How to plant a walnut?

Walnut has been a popular plant since ancient times; it has been used by chefs, doctors, and even magicians. Walnut grows in many parts of the world, mainly in countries with temperate and warm climates. The walnut tree is a very attractive tall plant with dense foliage and will make a great addition to your garden. In the shade of this tree you can have a wonderful time on a hot day, and when the plant begins to bear fruit, you can enjoy the delicious nut pulp.

Many gardeners would like to, but do not know, how to plant walnuts on their site. Meanwhile, planting and growing this noble tree is not too difficult a task.

Content:

• Choosing a landing method
• Planting a nut fruit
• Planting a seedling

Choosing a landing method

The easiest way plant seeds or buy a ready-made seedling. But in the latter case, it is difficult to predict what fruits the grown tree will bear, and whether it will bring them at all. It is better to choose nuts for planting yourself. If there are walnut trees in the vicinity of your site or the city in which you live, then do not hesitate to choose these plants as seed donors. They are maximally adapted to the environmental conditions in your area - climate, soil composition.

It is best to collect nuts for planting in mid-autumn, when the plant begins to actively bear fruit and drop ripe nuts.

The color of nuts suitable for planting is green with a slightly yellowish tint. The shape of the nuts is round, without dents.They should not have an overly hard or, on the contrary, soft shell, and the edges of the shell should fit tightly to each other (otherwise earwigs will climb in). It is better to collect freshly fallen nuts, or knock down the specimens you like with a stick.

Planting a nut fruit

Seed fruits must be large and ripe. A sign of ripeness is a crack in the pericarp (outer pericarp) and its separation from the shell. Seed germination They last only one year; it is best to plant them in the fall, after harvesting. The selected nuts are cleared of pericarps, a hole is dug to a depth of 1 meter and the soil from it is mixed with humus.

There are two opinions regarding whether to peel nuts from the outer shell or leave them in their original form.

It has been noticed that nuts peeled from the pericarp germinate faster and have slightly better germination.

You can peel the nut by lightly tapping it with a hammer several times to partially separate the outer shell. The blows must be struck very carefully so as not to damage the inner shell. When peeling nuts, it is a good idea to wear rubber household gloves, as the pericarp juice leaves dark stains on your hands that are difficult to remove. Place the shelled nuts in a bucket of water and see which ones float and which ones sink. Drowned nuts are better suited for planting, as they have a solid kernel and are more likely to produce a good sprout.

For that, for the nut to germinate, it must undergo a process of stratification (stratification, exposure to cold). To do this, the nut must be placed in conditions with a temperature of 1 to 5 degrees Celsius for a period of 90 to 120 days.You can, of course, place the nut in the refrigerator until spring, but it is better to let Mother Nature carry out this process herself and plant the nut in the fall.

One of the rules for planting seeds is that you should not bury the seed to a depth greater than the length of the seed itself.

But in our weather conditions, when the air temperature in winter reaches -30ºС, you should place the nut at a greater depth, where the temperature will be optimal. We plant the nuts only to a depth of 15-20 cm. They should be laid with the seam up, in squares or triangles with a side of 20-25 cm. The strongest of the grown seedlings is left.

Planting a seedling

How to plant a walnut seedling? This is best done in the spring, at the age of two. You should choose a seedling whose trunk thickness is at least 1 cm at a distance of 5 cm from the root collar. The height of the seedling is not particularly important. You need to dig up a young tree very carefully so as not to damage the lateral roots, and the vertical root is cut by about 2/3, the cut is covered with clay. The root collar should be 3-4 cm higher than the soil. The hole is filled up, the soil is compacted and excess branches are removed.

It is best to purchase a seedling already prepared for planting, with a so-called preserved root system, which allows planting even during the dry season. The root container already contains the necessary fertilizers, which will allow the young nut to immediately begin to grow. Such seedlings take root better and give you a better chance of getting a beautiful, healthy tree as a result.

Nuts grow and gain strength slowly. Walnut requires appropriate care and attention on your part, especially when the plant is grown in unusual climatic conditions.Be patient too. Before the plant begins to bear fruit, there is still a lot to be done for it.