Content
The walnut bears fruit only a few years after planting, since this plant is long-lived, unlike many fruit trees for the garden plot. The lifespan of a walnut is hundreds of years - the age of the oldest trees reaches 400-500 years. The growth of the plant is practically unlimited, and the yield depends on the variety and growing conditions, although in general it is an unpretentious crop that even a beginner in gardening can handle.
How many years does it take for a walnut to bear fruit?
The exact timing of fruiting is determined by the group to which one or another variety of walnut belongs. On average, walnuts begin to bear fruit in the 5-8th year of life, however, there are also early varieties that bear fruit already in the 4th year after planting in a permanent place. Late-fruiting crops begin to bear fruit only in the 10-15th year of life.
How much fruit does a walnut produce?
Medium-yielding varieties bring about 8-10 kg of nuts per year. As they grow older, this figure increases to 20-30 kg of fruit per tree annually. Trees 50 or more years old are capable of producing over 1 ton of nuts per year.
The most productive varieties include:
- Bukovinsky-2 – about 50 kg are collected from one mature tree (about 20-25 years old);
- Chernovetsky – from 40 to 45 kg of fruits;
- Ideal – 120 kg of fruits from a tree about 20 years old.
The pericarp helps determine harvest time more accurately. As soon as large cracks appear on them, the ripening of the walnut fruit has come to an end.
Walnut productivity can be increased in several ways:
- In regions with a dry, warm climate, it is recommended to treat the soil in the garden with steam and green manure.
- In dry times, it is necessary to organize regular irrigation of the plantings. This is especially true for moisture-loving varieties that are vulnerable to a lack of water in the soil.
- You can also fertilize old plantings with mixtures high in potassium and phosphorus.
- Finally, yield performance largely depends on how regularly pruning is done. Timely removal of old and damaged shoots has a positive effect on the development of the tree.
How long does a walnut bear fruit?
The exact timing depends on the type of walnut. On average, fruiting lasts from late August to late October.
Why doesn't a walnut bear fruit?
A walnut may not bear fruit for many reasons. It often happens that the plant is simply too young and the fruiting period has not yet arrived, and the owners of the site sound the alarm ahead of time. Lack of harvest can also be caused by errors in agricultural cultivation techniques and pest invasion.
Excessive thickening
One of the most common mistakes is thickening of plantings, in which walnut trees are located too close to each other. With this placement, the plants quickly deplete the soil and begin to starve, which affects fruiting. Increased watering will not help here, nor will additional fertilizing. With strong thickening, the walnut not only stops bearing fruit, but is also easily affected by infectious diseases and soon dies.
The recommended distance between two neighboring trees is at least 5 m, preferably more - from 7 to 8 m, since as the walnut crown grows, it grows strongly to the sides.
The tree is "fat"
Fruiting of the walnut also stops due to the fact that the tree begins to “fatten” - actively grow without forming an ovary. In other words, there is an intensive accumulation of green mass and shoot formation to the detriment of fruiting.
At the first signs of “fatification,” it is necessary to stop feeding the trees.
No pollinator
A walnut will not be able to form ovaries even if there are flowers if there is no cross-pollination. The tree is not a self-pollinating garden crop, so it must be pollinated artificially.You can avoid problems with pollination by planting another walnut variety nearby. In addition, you can graft 1-2 trees or budding with the eye of another variety that blooms at the same time.
Incorrect pruning
If the walnut has too much shoot formation and an impressive green mass, the wind in the dense crown will not be able to contribute to pollination of the plantings. In order for the walnut to continue to bear fruit, it is necessary to thin out its crown. Remove dry and damaged shoots, as well as branches that touch each other.
Incorrect watering and fertilizing regime
Walnuts do not tolerate prolonged drought very well, so in regions with hot climates they sometimes stop bearing fruit due to improper irrigation.
Young trees and adult walnuts at the stage of flowering and fruit formation are especially in dire need of regular soil moisture. One tree consumes about 30 liters of water in the hot summer, 3 times a month. In conditions of prolonged rains, watering is reduced to 1-2 times a month. Mature trees from 4 m in height are watered at the same frequency.
Fertilize walnuts moderately - no more than 2 times a year. In the spring months, plantings are fed with nitrogen, in the fall - with potassium and phosphorus. Trees older than 20 years are fertilized with potassium salt, superphosphate and ammonium nitrate.
Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied extremely carefully, since excess nitrogen in the soil can cause the walnut to become fattened. This is why young seedlings are not fed nitrogen at all. Moreover, a high concentration of this microelement in the soil increases the risk of infection with bacteriosis.
Green manures are often used as organic fertilizers, which are planted between trees. Suitable green manures:
- oats;
- peas;
- lupine.
These plants will naturally fertilize the soil and help you get a bountiful harvest.
Diseases and pests
Insects infect walnuts infrequently, but they can still cause significant damage to plantings. The main threats include the following pests:
- White American butterfly. You can get rid of it using any industrial insecticide.
- codling moth. Pheromone traps that destroy the males of these pests will help with this pest. Also, as a preventive measure, it is recommended to remove fallen leaves in a timely manner.
- Sapwood. This insect, like the American butterfly, is vulnerable to chemicals. Any commercial insecticide is suitable to combat it.
The main diseases of walnut include marsonia (also brown spot) and bacteriosis. Most often, the cause of disease in plantings is excess moisture in the soil or, conversely, drying out.
Marsonia attacks walnuts in hot, rainy summers, when air humidity increases significantly. To protect the garden plot from this disease, varieties should be planted that are adapted to cultivation in such climatic conditions. Young trees are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, preferably before the buds open.
The ideal environment for bacteriosis is also humid, warm weather.Treatment measures for the disease include treatment with Bordeaux mixture and a weak urea solution. The frequency of treatment is once every 2 weeks.
A walnut may also stop bearing fruit if the plant is infected with root canker - a real disaster for all fruit trees and shrubs. This disease can lead to the death of the plant in the shortest possible time. The disease manifests itself in the form of bumpy growths.
At the first signs of cancer, the damaged areas are sprayed with a weak solution of caustic soda, after which the roots are washed with clean water.
What to do if a walnut does not bear fruit
If a walnut stops bearing fruit, first you need to find out the reason for this phenomenon. In accordance with the identified problem, a further action plan is chosen:
- When plantings become denser, trees need to be thinned out. To do this, cut off old and weak shoots, as well as branches that interfere with the growth of neighboring ones.
- The lack of nutrients in the tree trunk area is corrected by applying organic fertilizers under the tree. To do this, dig up the soil under the walnut with a pitchfork and feed the plant with humus. Recommended rate: 3-4 buckets per 1 m2. The procedure is completed with mulching.
- When the top layer of soil dries out, the plantings are watered abundantly. 10 buckets for each tree are enough.
- If the walnut has stopped bearing fruit due to fattening, then it is necessary to stop all feeding and watering. If even this does not help, then you will have to cut off the ends of the roots. To do this, carefully dig the plant in a circle. The distance from the resulting furrow to the trunk should be about 50 cm.The roots of the tree along this line are cut off (only the largest ones; it is better not to touch the small ones) and again covered with earth.
- If problems with fruiting are caused by the lack of a pollinator, then another variety is planted next to the plantings or the trees are pollinated artificially - to do this, you need to shake pollen from a different variety over the trees that have stopped bearing fruit. You will need a cut of a branch from a different variety, which is prepared 20-30 days before the pollination procedure.
Preventive actions
The risk of tree disease can be reduced by periodically spraying them with chemicals:
- Against marsonia, plantings are treated 3 times with a solution of copper sulfate and quicklime, taken in a 1:1 ratio and diluted with a small amount of water. In addition, in the spring, walnut buds can be sprayed with Vectra.
- Trees will also be protected from bacteriosis by spraying the tree three times with a mixture of quicklime and copper sulfate.
- In addition, for better protection, it is recommended to periodically remove fallen leaves.
Conclusion
Walnuts do not bear fruit immediately, which is the norm for long-lived plants, and is not at all a sign of any disease. Depending on the variety, fruiting occurs on average in the 5-8th year of the tree’s life. Caring for the plant is very simple, and with regular preventive treatments against pests, walnuts produce a bountiful harvest in the fall.
You can learn more about how walnuts ripen from the video below:
