Trimming a walnut: tips and rules

The walnut trees grow very fast and develop. The first harvest is already collected for 5-6 years of life. In addition, such fruits contain a huge amount of useful microelements for a person. Trimming a walnut is necessary for the correct formation of the crown, and this procedure will help to avoid the appearance of various diseases.

Selecting the time of year

Experienced gardeners recommend the spring period. It is best to prune after the end of frost, but before the beginning of the vegetation. The tree should be in a quiet state. If these conditions are met, it will be able to recover faster, and the risk of damage to the crop will be minimized.

Pruning walnut in autumn is carried out in order to best prepare the tree for winter. At this time of year it is necessary to remove all dry and damaged branches so that bacteria or pests can not settle in them. Sanitary pruning is the best prevention of any diseases.

Required Tools

Before starting work, you need to prepare special tools, thanks to which the process will be much easier and more enjoyable:

• Secateurs - used to remove the thinnest branches (no more than 20 mm thick). It looks like a tool like scissors with convex blades.
• The dry - cutter - according to the principle of work and appearance resembles a secateur with long handles. Can remove branches up to 50 mm thick.
• Garden saw - no different from the usual, except for the crescent-shaped blade, whose length is mostly 30-35 cm.
• Chainsaw - may be needed to remove thick branches, in addition, it will help get rid of knots of medium thickness for a shorter period of time.
• A garden knife is necessary to remove the green part of the plant and the soft, one-year-old branches. It is also very convenient to use for cleaning various mechanical damages.
• Stairs - as you know, the height of the tree is much greater than human growth. In this case, the stepladder will be the simplest and most effective assistant in the implementation of pruning. Professional samples will help you climb to a height of 8 meters.

Since trimming walnut refers to complex and painstaking procedures, when working with various tools, one should not forget about personal protective equipment (gloves, glasses, etc.).

Technology of work

• Before cutting a thick branch, it is necessary to cut it from the opposite side. Such a trick will help to avoid the scuffing of the bark.
• Cutting thin knots, it is necessary to leave the procession 1-2 mm long after the first kidney.
• When removing branches, the thickness of which will be more than 2 centimeters, experienced gardeners recommend to lubricate the cutting site with a garden saver. This procedure will help to avoid infection and dry the part of the tree.

Crown formation

In the first year of life a crown consisting of 4-5 branches is formed on a small tree. If signs of any diseases are absent, it is worth removing all other shoots at the stage of kidney development. In case of manifestation of any disease, all shoots should be left until the end of summer. In August, the crown is released from unnecessary branches.

In the second year, the crown formation should be made directly. Trimming walnut trees begins by shortening all branches to two buds. One of them will be the main one, and the other one will be spare. If both are born, then the second must be removed. Of the remaining will grow an escape length of about 60 centimeters, it will have to be shortened to two kidneys.

Then, above the topmost main branch, the central conductor is cut off.

Once the crown has been formed, it is recommended that the tree be left alone and, for several seasons, only clean and sanitized work is carried out to remove excess litter and unnecessary branches.

Pruning old walnut. Tree rejuvenation

It often happens that the trees simply start 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 rejuvenating pruning.

The best time is considered to be the beginning of spring, but only when the threat of frost completely disappears. In this case, the tree will be able to restore strength and begin to properly form its crown already in this season.

Trimming walnut (multi-year) begins with the removal of dry knots in the upper part. This procedure will increase the penetration of light and air into the crown. They are necessary for quality fruiting. Next, you need to correctly form a new crown, for this you select a place where there is a branch to the side. This is to ensure that the future crown grows upward. Technique and rules of pruning will be similar to those that are necessary when working with a young tree.

In the chosen place, a small number of young buds will form, which later turn into shoots, they will become the main parts for a rejuvenated tree.

Tips for trimming from experienced gardeners

1. Before you cut off the tree crown, you need to know how to properly inoculate it, because after the artificial formation it is strictly forbidden to vaccinate.
2. In the first year of life the height of the tree should not exceed 100 centimeters. The crown should look like a cup.
3. Trimming walnuts should always begin with the removal of diseased, damaged or rubbing branches against each other.
4. In order for the tree to bring the greatest amount of harvest, one of the following crown formation schemes should be used:

• Cupping is the easiest and most affordable option for any gardener.
• Borderless - used to prune young trees.
• Improved tiered - 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.

Trimming a walnut is a very painstaking and complex procedure that requires good preparation from the gardener. Working with a young tree, it is necessary to control every action, because one wrong step can cause a complete death of the plant. Timely pruning is the key to a good harvest and the longest fruit-bearing period.