Walnut trees grow and develop very quickly. The first crop is harvested already in the 5-6 year of life. In addition, such fruits contain a huge amount of useful minerals necessary for a person. Walnut pruning is necessary for the correct formation of the crown, also this procedure will help to avoid the appearance of various diseases.
Season
Experienced gardeners recommend a spring season. It is best to trim after the end of the frost, but before the start of the growing process. The tree should be in a calm state. Under these conditions, it will be able to recover faster, and the risk of damage to the crop will be minimized.
Walnut pruning in the fall is carried out in order to prepare the tree for winter as best as possible. At this time of the year, it is necessary to remove all dry and damaged branches so that bacteria or pests cannot settle in them. Sanitary pruning is the best prevention of any disease.
Necessary tools
Before starting work, you need to prepare special tools, thanks to which the process will be much simpler and more pleasant:
- Secateurs - used to remove the thinnest branches (not more than 20 mm thick). It looks like a tool like scissors with convex blades.
- The delimbers - according to the principle of operation and appearance resembles a secateurs with long handles. Able to remove branches up to 50 mm thick.
- Garden saw - no different from the usual, except for the crescent-shaped blade, whose length for the most part is 30-35 cm.
- Chainsaw - may be needed to remove thick branches, in addition, it will help get rid of knots of medium thickness in a shorter period of time.
- Garden knife - necessary to remove the green part of the plant and soft, year-old branches. It is also very convenient to use when stripping various mechanical damage.
- Stairs - as you know, the height of the tree is much greater than human growth. In this case, the stepladder will be the easiest and most effective assistant in the pruning. Professional samples will help to rise to a height of 8 meters.
Since walnut pruning is a complex and painstaking procedure, when working with various tools we must not forget about personal protective equipment (gloves, glasses, etc.).
Work technology
- Before cutting a thick branch, it is necessary to cut it from the opposite side. Such a trick will help to prevent the occurrence of seizure bark.
- When cutting thin knots, you need to leave the process 1-2 mm long after the first kidney.
- When removing branches, the thickness of which will be more than 2 centimeters, experienced gardeners recommend lubricating the cut site with garden varieties. This procedure will help prevent infection and drainage of parts of the tree.
Crown formation
In the first year of life, a crown is formed on a small tree, consisting of 4-5 branches. If there are no signs of any diseases, it is worthwhile to remove all other shoots at the stage of kidney development. In the event of any ailment, the entire shoot should be left until the end of summer. In August, the crown is freed from unnecessary branches.
In the second year, crown formation should be carried out directly. Pruning walnut trees begins with shortening all branches to two buds. One of them will be the main one, and the other the spare one. If both spawn, then the second must be removed. From the remaining shoot will grow about 60 centimeters long, it will need to be shortened to two kidneys.
Then, the central conductor is cut off above the uppermost main branch.
As soon as the crown is formed, it is recommended to leave the tree alone and for several seasons to carry out only dredging and sanitary work to remove excess shoots and unnecessary branches.
Pruning an old walnut. Tree rejuvenation
It often happens that trees simply start up and stop giving a good harvest. Fruits begin to appear only closer to the trunk. To cope with this state of affairs, you need to make anti-aging pruning.
The best time is considered the beginning of spring, but only when the threat of frost completely passes. In this case, the tree will be able to regain strength and begin to form its crown correctly already in the current season.
Pruning walnuts (perennial) begins with the removal of dry knots in the upper part. This procedure will increase the transmission of light and air into the crown. They are necessary for high-quality fruiting. Next, you need to correctly form a new crown, for this, choose a place where there is a branch to the side. This is necessary in order for the future crown to grow upward. The technique and pruning rules will be similar to those needed when working with a young tree.
In the selected place, a small number of young buds will form, which subsequently turn into shoots, and they will become the main parts for the rejuvenated tree.
Pruning tips from experienced gardeners
- Before trimming the crown of a tree, you need to learn how to plant it correctly, because after artificial formation, it is strictly forbidden to vaccinate.
- In the first year of life, the height of the tree should not exceed 100 centimeters. The crown should look like a bowl.
- Walnut pruning should always begin with the removal of diseased, damaged or rubbing branches.
- In order for the tree to bring the greatest amount of yield, one of the following crown formation schemes should be used:
- Chalice - the easiest and most affordable option for any gardener.
- Flameless - used for pruning young trees.
- Improved longline - requires experience in gardening. To give the crown such a shape, you need to clearly present the expected result and assume how to trim each branch.
Walnut pruning is a very painstaking and complicated procedure that requires good preparation by the gardener. When working with a young tree, it is necessary to control every action, because one wrong step can cause the complete death of the plant. Timely pruning is the key to a good harvest and the longest possible fruiting period.