Content of the article:
Walnut pruning is a must-have procedure in gardening. It requires, at a minimum, preparation, since possession of garden tools alone is not enough.
Getting Started
Everything is in order:
- From the very beginning, the diseased or old parts of the plant are determined.
- Form the future development of young branches.
- Achieve yield and proper growth.
Pruning itself should be done at a specific time of year.
When to trim?
Naturally, care begins in the spring, before the development of the shoots. The best time is March and April. How to trim a walnut in this case? Need to decide on the weather. When the night temperature drops or, more simply, the frosts have already ended, but the garden plants have not yet come to life. Such a period is ideal for work.
Another phase is leaving in the autumn period. But it is carried out for sanitary purposes, and not for the formation of the fetus. So the tree will be easier to endure the winter. If the spring is late in processing, then this option will not be superfluous. How to trim a walnut? Remove sushi and diseased parts of branches. Otherwise, during the winter parasites will appear on the tree. All that is not necessary in the future on a walnut tree, be sure to cut.
Basic errors
Walnut pruning requires:
- A high-quality, sharpened tool. Dull pruners or nail files leave marks that damage the trunk.
- Competent processing. Cuts do not need to grease with decoction or paint, because this is not a vaccine. The trunk of the plant will heal faster.
- Do not start work at low temperatures. When it's far from June outside, walnut branches are fragile enough and harder to remove.
- Experiments. Yes, all by the rules and regulations, but walnut trimming is not a dry instruction. And only by experience can it be possible to "help" the tree in the formation of the crown. But to get involved in shears or a knife is not worth it, otherwise the plant may die. With age, you can work on it a little harder.
More about the spring season
As already noted, after the winter we try to form the crown of the nut.
It’s possible to start working with a young plant only after reaching a certain height - this is 1.5 meters or more.
And the trunk itself is at least 80 centimeters. A crown of approximately 60 or more cm. For a proper formation in the future, it suffices to leave 10 skeletal branches. And shoots need to be shortened by 20 centimeters.
Video: walnut pruning:
What else is desirable to do:
- Remove stemming processes.
- Center cut only after the formation of fresh branches.
- Remove greasy shoots.
Walnut pruning scheme in spring: 
Can the walnut be processed in the summer?
Perennial walnut pruning is acceptable at the beginning of summer. Roughly, this is the middle of June. This period is characterized by not so active sap flow. Permitted to work on the crown, freeing the tree from the branches ingrown inside.
But it is not advisable to touch a weak plant. Be sure to wait for the year when the tree will gain strength. This is usually at least 2-4 years after landing. At first, it forms not only 10, but only 5 shoots, cutting off all the others beforehand during the bud swelling.
And on a two-year-old nut, all branches are pruned, leaving only two buds. Moreover, one main, the second - the backup. And if both wake up, then leave only one. For the next season, all follow the same pattern - only one kidney is left for the future. So achieve good fruiting.
Even in young trees, shoots are cut in the autumn season if they have grown above 60 cm. It is advisable to do this in September.
Pruning for rejuvenation
This procedure is needed on an adult tree, and is used when there is a noticeable tendency to decrease in yield. And also, if the fetus is born already smaller or non-standard form. Here you need to wait for spring. And cut those branches that grew above the rest. Another cut off crowns growing inside. This is necessary to increase the amount of light, and collecting nuts on the same length branches is much easier.
Do not forget about the branches where there are side branches. They are also cut off. And in the future there will be new buds that form the already correct shoots for a fresh crown.
It also happens that the nut got frostbite, and everything froze to the root. In this case, you need to cut the trunk to the stump, and the plant itself will be restored. Over time, you can form a fresh crown, you just need to wait for the new branches.
Frozen crown needs to be leveled. And on such trees already in the warm season it is not forbidden to process small overgrowing branches. On them the set of one-year escapes can be formed. And this is the basis for future harvest.
