An attractive deciduous walnut tree grows in many countries of Europe and Asia Minor, in Southern Kyrgyzstan and Northern China. In order to obtain ripe fruits, until recently in Russia this heat-loving plant was bred only to the latitudes of Voronezh. But thanks to the work of breeders, it became possible to grow some tree varieties in the Southern Urals and the Central region. They are distinguished by high productivity, winter hardiness, excellent fruit quality, and resistance to diseases and pests.
Walnut: description, varieties with photos
Tall tree with spreading crown grows up to 30 meters. The straight trunk of the tree with light gray bark reaches two meters in diameter. The leaves are complex, serrated at the top, 4-7 cm long, and consist of 5-9 elongated leaves.
The walnut blooms with small green flowers. On the annual tree tops, inflorescences of 2-3 female flowers are formed. Male multi-flowered thick catkins are located in the axils of the leaves. Flowers bloom in late April - early May. The very spectacular flowering of the walnut lasts for 15 days.
For 8-12 years after planting the plant begins to bear fruit. Its hard, thick-skinned fruits contain a single four-lobed seed. They ripen in late August - early September. The size and weight of the fruit depend on the location and type of tree. The shape of the nuts can be ovoid, oval, or round. The smallest fruit weighs only 8 grams, the largest can weigh more than 12 grams.
The walnut tree produces its richest harvests at the age of about fifty years. This long-liver in garden plots can grow and bear fruit for up to two hundred years or more.
Popular varieties - photos
Today in our country it is grown more than 20 varieties of walnut. All of them are resistant to light frosts, produce an excellent harvest and have a pleasant taste. The most popular varieties among gardeners:
Walnut: planting in open ground
The plant is light-loving, so it loves well illuminated areas. The distance between seedlings should be at least five meters, since mature trees have a powerful root system.
Walnut does not like compacted and heavily waterlogged soils. It grows well in moderately moist loams. When planting plants, it is necessary to add manure mixed with ash into the soil.
The planting hole should have a size of 40x40 cm. Seedlings should be planted very carefully. When planting, their roots are laid out in a horizontal position and sprinkled with earth. It is not recommended to deeply bury a young plant. The top roots should be at a depth of only 6-7 cm.
Features of caring for walnuts
In the first years, young plants require careful care.
Watering
In spring and summer, young trees need regular, abundant watering. About three buckets of water are needed per square meter of soil. The seedlings are watered twice a month. Trees that have grown up to four meters can not be watered so often. However, in dry summers, soil moisture needs to be monitored.
Top dressing
During the period of active growth, walnut trees should be fertilized. In the spring they are fed with nitrogen fertilizers, and in the fall - with phosphorus fertilizers. At the same time, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out only two years after planting. They are applied carefully, since nitrogen favors the development of bacteria harmful to the plant.
A tree that has reached the age of 20 years fed with fertilizers, which includes:
- about 10 kg of superphosphate;
- 2 kg of potassium salt;
- 7 kg of ammonium nitrate.
Trimming
Walnuts do not need to form a crown. However, dried and unnecessary branches should be cut out annually. It is not recommended to do this in spring, since the plant will lose a lot of juice and will not develop well.
Unnecessary branches cut in two stages and only in summer:
- In the first year, the branch is cut so that a twig about 7 cm long remains.
- In the second year in the summer, the branch is completely removed from the tree.
The cutting areas must be treated with garden varnish.
Fruit collection
They begin to collect nuts only after the pericarps turn green and begin to crack. The collected fruits can be kept in the basement for about a week. In this case, they will be easy to clean from the blackened and softened pericarp. Next, the nuts will need to be washed and dried in the sun.
The plant can be propagated in two ways:
- Seeds.
- Vaccination.
Seed propagation
Local varieties of nuts are selected for planting. They should be large, with a slightly cracked outer shell and without any damage. The collected seeds must be dried at room temperature.
Soil for planting dug up in the fall. Nuts are planted in the southern regions in early April, and in the Urals and in the central zone of the country - in mid-April.
The distance between the rows in which sowing will be done must be at least 50 cm. The distance between the fruits themselves must be 15 cm.
Before sowing, it is recommended to stratify the seeds. In this case, they will germinate better. To do this, fruits with thin and medium shells are kept at a temperature of +18C for one and a half months, and nuts with thick shells are stratified at a temperature of no more than +7C for about a hundred days.
Walnuts germinate slowly. Seedlings will be suitable for planting only 5-7 years after sowing the seeds.
Reproduction by grafting
To preserve the positive qualities of the mother tree, walnut propagated by grafting. For this, two-year-old seedlings are selected and planted in pots with a diameter of about 12 cm. In December, rootstock seedlings are brought indoors, where by the time of grafting they grow and produce good shoots.
After grafting, which is carried out in February, the plants are kept at a temperature of 24-26C. In mid-May, grafted young trees can be planted in open ground.
By planting a walnut tree on your property, you can enjoy its blossoms in the spring and its fruits in the fall. It not only brings abundant harvests, but also symbolizes prosperity and wealth. In Moldova and the Caucasus, since ancient times, the tradition of planting walnuts on one’s property after the birth of a child has been preserved as a dowry.
There is an opinion among gardeners that growing walnuts in the conditions of Belarus and central Russia is not a promising business. But actually it is not. Anyone who takes a chance and plants this tree in their summer cottage, I think, will not be disappointed. The most important thing is to choose the right varieties. And then the grown fruit tree will certainly please you with an abundant and good harvest of healthy nuts.
What varieties to buy seedlings
Seedlings of southern varieties are not suitable for growing walnuts in our conditions. It is a fact. It is best to purchase young trees from nurseries near your place of residence. Their advantage is that they are zoned. This means that the fruit tree will not be so afraid of frost.
- Memory Minov;
- Pinsky;
- Samokhvalovichsky-1;
- Samokhvalovichsky-2.
All of them were bred by Belarusian breeders and therefore we recommend them for planting and growing in summer cottages. Fruit trees of these varieties are characterized by an average ripening period and high yield. All of them are resistant to brown spot. Planted seedlings begin to bear fruit in the 5th – 6th year. Fruiting is regular. The nuts are of medium size with a weight of 8…18 grams.
Growing conditions
What does the walnut culture need when planted in central Russia and Belarus? It is important to consider four components of successful fruit tree growth:
- Soil composition;
- Warm;
- Light;
- Moisture.
Both in Russia and in Belarus, the best soils, both for planting walnuts and for growing them, are considered to be soddy or soddy-podzolic, light loamy or sandy loam soil with 3% humus content. Their acidity should be in the range of 5.5pH - 5.8pH. The soil must be loose and at the same time have moisture-retaining rocks (clay, stones).
As for heat, many summer residents consider it the main limiting factor preventing the active cultivation of walnuts. In the conditions of the middle zone, the development of this crop can be affected by winter frosts and recurrent spring frosts. However, all released varieties are perfectly adapted to these conditions. Trees are able to tolerate short-term drops in temperature down to -25 o C. Some individual specimens can safely tolerate short frosts down to -30 o C. They are primarily of interest to breeders. Such trees are used for propagation and development of new hybrids and varieties of walnuts.
It is also worth noting that the walnut is a fairly light-loving plant. Its seedlings do not tolerate strong shading. Young plants planted in the shade may even die as a result of lack of sunlight. Adult specimens growing in the shade are not capable of producing large yields. And the reason for this is the formation of an excess number of male fruit buds. At the same time, the number of female kidneys decreases in direct proportion.
One of the main factors influencing the growth of walnuts is the availability of water. In many ways, it restrains the spread of this culture to other regions of the country. But what is most remarkable is that the territory of Belarus and the central zone of the Russian Federation belong to zones of sufficient moisture. It follows from this that the nut will be quite comfortable here.
INTERESTING: Growing in areas with excess moisture in the soil, plants do not experience any discomfort.
Subtleties of landing
Many gardeners are interested in how many walnut plants should be planted on the site? When planting, you should assume that walnuts are wind-pollinated crops that have male catkins and female flower stalks on their branches. As a rule, they appear after the tree leaves. Pollen, blown away by air currents, is quite light and spreads throughout the entire crown of the tree. But there is one caveat here. Male and female flowers bloom at the same time. Therefore, it is best to plant several plants of different varieties and shapes on the site.
How close to place walnut seedlings so that they are pollinated? The concept of intimacy for a given culture is relative. Pollen can be carried by the wind over quite long distances - up to 300 meters.
INTERESTING: There have been cases where plants were cross-pollinated at a distance of 2 kilometers or more.
But let's get back to the main thing - landing. It is worth highlighting two ways to grow these plants in a summer cottage:
- Saplings;
- Seeds.
Planting seedlings
It is best to plant walnut seedlings in the spring, after the ground is free of snow and has completely thawed. But in the fall it’s worth taking care of preparing the planting hole. This must be done because the young plant does not have a strong enough root system to receive nutrition from the deeper layers of the soil. At that same time, a properly prepared hole will give the young nut all the necessary elements for the active development and growth of its root system.
On fertile soils, where the humus layer is up to 30 cm, a hole of the following dimensions is dug:
- Diameter: 60 cm;
- Depth: 60 cm.
On less fertile soils, the dimensions should be increased to the following:
- Diameter: 1 meter;
- Depth: 1 meter.
In this case, the entire fertile layer removed from the pit is laid separately. The infertile layer can be transported on a garden cart outside the garden plot.
- Fertile layer;
- Peat;
- Humus.
All components are taken at a ratio of 1:1:1.
NOTE: Instead of humus, you can use any compost. Under no circumstances should you use fresh organic matter. Its use can become an obstacle to the penetration of young roots into deep layers of soil. In addition, organic fertilizers can cause damage.
In addition, walnut seedlings planted on the site will require additional nutrition in the form of mineral fertilizers. The following quantities are added to one prepared pit:
- Dolomite flour – from 500 grams to 1 kilogram;
- Superphosphate - from 2.5 to 3 kilograms;
- Potassium chloride – 800 grams.
They must be mixed evenly with the soil mixture. After which the pit is filled and left for the winter.
In the spring, just before planting the seedlings, the soil mixture is mixed and removed again. Next, a 3-meter long support pole is installed in the center of the pit. The hole is filled 2/3 with the mixture and watered with water (1 or 2 buckets are enough). After the water is absorbed, a small mound is poured, the height of which should allow the root collar of the seedling to be 3-5 cm above the soil level.
Before this, the roots of the planted walnuts are carefully examined. Damaged and diseased ones are removed. After which the roots should be dipped in a clay mash with a growth stimulator. Next, the plant is placed on a planting mound and carefully sprinkled with the remaining soil mixture.
How to prepare a clay mash? To prepare it you will need 1 part decomposed manure and 3 parts clay. All this is diluted with water to a creamy state with the addition of Epin or Humate.
Growing from seeds
You can plant and grow walnuts using the seed method. A distinctive feature of this plant is that propagated by seeds, it retains all the properties of the mother plant. It happens that grown trees inherit all the best. And it happens the other way around. But be that as it may, nuts planted from varietal seeds will certainly delight you with their annual and stable harvest.
It is best to plant walnut seeds in autumn. During the winter period they will undergo stratification, the embryo nucleus will complete its development, and in the spring only the most viable shoots will appear. Such planting will allow us to grow plants that are more resistant to our difficult and cold winters.
Planting holes for planting and further growing walnuts from seeds must be prepared in advance. It will be better if you do this several months in advance. A pit measuring 30 cm by 30 cm is filled with the following ingredients:
- Bucket of old humus;
- A glass of wood ash;
- A glass of double superphosphate;
Two months later, just before planting the seeds, the soil must be loosened and all sprouted weeds and their roots must be removed. After which you can start sowing our walnuts. It is better to place several nuts in the prepared holes. In the spring, after their germination, the weakest ones can be removed, leaving one of the strongest plants. The planting depth should be about 10 centimeters. After covering them with soil, they can be watered generously.
Methods used to remove them
At present 13,000 walnuts are grown annually in California, chiefly for shipment to the markets of the eastern States, as against the 2,300 tons grown in 1895. This fact indicates better than any comment that the new production is increasing.
The increase in popularity of the walnut may have been achieved in part by the introduction of thin-shelled varieties. All walnuts have a rather thin shell compared to black and gray walnuts, but as a result of the creation of “paper-shell” varieties, they have to be placed in a special independent group. From the consumer's point of view, shell thickness is important. Gray walnut, which is difficult to crack and requires the use of a hammer, can never gain significant popularity. The nut kernel is extracted with great difficulty. On the other hand, a nut that has a shell so thin that it can be crushed by fingers is more likely to gain popularity.
The names “paper-shell” and “soft-shell” when applied to walnuts are equivalent. There are several varieties of walnuts, which are usually listed under one name or another. This division depends only on the ease with which the nut can be cracked. There is great variation in this character among common walnuts, and there is also considerable variation among soft-shelled varieties. The best varieties have such a fragile shell that you can easily crush it with your fingers.
The walnut is so variable that the breeder can change the thickness of the shell at will. One of the walnut varieties I created had such a soft shell that birds easily pecked it. This nut had only a thin shell and in this regard was similar to my seedless plum. It is not difficult to preserve this variety of shellless walnut, but the too thin shell was a disadvantage, and I decided to give this variety a slightly thicker shell, to get something between the old varieties with a hard shell and a variety that has practically no shell.
One of the thin-shelled new walnuts was introduced into the culture under the name “Sayta Rosa Soft Shell”. This variety was obtained by the usual method of selective selection, and when creating it, other characteristics were in mind, except for the thickness of the shell. In particular, selection was carried out for early and abundant fruiting, for the whiteness and taste of the kernel, for the absence of tannin, which gives ordinary walnuts a brown color and a bitter taste. The improved Saita Rosa walnut yields twice as much as the best specimens of the French walnut variety known as Franquette.
It should be clarified that there are two types of Santa Rosa Soft Shell. One variety blooms at the same time as regular walnut trees, while the other, like Franquette, blooms two weeks later—usually after the frosts that sometimes damage early-blooming specimens have passed. When creating a new soft-shell walnut, I studied the fruits of the common walnut from various areas. There is a great variety among these nuts, and I found some specimens that had almost no shell. One seedling produced nuts with a kernel that was half exposed, that is, with a shell that only partially covered the kernel; in this regard, it resembled the underdeveloped seed of a small French plum, from which my varieties of seedless plums originated.
Among the seedlings of this almost shellless walnut, through selection, I identified a plant with nuts without shells, having only a shell. But, as I already said, the birds soon learned my secret, and they made me understand that, apart from purely scientific interest, the shellless walnut has no value. After this, experiments on breeding walnuts were carried out in a different direction, since the shell, obviously, was still advisable. After some time, I created two varieties of nuts with shells of desirable strength, combining this characteristic with early and abundant fruiting and excellent quality of fruits.
Cuttings from these trees, grafted and re-grafted, constitute the offspring of the real Santa Rosa Soft Shell. I have learned that trees grown from seed are widely sold as Santa Rosa Soft Shell, although they are very different in character from the parent form. This name cannot be applied to seedlings, since the walnut is very variable and does not retain the characteristics of the mother plant when propagated by seeds.
The original Santa Rosa Soft Shell tree was obtained from sowing seeds, and several generations of trees had to be grown to improve the variety.
The Santa Rosa mother tree grew in San Francisco. It produced the most valuable walnuts in California. About 20 years ago Mr. Alfred Wright called my attention to this tree.
I found that this tree not only bore fruit abundantly and annually, but that its fruit was of exceptional quality and had a comparatively thin shell. The main disadvantage was that both halves of the kernel sometimes moved slightly apart and allowed air to penetrate, as a result of which the kernel was not preserved as well as in a tightly closed shell.
The mother tree was soon destroyed due to the construction of a new street, but I managed to collect nuts and grew seedlings from them. They were very diverse, which gave me the opportunity to do the selection. Since the selection was carried out taking into account all the desirable characteristics of the walnut and also the thinness of the shell, I was able to create a variety that deserved distribution. Cuttings and trees obtained from this variety were released under the name "Santa Rosa Soft Shell".
The fruits of this variety are medium in size and ripen three weeks earlier than other walnuts. The kernel is white and has excellent taste. The thin shell is also white. The trees bear fruit abundantly, and their only drawback is that late spring frosts can destroy the flowers. But despite this drawback, this variety produces a larger fruit yield than any other.
Hybridization with Sieboldi nut
Experiments on the hybridization of Persian walnut with California black walnut, which resulted in the variety Paradox, have been described previously and will be noted again in another chapter.
Let me remind you that this tree has exceptional growth vigor, but that it is almost sterile, producing only a few fruits on the entire tree, and of poor quality.
The hybridization of the Persian walnut with the Sieboldii walnut (Juglans Sieboldii) is of great interest. The mother plant in these crosses was Persian walnut.
The first generation of hybrids obtained from this crossing produces a small number of fruits that are average in quality between the fruits of the original forms. The leaves are much larger than either of the two species involved, the bark is white, and the trees exhibit enhanced growth. The hybrid produces twice as much wood growth as either parent species. The leaves have even more pubescence on the lower and upper surfaces than those of the Sieboldi nut; the branches are drooping.
The fruits of the Sieboldi nut have an exceptionally hard shell. The kernel of the nut has a wonderful flavor that is as good as any other nut except some pecan varieties. It is very difficult to remove the kernel as it usually crumbles when the nut is cracked.
There is a variety of Sieboldi nut which is so variable that it is sometimes considered a separate species (Juglans cordiformis), but I think this is not entirely true, as both forms are very uniform in general appearance and growth. The main difference is observed in the fruits, which in Juglans cordiformis are usually heart-shaped, somewhat similar in shape to the average chestnut fruit with three fruits in the plus. The fruits are very variable not only in size, but also in the shape and thickness of the shell. Individual trees produce fruit six times larger than fruit on neighboring trees. The shell is much thinner than the Siboldi nut, and the kernel has the same great flavor.
I dwell in such detail on this variety of Siboldi nut because its qualities deserve more recognition than they have hitherto received. The wood is as resilient as American black walnut; it is easy to grow and even less demanding on soil and climate than black walnut. The trees are very productive, especially at an older age. The branches droop under the weight of the fruit. Other walnuts produce single fruits or clusters of two or three fruits, but the Sieboldi nut has long clusters with 30 or more fruits. The fruits sit tightly in the axils, and the length of the bunch is 15-30 cm.
Hybridization of local walnuts
Crossing the Persian walnut and the Siboldi walnut, as well as crossing the Persian walnut with the California black walnut, did not produce hybrids with valuable fruits. These crosses probably unite species that are too far apart; There is an increase in the growth vigor of trees, which reach enormous sizes, but at the same time almost complete sterility appears, as a result of which the tree produces only a few fruits.
In terms of fruiting, completely different results were obtained when California black walnuts were crossed with black walnuts from the eastern United States. These two varieties are close and differ little from each other. Apparently they had a common ancestor very recently, despite the long period of time that had passed since this ancestor split off from the form that created the Persian walnut and the Siboldi walnut.
Yet the differences between the walnuts of the eastern and western regions of America are so significant that they allow significant changes to be noticed. Indeed, the result of crossing these species was in some respects as significant as that of crossing the Persian walnut with the California black walnut.
In this case, as in the previous one, the hybrids had exceptional growth power. It is difficult to determine which combination produced hybrids with stronger growth. In terms of fruiting, the difference was striking. While the first generation of Paradox walnuts produced only occasional fruit, a hybrid between two black Royal walnuts proved to be the highest-yielding nut-bearing tree.
Elsewhere I described a sixteen-year-old tree that produced in one year as many nuts as could fit in 20 large fruit packing boxes. It was such an exceptional harvest that I sold $500 worth of nuts from that tree alone. The next year I sold $1,050 worth of nuts from another tree. The nuts were sown to produce trees of the same variety.
The striking difference between the two hybrids appears to be due to the greater affinity between the Royal parents. Their relationship was sufficiently close to show the greatest vitality and the greatest possibility of change along with fertility. The parents of the Paradox variety, on the other hand, were somewhat distant from each other, which made it possible to obtain offspring with enormous growth power, but almost non-fertile ones. It was not completely sterile, but its fertility was very low.
Royal seedlings vary in the second generation, as would be expected, but the differences in plant size and foliage are less significant than with Paradox seedlings. The unusual size range—from giants to dwarfs—of the second generation of hybrids is described elsewhere. It must be remembered that in the second generation, some hybrids grew up to 1.2 m in the first year, and next to them others grew only 15-20 cm. One plant grew 500 times faster than the other, although the nuts from which these plants grew up, were collected from the same tree and sown in the same bed on the same day.
To be sure of obtaining trees with the characteristics of a genuine Royal variety, it is necessary to grow seedlings grafted with cuttings from first-generation hybrids or from a selected second-generation hybrid that exhibits enhanced growth. Seedlings characterized by increased growth can always be found in a sufficient number of good trees from sowing seeds. The Royal variety is in great demand as a rootstock for grafting Persian walnut onto it.
It has been established that on most soils Persian walnut, grafted on the roots of the Royal variety, produces a yield several times higher than that obtained on the roots of its own trees. In addition, grafted trees are almost not affected by Bacterium juglandis.
Hybrid nuts (Royal variety) are similar to the nuts of the parent form, only larger. As already noted, a thick shell is undesirable. Undoubtedly, it is possible to obtain thinner shells by selection, but extensive work in this direction has not yet been carried out. Black walnut, despite the exceptional taste of the fruit, is not widely used. Great opportunities will open up for the cultivation of black walnut if it is possible to reduce the thickness of its shell to the thickness of a walnut shell.
The fruits of the Paradox variety are average in shape and general appearance between the types of fruits of the parent forms. Externally, the fruits are similar to the Persian walnut, but the shell has the thickness and density of a black walnut. In two cases, among thousands of plants of the second generation of the Paradox variety, trees with large fruits and exceptional productivity were obtained. However, in both cases the fruits had rather thick shells; but you can get good, resistant thin-shelled varieties from the second generation of the hybrid, which can be easily propagated.
It is possible that further crossing of the Royal and Paradox hybrids during selection will produce a variety that will retain the good qualities of the Persian walnut and combine them with the fruit size and abundant fruiting of the Royal variety.
Hybridization methods
In any case, this experiment is worth trying. But whoever undertakes this must clearly imagine the duration of obtaining results, because the black walnut has not yet been made to bear fruit at an early age, like the chestnut or some varieties of walnut. But with the help of selection, it is undoubtedly possible to obtain results in this direction.
The modern method of artificial pollination is very simple. The flowering branch of the father plant, cut at a certain time, is shaken over the flowers of the mother plant. Of course, one cannot be sure that some flowers will not be pollinated by their own pollen, but by sowing a large number of nuts, seedlings of hybrid origin can be determined by their appearance. In cases where trees grow nearby, natural hybrids are also sometimes obtained, but this was not yet known when I conducted my first experiments in 1875 - 1880.
When I conducted my first experiments on hybridizing walnuts, I sowed seeds collected from the entire tree. Among the seedlings, hybrids could be immediately distinguished, since they grew faster than other plants and stood out noticeably in their general appearance.
My first crossbreeding experiment was with two black walnuts, and the success I obtained led me to attempt a cross between a Persian walnut and a California black walnut the following year. A cross involving the Siboldi nut was carried out a few years later. To date, not a single variety of industrial importance has yet been obtained, although the indirect influence of hybrids on walnut production through their use as rootstocks is quite significant.
Gray nuts
There is a close relative of black walnut called "gray walnut" which used to be well known in most forested areas of the eastern United States.
These two trees are very similar in appearance, their nuts are characterized by the same thick and wrinkled shell. But the gray walnut fruit is oval in shape, while the black walnut fruit is almost round. The kernel of the gray walnut is of somewhat better quality, and it is generally believed that its taste is not only higher than that of the black walnut, but that the kernel of the gray walnut is superior in quality to all other nuts. But its disadvantage, like that of black walnut, is that it has a very thick shell and the kernel can be extracted from it with great difficulty.
Gray walnut usually grows in the same place as black walnut. The trees have a spreading crown, but the wood is softer and less suitable for carpentry purposes.
There is an Asian species known as Juglans Manschurica, which may be considered an intermediate form between gray and black walnut. In general appearance it is similar to the Sieboldi nut, but the fruits have a rough surface, like a gray walnut, the kernel is also similar in quality and appearance to the gray walnut, but it is of a higher quality than that of the black walnut.
This species is a link between the Japanese Sieboldi walnut, black and gray walnuts. It may be possible to successfully use the Manchurian walnut for crossbreeding, thus combining the characteristics of all these different species.
Growing walnuts
Few people even dream of growing walnuts for commercial purposes in the temperate regions of the United States.
Even in the areas of the Central and Eastern States where the walnut can grow, it is not grown on a large scale; it is too tender to be grown successfully in the Northern States. But on the other hand, black and gray walnuts are exceptionally hardy and can grow even in areas with extremely cold winters.
All of these trees require deep, fertile, moist loamy soil to grow. Trees that produce wood of such exceptional hardness, and fruits that are very rich in fats and fir trees, cannot receive sufficient nutrition from poor soil. Black and gray walnuts, where they grow naturally, usually grow along rivers in rich alluvial valleys. It is a mistake to think that you can successfully grow nut trees on soil that is too poor even for a normal crop of grains or vegetables.
Currently there is not enough demand for black or gray walnuts to allow them to be grown on a commercial scale. New varieties will need to be created through hybridization and selection to make them more popular. But, as I have already indicated, there is every reason to believe that experiments in breeding improved varieties will be more than justified by the results obtained, and elsewhere I will also point out the possibilities of obtaining industrial timber, so that this project will look doubly attractive.
It is necessary to pay attention to one or two features of the walnut that everyone who wants to engage in nut hybridization should know.
It is important to remember that staminate walnut flowers usually bloom and shed pollen one to four weeks before the female flowers appear. It could be assumed that under such circumstances all the pollen is lost and there can be no harvest. But it turns out that pollen remains viable for a long time, and even if it falls off several weeks before the female flowers ripen, you can get a full harvest. When using artificial pollination, you should remember the different ripening periods of walnut flowers. But, as already indicated, pollen remains viable and can fertilize female flowers even when they are pollinated before the pistils mature.
In France, early spring frosts almost always severely damage ordinary walnuts, and French walnut growers now mainly grow the Franquette variety mentioned above. Although this variety is in some respects inferior in quality, it has the advantage that it does not begin to flower until the spring frosts have ceased. It blooms four weeks later than regular varieties. This ensures a good harvest of the Franquette variety even in years when other varieties are damaged by frost. The average yield of this variety over a number of years exceeds that of other varieties that have higher yields in any given year.
You can cross these varieties with other Persian walnut varieties that bloom earlier but produce a better fruit yield. Such crosses will undoubtedly produce seedlings that combine the late flowering of Franquette with the good fruiting of the other parent.
We have seen that the ability to flower late is usually combined with the ability to ripen fruit early, so that late-flowering trees are adapted to growing relatively far to the north.
The late-blooming Franquette variety may give rise to the development of walnut varieties that are hardy enough to grow at higher altitudes than those at which walnuts are currently grown. To develop truly resistant varieties, crosses with black walnut, like the cross that created the Paradox variety, would probably need to be used to provide the basis for selection experiments. The first step has been taken in this direction with the production of the Paradox variety. It can be assumed that further experiments using this hybrid as a parent form will lead to the creation of new types of nuts that have economic value.
Only recently have gardeners begun to pay attention to growing nuts on an industrial scale. There is reason to hope that in the matter of growing nuts, the achievements of the next thirty years will be comparable to the progress in the development of fruit growing over the last century.
Edible nuts are destined to occupy an important place in the diet,
especially in the temperate zone, and in this regard the walnut
is in one of the first places.
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Among the variety of walnut varieties, preference should be given to those that will perform well in the conditions of the middle zone.
Diversity m frost-resistantvarieties
Among the variety of walnut varieties, preference should be given to those that will perform well in the conditions of the middle zone. A few nuts picked up from the ground in a neighbor’s garden are much more reliable for sowing than beauties bought at the market, which probably took a long time to be transported from the hot south, and which are unlikely to survive the first winter.
Of the Russian varieties in the middle zone, the Ideal walnut is the most common in dachas.
Walnut variety Ideal
Unlike other varieties, the tree of which reaches more than 25 m in height, this variety is low-growing - the plant height is 4-5 (up to 8) meters. The variety is distinguished by good winter hardiness (down to minus 35°C) and fantastic early fruiting: even one-year-old seedlings sometimes produce 2-3 full-sized fruits. More than 120 kg of fruits per year are harvested from one 10-15 year old plant. The average fruit weight is 10 grams. The nut has a thin shell and a sweet-tasting kernel.
Variety Giant
The Giant variety is the second most popular and productive walnut variety. Unlike Ideal, it begins to bear fruit 5-6 years after planting. The tree quickly reaches a height of 5m. The crown is medium dense, widely spreading. The fruits are round, large, weighing 10 grams. Fruiting is regular, abundant, up to 100 kg of fruit per plant. "Giant" is suitable for planting throughout Russia and Belarus.
Krasnodar precocious
The variety is productive, early-fruiting, and relatively resistant to diseases and pests. The tree is winter-hardy and vigorous. The nuts are medium-sized (8-10 grams), with a thin shell, and ripen in the third decade of September.
Uchkhoz Kuban
The variety is productive, relatively resistant to pests and diseases, and begins to bear fruit in the 5th year. The tree is winter-hardy. The nuts are medium (8-10 grams), with a thin shell, and ripen in the third decade of September.
Belarusian varieties were created specifically for cultivation in the middle zone. They are winter-hardy, resistant to brown spot, and are distinguished by their yield, good removal of kernels from the shell and quality of the fruit.
Variety Pinsky
The tree is vigorous and produces good, fairly regular fruit. The average yield is about 50 kg. The nuts are 8.6 g, oval, ripen in the first half of September. Shell thickness is 1-2 mm. Dessert variety.
Samokhvalovichsky-2
The tree is vigorous, bears fruit well and quite regularly. Average yield is about 38 kg. The nuts are 8.3 grams, round-oval, ripen in the first half of September. Shell thickness is 0.8-1mm. Dessert variety.
Memory Minov
The tree is powerful, fruiting is good and fairly regular, occurring in the 6th year after planting. Average yield 27 kg. The nuts are large (15.2 grams), flattened, without ribs, and ripen in the first half of September. The shell is thin (1 mm). Table variety.
Frost-resistant walnut varieties are the key to successful planting and growing walnuts in the country, as well as using the beneficial and medicinal properties of walnuts. published
Walnut is widespread in the gardens of many countries and regions. The description of this tree suggests that its features are unpretentiousness to climatic conditions, high adaptability to the environment, a high level of frost resistance and other qualities.
Walnut Giant surprises with large nuts
Over the years, breeders and scientists have developed a large number of varieties of walnuts, each of which has its own characteristics.
Common varieties
Work on breeding the ideal variety of plant or tree gives many results, which in their own way may be of interest to a gardener who wants to grow walnuts on his plot.
Today, there are the following varieties of walnuts, which are widespread in the middle zone, including near the Bityug River:
- Dawn of the East.
- Fruitful.
- Aurora.
- Ideal.
- Breeder.
- Giant.
- Elegant.
Some varieties differ from others in their higher yields; in others, the attention of gardeners is attracted by the following characteristics: disease resistance, frost resistance, and rapid fruit ripening.
There are types of walnuts that are bred specifically for grafting, landscaping and pollination. These include Marion, Spectrum and Orion.
Scientists and breeders in many regions are engaged in breeding new attractive and interesting varieties of walnut due to the wide distribution of this tree.
Walnut variety Graceful
Characteristics of the Giant variety
The Giant walnut ranks second in the ranking of popular varieties. And this position is well deserved.
The name of the walnut tree variety is based on the size of its nuts. Each fruit of this tree is a real giant, weighing up to 35 g.
In terms of productivity, this variety is close to the variety called Ideal. The difference lies in the beginning of the fruiting process. The tree of the Giant variety begins to bear fruit after living for about 6 years.
Trees of this variety are quite compact, which attracts gardeners even more. The crown height usually does not exceed 5–7 meters.
The description of this variety suggests that its representatives are resistant to pathogenic processes that can affect walnuts and have high frost resistance, which allows it to calmly survive a sharp drop in air temperature in winter.
Selecting a seedling for planting
Walnut seedlings of the Giant variety are selected according to the same principle as seedlings of other varieties of this fruitful crop. Refrain from buying a seedling on the market; there is a high probability that you will come across another variety that may take root less well in the soil or may not take root at all and die. Contact specialists who can provide the planting material you need.
In order for the seedling to take root and grow without diseases, when choosing it, pay attention to the rules for selecting planting material when propagating walnut seedlings:
- A good seedling has a better developed root system than the trunk and branches. The opposite indicates disturbances in the growing season, which reduces the likelihood of successful cultivation of such a seedling.
- Avoid purchasing seedlings with mature leaves.
- There should be no damage or suspicious marks on the tree bark. Their presence may indicate damage by diseases, harmful organisms and other problems that reduce the survival rate of the seedling.
Showing a little care and caution allows gardeners to avoid mistakes and grow fruit-bearing trees without unnecessary worries and wasting time and money.
Walnut seedlings should be purchased from specialized nurseries
Planting and care
Seedlings are placed in soil that drains well, is away from groundwater flow and has neutral or low acidity. The young nut is planted in the soil without haste, since each level of rhizomes needs to be gradually distributed over a pre-prepared recess, and sprinkled with soil on top.
To provide additional stimulation to horizontal root growth, which is correct for this type of tree, the bottom of the hole is lined with a film that prevents downward root growth.
The Giant nut growing on the site does not require much care and careful care, but it is necessary to maintain a young planting in order to guarantee stable fruiting and stimulate the tree to begin producing crops earlier and more. Basic measures for caring for nuts:
- Regular watering is carried out over the entire area occupied by the crown. For 1 square meter of area, 2 buckets of water are spent.
- Regular feeding in autumn and spring. In the fall, phosphorus and potassium are used, in the spring, ammonium nitrate is used.
Ammonium nitrate is suitable for spring feeding of nuts
Having learned the description of the variety and understanding the main key points in planting and caring for young seedlings, you can grow a wonderful nut in your garden plot, which will not only delight you with a powerful crown, but also with a stable, rich harvest that fully meets all the gardener’s expectations.
A moderate level of soil moisture and acceptable nutritional value of the land resource in which the nut is planted will allow the gardener to consistently receive a plentiful harvest from his nut.