frequently attacked by insects and diseases. But certain measures to protect it from "misfortunes" will still need to be taken.

Trees get sick, as a rule, due to improper care - either the plantings do not have enough sunlight, or water stagnates on the site. Dangerous nut diseases:

Brown spotting. fungal disease manifests itself during heavy rains or with excessive watering - the flowers fall off, as a result of which the yield of the plant is significantly reduced. The fungus, if you notice traces of it, must be destroyed, since its spores can overwinter until the next season, further damaging the plant. To do this, spray the plantings with 1% Bordeaux liquid at least 3 times per season.

Bacteriosis. The disease develops in the spring - when warm, damp weather is observed outside. You will notice it right away - dark spots form on the shoots, leaves and flowers. The affected plant will produce much less fruit as the ovaries die off. For the prevention and treatment of walnuts from bacteriosis, spray it with solutions of urea and Bordeaux mixture.

Root cancer. An infected plant completely stops growing and bearing fruit, as its roots are damaged. You recognize the disease by bulging growths on the roots. They need to be removed, treated with caustic soda and water in the places of cuts.

Cancer-affected walnut roots

Insect pests that infect walnuts - walnut warty mite, white butterfly, aphid, codling moth, moth.

The danger is not even the insects themselves, but their larvae - they suck out from the tree all the juices necessary for the development of the plant.

Gardeners fight bug invasions with similar methods - cutting and burning damaged shoots.

The main task is to prevent insect caterpillars from spreading all over the tree.

It is better not to use pesticides (especially during the flowering period) - biological agents are more suitable.

The birthplace of the walnut is Central Asia. So why is he "Greek"? Because this type of nuts was brought to us by Greek traders almost 1000 years ago, who brought their goods "from the Varangians to the Greeks."
It is believed that the conditions for growing walnuts are ideal in the south of Russia, in the Crimea, the Caucasus and Ukraine.

Walnuts are very tasty, being a raw material for confectionery, they are very beneficial for human health, and wood is the most valuable raw material for the furniture industry.

For planting a walnut, you need to choose a place very carefully.

The tree should receive enough light from all sides. Only in this case will he form a beautiful, sprawling crown. If there is a need to plant several walnut trees, the planting interval should be 5 m.

See also: Superphosphate: fertilizer application

Soil selection and planting seedlings

When choosing a place for planting a nut, it must be taken into account that stagnant groundwater is harmful to it, it does not tolerate swampy and very dense soil. The best option slightly moist loamy soil is considered.

Before planting a nut, it is very important to properly prepare the soil, especially if the fertile layer is thin. Manure mixed with ash and superphosphate must be added to the soil. The ratio of these components is as follows - ½ superphosphate + 2 cups of wood ash per 1 bucket of manure or humus.

To plant a nut, you need to dig a hole, the depth of which is about 80 cm, the length and width are 40 cm. The bottom of the hole is lined with plastic wrap. After that, the roots are carefully laid out on the film in a horizontal direction and sprinkled with improved soil.

As the tree grows, it is necessary to improve the soil around the tree every year along the width of the crown.

Growing methods

Seedlings can be grown in two ways:

Each of these methods is worth considering.

seeds

To obtain high-quality seedlings, it is important to choose the right nuts. Your choice is best settled on those varieties that grow and bear fruit well in the area.

We start harvesting nuts for planting from the moment when the green shells of the fruit begin to crack. We choose large fruits, without flaws. The shell should not be very hard, making it easy to remove the core. The selected fruits are dried in a dry room at room temperature.

Conditions for growing walnuts from seeds

For better germination, walnut fruits are stratified at a temperature of 0-5 degrees for 100 days, placing them in the refrigerator. For nuts with a thin shell, the stratification regime lasts 45 days at a temperature of about 18 degrees.

When the soil warms up to 10 degrees, it may be in mid-April, walnut seeds can be planted. Pre-prepare light loamy soil. Planting depth - 8-11 cm. The larger the nut, the deeper the hole. The fruit is placed sideways, on the edge.

Walnut grows slowly. Only for 5-7 years, seedlings can already be planted in a permanent place. For rootstocks, seedlings can be taken after 3 years.

If you plant seedlings in a greenhouse, the material for rootstocks can be used as early as next year, and seedlings for planting in a permanent place - after two years.

Inoculation

For rootstocks, seedlings are grown in small pots in a greenhouse. At the age of two, they can be vaccinated. Seedlings intended for grafting in the month of December must be brought into a room in which the temperature is 10-15 degrees. This will help strengthen the shoots. The best time for this procedure is February or the first half of March.

After grafting, the seedlings are transferred to a room where the temperature is 22-25 degrees. They are planted in the ground in mid-May, when stable warm weather is established.
How to take care of a walnut

In order for a nut to bear fruit well, it is necessary to properly care for it. Care includes: watering, fertilizing, pruning.

Read also: How to treat cucumbers with whey

How to water

Seedlings and young trees need regular and plentiful watering, as their intensive development requires a lot of water. Under each tree, it is necessary to pour 2-3 buckets of water once every two weeks. If spring and summer are dry, water more often.

Mature trees that have reached a height of 3-4 m are watered only during a drought. To save moisture, the root circle under the walnut is mulched with peat or straw.

top dressing

The walnut needs top dressing twice a year - in the spring, as soon as the snow melts, and in the fall.

The tree is fed with nitrogen fertilizers in the spring, and potassium-phosphorus - in the fall.

It is necessary to use nitrogen fertilizers carefully, they can create favorable conditions for the development of pathogenic bacteria that are harmful to young seedlings. In the spring, you can make a walnut a small amount of rotted manure, and in the fall - chicken manure. Fertilizers are applied carefully, without loosening the earth, so as not to damage the root system.

pruning

A walnut is a tree that forms a crown on its own. However, if there is a need to correct it, pruning cannot be done in the spring. It is better to transfer this procedure to June-July.

Growing a walnut in the garden and caring for it taking into account the climate

If you need to remove a large branch, pruning is done in two stages. First, part of the branch is removed, leaving a long knot. The next year, this knot is removed from the tree, which has had time to dry, and grease the cut with garden pitch.

Such easy care behind the tree will allow you to collect bountiful harvest nuts.

By applying fertilizers to the soil during the cultivation of walnuts, an increase in growth, an increase in fruiting and an increase in the overall stability of the walnut tree are pursued.

The use of fertilizers to enhance the growth of walnuts is not always necessary. By their own biological properties he has rapid growth and therefore does not require additional stimulation. For its culture, areas with 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 under very limited conditions, for example, when growing it on poor, infertile soils (sandy slopes with heavily washed away soils, etc.).

Increasing the growth of walnuts by applying fertilizers on sufficiently fertile soils can lead to undesirable consequences. Excessive growth of shoots will cause a prolonged vegetation, their wood will not mature in a timely manner and the plant will be killed by winter cold. This danger of reducing the winter hardiness of the walnut must be taken into account when fertilizing. IN.

Walnut cultivation and care

M. Rovsky (1970) emphasized the need to use fertilizers to increase the growth of walnuts in nurseries only on insufficiently fertile soils (serozems, etc.).

Fertilization of walnut in gardens in order to enhance the fruiting of its trees is necessary and has long been used. N.I. Kichunov mentioned this in our country in 1931.

A. A. Richter suggested for young walnut orchards of the Crimean region. in the first 10 years after planting, annually apply the following fertilizers on nutrient-poor soils per 1 m 2 of garden area, g: ammonium sulfate 60, ammonium nitrate 35, superphosphate 80, potassium salt 15. In the absence of mineral fertilizers, it should be applied on the same an area of ​​​​3-4 kg of manure, and with the joint introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers the norms of both are reduced by half. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in spring, the rest in autumn, to a depth of 30 cm.

P. P. Dorofeev for the conditions of Moldova advises to apply fertilizers in walnut orchards growing on infertile soils, in the following amount per 1 hectare of area, c: ammonium sulfate 3, superphosphate 2 and potassium salt 1. In the absence of mineral fertilizers, semi-rotten manure in the amount of 30 t/ha.

In experiments on fertilizing fruit-bearing walnut trees in Gorny Bostandyk (Uzbekistan), before the start of the growing season, 1.5 kg of ammonium nitrate at the rate of 50 kg/ha of pure nitrogen was applied under each tree, and in October - November 4 kg of superphosphate at the rate of 75-80 kg /ha of phosphoric acid. Fertilizers were applied for 3 years - from 1964 to 1967. Already a year after fertilization, fruiting began to increase. Initially, the yield on the fertilized plots exceeded the control by 4-5 times, and in 1967 even more than 10 times. The average fruit weight 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 susceptibility of walnut fruits to codling moth.

A. Tkhagushev (1970), in the Black Sea regions Krasnodar Territory it is necessary to apply full mineral fertilizer at a rate of 1200 kg/ha of a.i. under the fruit-bearing walnut orchard. or 1 t/ha manure and 60 kg/ha a.i. NPK. The same amount of NPK is necessary in the conditions of the Kuban fruit zone.

According to A.K. Kairov, in Kabardino-Balkaria the main walnut fertilizer is applied under 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. Used for feeding ammonium nitrate at the rate of 1-1.5 q/ha during the second cultivation.

Walnut seedlings in nurseries need fertilizer. 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 garden for deep plowing (30-40 cm), pits are dug for trees every 12 m, 0.6X0.6X0.6 m in size, with shallower plowing, the size of the pits is larger, 1X1X0. the top layer of soil and a mixture of 15 kg of well-rotted manure, 300 kg of superphosphate and 80 kg of potash fertilizer is added to it, based on an area of ​​0.1 ha. In the school branches of the nursery in Bulgaria, the soil is fertilized (20-30 t / ha of manure, 6 quintals of superphosphate and 2 quintals / ha of potash fertilizer), hilled at least 5 times, 2 times a summer they fertilize with ammonium nitrate (50 kg each time) and regularly watered (Bonev, 1967).

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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-skinned. 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, and the elongated shoots are shortened. But they do it not in autumn or spring, as in fruit trees, and 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 quickly restore the loss of juice and 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 fall off prematurely, and most of them are empty or rotten. The reason is plant diseases and pests.

Proper walnut care

The most harmful diseases of the walnut are bacteriosis, brown spot.

Bacteriosis is the most common walnut disease. There are practically no varieties resistant to this disease. The disease affects all above-ground organs of the tree: buds, leaves and their cuttings, male and female flowers, one- and two-year-old branches, shoot growth points, fruits on different stages their development. On non-lignified shoots, as well as on leaves, due to the disease, elongated brown spots. In rainy weather, the shoots dry out and bend. The infection overwinters on the bark of diseased branches. In spring, it penetrates into the leaves through 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-skinned nuts are more vulnerable to disease compared to thick-skinned ones.

Brown spot, or anthracnose, walnut affects leaves, shoots, fruits. Numerous spots of rounded or irregular shape 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. On the shoots, small spots first form, sometimes ulcers, the shoot is bent. Damaged fruits remain underdeveloped. IN young age they fall off, in a later period they remain hanging, because of the spots they have irregular shape. In damaged fruits, the skin of the kernel becomes dark.

Now, in autumn, measures to combat bacteriosis, anthracnose and the main walnut pests (nut moth, aphid, tick, codling moth) are the same: collection and burning of leaves, damaged fruit branches and residues.

Thirdly, like all fruit-bearing trees, walnuts need to be fed. If the recommended organic and mineral fertilizers, then the nut will be provided with the necessary substances for the next 3-5 years. Subsequently, organic (3-6 kg of rotted manure or humus), phosphorus (5-10 g) and potash fertilizers (3-8 g) are applied (per 1 sq.m.) once every 2-3 years in the fall, planting 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. trace elements (boron, manganese, magnesium, etc.). Especially if there are signs of their lack in the soil - the death of the ovaries, yellow spots on the leaves, the weakening of growth, etc. The doses are the same as for other fruit trees.

» Walnut

Usually it is a huge, by our standards, tree up to 25 meters it has a very indirect relation to Greece: the fruits were brought from the south, and "everything is in Greece." Surely, it also grows there, wild forms of this tree are common in Europe.

The tree looks impressive. A separately growing nut not only differs in height - its crown also reaches a diameter of 20 meters.

By European standards, it is a long-liver (second after oak)- specimens of 300-400-year-old trees are often found.

The development of a tree begins with the formation of a powerful tap root, which reaches 1.5 meters deep in the 5th year and 3.5 meters by the age of 20.

Horizontal ones do not grow immediately - they are formed after the rod, located in the surface layer of the soil at a depth of 20-50 centimeters.

The tree begins to bear fruit after 10 years of life., and from the age of 30-40, the time of full fruiting begins.

If the trees grow in groups, partially shading each other, they rarely produce more than 30 kg of yield, while a free-growing nut can produce up to 400 kg of nuts.

But such cases are rare, only a tree 150-170 years old is capable of such a harvest. Usually mature tree 25-40 years in Moldova gives 1500-2000 fruits or 2000-2500 in the Crimea.

Moscow region, central Russia - where else can you plant and grow walnuts

They are found in the European part from the foothills of the Caucasus to St. Petersburg where the northernmost nuts in Russia grow. But these are isolated cases, exceptions that only confirm the rule.

These trees do not freeze completely, but they do not grow to their full potential either.

The main factor determining the possibility of growing this southern tree is not at all the winter sub-zero temperature. The sum of average daily temperatures above 10 degrees is taken into account. It cannot be less than 190 C.

If in winter the temperature does not drop below -36 degrees and for 130-140 days a year the temperature is above 0 C, the walnut can grow and bear fruit.

The best winter hardiness was shown by hybrids of Manchurian with walnut.

When planting even the best seed material brought from the south, adaptation to a cold climate does not occur - such trees regularly freeze slightly and practically do not bear fruit.

Completely unsuitable for growing varieties from places with a humid warm climate(west and south of Ukraine, Black Sea coast Caucasus).

Only nuts from eastern Ukraine, mountains successfully adapt to the new conditions of central Russia. Central Asia or Caucasus.

Moreover, it is better to grow a nut from the stone yourself- An imported seedling (even from the indicated regions) will be significantly inferior in terms of endurance and adaptability to new conditions.

How and when to plant and grow a tree from a seedling: conditions

It must be immediately planted in a permanent place.. It is unrealistic to transplant a 5-year-old tree already. Therefore, you need to decide to take into account all the factors and calculate the consequences.

A vigorous tree can form a dense shade over an area of ​​approximately 100 sq.m. You will have to delete this area from circulation - there is little that can bear fruit under a walnut(affects the strong overwhelming effect of the biofield of a huge tree).

On the other hand, this area can be equipped summer zone rest - walnut essential oils keep flies and mosquitoes close.

We choose a place for planting on the edge of the garden so as not to shade other trees. The walnut is very unpretentious to soils, although it prefers loose sandy-stony soil.

The landing hole is dug with the expectation that under the roots there is a layer of stones of at least 25 centimeters.

The bottom of the landing pit must be half filled construction waste (broken brick, pieces of cement, crushed stone) - this technique allows you to shift the flowering time of the tree by 1-2 weeks (the stones warm up slowly, the nut starts growing a little later, skipping the frost period).

Half a bucket of ash, compost or humus is brought into the pit. The soil should not be too fertile, the nut will grow intensively and will not have time to prepare for winter.

You need to take a seedling for planting only from a trusted seller, otherwise you won’t get anything except frostbitten branches of a southern tree, you probably won’t wait for the harvest.

A walnut tree is planted only in the spring, it enters a dormant period too early and will not have time to take root before winter.

It is believed that a walnut planted by hand from a bone will grow into a tree practically adapted to new conditions, which will develop successfully.

Seeds are planted in autumn directly into the ground to a depth of 7-10 cm.. It is advisable to lay sideways on the seam in the soil. spring planting requires 2-3 months of stratification in wet sand.

Special care for seedlings is not required - in the middle lane even walnuts have no pests.

How to plant an annual walnut seedling:

Care after planting: spring, summer and autumn

How to care? Walnuts may only need watering in spring and early summer. when there is an intensive growth of green mass. Usually the tree has enough soil reserve of winter moisture.

Water only young trees up to 5-7 years old, if it is completely dry.

The tap root system of the southern tree is adapted to find water in the lower horizons. After 10 years of age, watering the walnut should generally be forgotten.

For him, excess moisture threatens too active growth , to the detriment of maturation and preparation of wood for winter. Freezing after a wet summer is guaranteed.

In addition to stopping watering, care must be taken to prepare the root system for winter. That's why, trunk circles must be mulched with any organic matter or compost:

• in summer - to preserve moisture;
• in autumn - to protect the topsoil from freezing.

In particularly cold areas, the soil is mulched with a layer of at least 10 cm, especially in areas with little snow.

It is useful to cover the trunk up to a height of about 1 m with spruce branches or wrap it with newspapers in several layers (already after the first frosts). This will help to survive -40 degrees and below.

Such shelter is necessary only in the first years. The tree must be hardened naturally.

How to properly care during the growing process: before ripening and after

Like all fruit crops, walnuts need periodic feeding.

In the spring, nitrogen fertilizers are applied, in the second half of summer - only potash and phosphorus, which are responsible for preparing the tree for winter and laying the fruit buds of the next crop.

On cultivated soil, nitrogen can not be fed at all, and phosphorus and potash fertilizers can be applied (in terms of the active substance) at 10 g / sq.m.

Practice shows that the rule applies to all cases where the nut does not grow on obvious stones and clay.

What is especially pleasing - in the middle lane, the walnut has no natural enemies. It has already been said that flies and mosquitoes fly around it.

Moreover, walnut leaves can be cooked very effective remedy against aphids and various caterpillars, which is successfully used in Ukraine.

Absolutely harmless to humans home remedy allows you to process trees and bushes with ovaries of fruits and berries.

Graft

Unfortunately, walnut cuttings do not take root - reproduction occurs only by seeds.

Vaccination is carried out in cases where:

• there is a seedling of probably winter-hardy Manchurian walnut, for which -40 in winter is not a problem;
• the planted variety did not live up to expectations - it became possible to re-graft it.

One-year-old seedlings are grafted into a split and, under control, grow in a greenhouse to a marketable appearance.

Young trees that have already produced their first few nuts can be re-grafted by the type of "eye budding"- only the bark is removed with a kidney in the form of a half-tube (the method is called so) and combined with the same cutout on the rootstock.

Until complete healing, the vaccination site is tied with a film.

The result of grafting an adult walnut tree:

Reproduction in the country

The main method of obtaining seedlings is growing from seeds.. To simplify the process, nuts without additional processing planted in autumn to a depth of about 10 centimeters. It is believed that it is better to lay them sideways on the seam.

Whoever did not have time to bury for the winter, put it in damp sand in the basement - the nut must pass the stratification, otherwise it will not hatch.

Walnut is renewed by stump shoots in just a year or two. These trees are able to bear fruit literally in the second year, and in 10 - already a significant harvest.

It turns out that a walnut can be successfully planted and grown in a country house in the middle lane, in the Moscow region. It is enough to follow simple rules:

• the right choice of location;
• seedling - only zoned;
• mandatory mulching of the trunk circle;
• shelter trunk from frost in the first years of life.

All this is within the power of most gardeners.. Choose a sunny location, protected from cold winds - the nut will thank you.