Content
Walnut grows wild in the north of India and China, in the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Iran, Greece and Ukraine. Relic groves have survived in Kyrgyzstan. Although this culture is thermophilic, it can grow with good care even in the Leningrad region. True, there will not be annual harvests, as in the south. It is tempting for many gardeners to feed walnuts in the fall to reap a large harvest and make the tree more frost-resistant. But not everyone knows how to do it right.
Do I need to feed walnuts
It would seem, what kind of question? All plants need feeding! But in this particular case, one should not rush to answer, one must first understand the peculiarities of the culture.
Walnut is a tall, up to 25 m tree with a powerful root. It goes 4 meters deep and expands to the sides by 20 m. It turns out that the root system of a walnut covers a huge volume of soil. And if we take into account that this is an allelopathic culture, that is, it oppresses all the plants planted nearby, then it turns out that the land mastered by a tree is at its full disposal.
In Ukraine, where at least one walnut tree grows in every private yard, the culture in the garden is not fed. Generally! Well, when planting, they bring in humus, they can water a young tree with nitrogen in the spring, and add phosphorus and potassium in the fall, mulch with rotted manure or compost. And often they do not do this either, the result, frankly, will differ little.
But as soon as the nut began to bear fruit, everyone stops paying attention to it. Only the fruits are collected in buckets every year in autumn and dry branches are cut (sometimes). True, industrial plantations still feed.
But in the Non-Black Earth Region, the walnut, not only does not grow well, it is fed, the crown is formed, but it still bears fruit irregularly. To make it clear why this is happening, it is better to disassemble everything in detail, point by point:
- On black soil, where the climate is warm, adult walnuts in private households are not fed. With such an area of nutrition, and even on fertile soils, he himself will take everything he needs from the soil. Excess fertilization can only harm the tree. Nitrogen will cause a strong build-up of shoots that will not have time to ripen before winter, or will develop to the detriment of fruiting. An excess of other elements will not do anything good either. It is not for nothing that experienced gardeners argue that it is better to underfeed any plant than overfeed. Of course, we are talking about a healthy tree that really grows on fertile black soil, and not on construction waste.
- Industrial planting of walnuts, even on black soil, needs additional feeding. Trees grow there densely, and their food area is much smaller than in the private sector. If the plantation is not fertilized, walnuts begin to compete for nutrients, hibernate poorly and bear fruit worse.
- Why feed crops on poor soils is understandable. If there are few nutrients in the soil, then no matter how powerful the root system is, it cannot pull out from the ground what is not there.
- Even in temperate climates, walnuts grow poorly. Most varieties are not hardy enough already in the Tambov region. In the North-West, if the walnut can be grown, it will be small, constantly freezing, almost does not bear fruit. And in general it does not resemble that majestic tree, which culture the southerners know.So far, the creation of winter-hardy varieties of satisfactory quality has not been crowned with success, and hybrids with Manchurian walnut are unsuccessful. It is possible to grow a crop in cool climates, but it requires a lot of effort. The complex of care includes reinforced top dressing, especially autumn, to help the tree survive the winter.
And further. Most varieties of walnuts are biologically close to the species plant. And it grows in nature without any care, not to mention top dressing. It is not known what the varieties and hybrids of the new generation will be.
Features of feeding walnuts
There are no global differences in feeding walnuts and other fruit crops. In the spring, they give mainly nitrogen fertilizers, in the fall, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
It is advisable to feed a walnut seedling in the first years of life on black soil, even if fertilizers were added to the planting pit during planting. In cool regions and on poor soils - a must.
The main time for fertilizing walnuts is autumn. They should not be poured onto the ground, but should be carefully embedded in the soil. The culture does not like to be disturbed by the roots, so the operation must be carried out carefully. It is better to immediately outline the groove surrounding the crown, into which fertilizers will be applied from year to year. We need to dwell on this in more detail.
Fruit trees are best fertilized into the groove that surrounds the tree. Top dressing is poured there, mixed with soil and watered. The indentation should be the same size as the crown of the tree.
Someone might argue that the walnut grows simply huge, and the groove will be a decent distance from the trunk and cover a large space. It can be argued that the culture reaches its maximum size only on black soil, and even in a warm climate. And there top dressing of the walnut is not carried out at all or is limited to mulching the trunk circle with humus every few years.
As you move to the North, the trees grow in height less and less until they become real dwarfs in the Leningrad region. It is in cool climates that walnut dressing should be given special importance.
How to feed a walnut tree
Like other crops, walnuts need nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements. The best effect is obtained by a combination of mineral and organic dressings.
Walnut does not like acidic soils, so finely ground tomoslag can be added to them under the culture. This waste from metallurgical production will not only saturate the soil with phosphorus, but will also bring the pH back to normal.
Buying some expensive branded fertilizers for walnuts does not make sense, and will not give the expected "magic" effect. He perfectly accepts cheap domestic fertilizing.
Top dressing of walnuts in autumn
It is in the fall that the main feeding of the walnut is made. Even on black soil before winter, it is recommended to mulch the trunk circle with humus once every four years.
The amount of organic matter is calculated depending on the diameter of the crown (it does not need to be calculated up to a centimeter). For each square meter, add from 3 to 6 kg of humus. If this is done in late autumn, the organic matter is left in the form of mulch. Humus introduced before leaf fall is slightly embedded in the ground.
In the spring
Spring feeding is needed only on poor soils, in cold regions, or if the seedling does not grow well. Walnut is a fast-growing crop, most of all it stretches for 2-3 years after planting. In the southern regions on black soil, it gives an increase of 1.5 cm per season. If the shoots are less than a meter long, this can be considered a lag in development, and requires correction with nitrogen fertilizers.
In cool climates and on poor soils, walnuts are fed every year in spring, and twice.For the first time, on the snow that did not have time to melt or frozen-thawed soil, any nitrogen fertilizers are scattered under the crown. You can calculate their number by multiplying the projection area of the crown in square meters. m at the dosage recommended by the instructions.
The second feeding is done 20-25 days after the first. Then a full mineral complex is introduced, which should include 1/3 of the phosphorus and potassium fertilizers needed by the walnut for a year. This is about 10-12 g of superphosphate and 6-8 g of potassium salt per 1 sq. m.
The second dressing should not be scattered on the ground, but should be introduced into the groove around the trunk circle and mixed with the soil. Then be sure to carry out abundant watering.
In summer
Summer walnut feeding is needed only if it has developmental delays. If the gardener wants to do "what is best" and conducts unscheduled fertilization of the crop, the ovaries may begin to crumble, and the growth of shoots will increase.
The phosphorus-potassium fertilization of walnuts carried out at the end of summer is biologically correct to be considered autumn. They are designed to accelerate the ripening of shoots and wood, help the culture to winter better and lay flower buds next year. In the southern regions, it is customary to do them in September.
Superphosphate is introduced into the groove surrounding the walnut at the rate of 20-25 g for each meter of the crown projection, 12-16 g of potassium salt. They are mixed with soil and spilled with water.
How to feed a plant correctly
Summing up, you can give the following recommendations for feeding walnuts:
- On chernozem, the culture after the beginning of fruiting does not need regular feeding. Once every 4 years, the trunk circle in the fall is mulched with humus at the rate of 3-4 kg per square meter of the projection of the crown onto the ground.
- Intensive feeding of walnuts growing on fertile black soil can harm the tree.
- Poor soils require two spring dressings. The first is done until the soil is completely thawed with nitrogen fertilizers, the second - after about 3 weeks with a full mineral complex.
- Fertilizers should be applied not over the entire area of the trunk circle, but into a groove previously dug, the diameter of which coincides with the size of the crown, mixed with the soil and watered abundantly.
- There is no need to feed walnuts without special need in the summer.
- Carried out at the end of summer, and in the south - at the beginning of autumn, fertilizers are referred to as autumn. They are made exclusively with phosphorus and potassium (no nitrogen).
- In cool regions and on poor soils, late autumn mulching of the trunk circle with humus can be carried out annually.
Experienced gardening tips
The expression “it is better to underfeed than to overfeed” refers to the walnut more than to other fruit trees. What do experienced gardeners advise beginners when it comes to this culture?
- Do not expect high or annual yields from walnuts planted even in temperate climates.
- On lean soils, carefully adhere to the feeding schedule. Failure to observe them will lead to a lack of harvest and freezing of the tree, excess - to shedding of nuts and, again, to damage by low temperatures.
- A walnut growing on black soil should just be left alone. He will give a good harvest anyway. A tree surrounded by excessive care can die.
Conclusion
You need to feed the walnut in the fall correctly. Only then will it grow well and give a bountiful harvest.
I am just starting to work with nuts. The situation with fruit trees is more difficult, and with nuts, I would like to hear from specialists. How to feed seedlings correctly? Seedling care. I would be very grateful for your advice.