We grow Manchurian nuts from seeds at home

Manchurian walnut is often planted in the northern regions. Outwardly he is very similar to walnut. The differences are visible only in the shape of the nuts and greatly elongated leaves. In order for the harvest to be of high quality, you need to know how to plant and care for the plant correctly.

Growing from seeds

Manchurian walnut is suitable for growing by seed and vegetative methods. You can choose the most suitable option for yourself - buy a ready-made seedling and plant it on your plot, or grow it yourself from a nut. The second option is much more complicated, but it guarantees a healthy and strong tree.

How to get a seedling

One of the most important stages is the correct choice of planting material. It is best to use two-year-old nuts to obtain seedlings. They germinate best.

But before planting, it is advisable to prepare the seeds first:

1. Stratification. Using this procedure, germination can be significantly increased. About three months before planting, the nuts are placed in a container with damp natural fabric inside. Instead of fabric, you can use moss or sand. It is important to ensure that the nuts remain moist at all times. The container with them is placed in the refrigerator, in the vegetable compartment.
2. Soak. It is recommended to soak the nuts in plain water three days before planting. The water is changed every day.
3. Germination. Before planting, the seeds are placed in a container with damp sand and the first shoots are waited for to appear.The room temperature should be approximately +18 degrees.

In northern latitudes, planting is carried out in late spring. In the Middle Zone this period shifts to April.

Landing is carried out as follows:

1. The ground is first dug up.
2. Make holes about 10 cm deep. The distance between the holes is 20 cm.
3. The nuts are placed on the ground sideways and covered with a layer of nutritious soil. Mulch on top.

It is recommended to sow several plants in one place. After germination, you can choose the strongest seedling.

Transplant timing

The seedling is transplanted to a permanent place a year after sowing. At this age, the roots tolerate replanting well, recovering quickly. It is best to perform the procedure in mid-autumn.

Landing in a permanent place

The process of transplanting to a permanent place is one of the most important stages in growing a tree. The quantity and quality of the harvest directly depends on the choice of location. Therefore, it is important to strictly follow all recommendations.

We recommend reading step-by-step guide to replanting a tangerine tree at home

Selecting a location

When choosing a suitable location, you should know some features of the Manchurian walnut:

1. An adult tree has a dense and spreading crown. It can reach a height 30 m. Therefore, you cannot plant it next to light-loving plants.
2. It is advisable that the young tree is in slight shade so that the leaves do not get sunburned.
3. The soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Acidic soils are best avoided.
4. The plant should not be planted in lowlands and wetlands.

Soil preparation

The area where the Manchurian nut will be grown must be fertile and moist.If the soil is acidic, liming will be required. To do this, you need to add 200-300 g of ash per square meter.

Planting pit

The planting hole is prepared much earlier, about 4-6 weeks before planting. This way the soil will have time to sink and become well saturated with moisture. Planting pit dimensions:

• depth - 50 cm;
• width - 60 cm.

The minimum distance between pits is 5 m.

First, a drainage layer is poured into the planting hole. Broken brick or crushed stone is suitable for it. After this, pour out 2 buckets of humus with the addition of 2 tablespoons of complex mineral fertilizers. A hill should form in the hole. A stake is driven into the center, which will support the seedling. Then pour out 3 buckets of water.

When transferring seedlings grown from seeds to a permanent place, planting is carried out at the same depth at which they grew before. Deepening the growing point is extremely undesirable and sometimes even detrimental for a young plant

After preparing the planting hole, the damaged areas of the root system are removed from the seedling, and then it is placed on a hill and covered with earth. The soil is carefully compacted. The seedling is tied to a support peg. At the end, the plant is watered and mulched with peat or humus.

Growth rate of Manchurian walnut

These trees develop quite quickly. In the first five years they can grow to 2 m. Until the age of 20, the crop grows up to 1 m in height every year. At the same time, its trunk diameter increases slowly.

The culture continues to grow intensively up to 75-95 years. In old trees, new shoots form only when they need to be replaced by damaged ones.

When grown from seeds, the first harvest can be obtained in 7-8 years.

Care and ripening time

Manchurian walnut is an unpretentious crop, so caring for it is quite simple.

Watering

The level of moisture in the soil is an important indicator on which the general condition of the plant depends. Young trees are especially sensitive to lack of moisture. But stagnation of water is also destructive, so you need to water often, but in moderation:

• plants up to 2 years old are watered once every 1-2 weeks with a bucket of water;
• in the third year, watering is reduced to once a month;
• from the fourth year, watering is carried out only once during persistent summer heat.

It is important to mulch the tree trunk after watering. For mulch, you can use straw, peat or fallen leaves.

Fertilizer application

The first feeding is carried out in the second year of the tree’s life. A suitable time is late spring or early summer. If necessary, you can fertilize the tree again at the end of July. Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are applied.

Mulching

Mulching is carried out to insulate the root system, protect against weeds, protect from sun exposure, retain moisture and maintain the quality of the soil. For this, two types of materials are used: organic and inorganic. To improve the effect, it is advisable to carry out mulching after applying fertilizer.

When using organics, the layer thickness is selected as follows:

• leaves and straw - 10-15 cm;
• moss - up to 10 cm;
• sawdust - up to 7 cm.

Preparing for winter

Preparatory work begins in mid-autumn. They remove and burn all fallen leaves, which often contain pests. The entire plant is also inspected. Swelling or compaction indicates that there are nests of pests under the bark. They are cut, and the cut areas are treated with garden varnish.

In autumn and spring, it is recommended to coat the trunk and skeletal branches with lime or clay mortar

Mature trees do not need to be protected from frost, but you need to remember that they can be damaged by rodents. And in early spring, the tree can get sunburn. Therefore, the plant is wrapped in burlap in the fall. You can also use any non-woven material. The top is additionally wrapped with a metal mesh. It is advisable to bury it 10-15 cm around the trunk. Throughout the winter, the snow around the tree is compacted tightly. This will prevent rodents from making passages to the roots.

Trimming

For a nut to bear fruit well, it must receive enough light. The formation of fruit buds occurs at the ends of the branches, which is why the crown thickens even more. The tree requires regular spring pruning.

Old plants additionally undergo anti-aging pruning. A few branches that produce the least yield are cut down.

How Manchurian walnut is formed in landscape design

This tree is quite easy to give the required shape, which is why it is often used in landscape design. The most common methods of formation are:

• with a short trunk and spreading crown;
• a bush with several conductors;
• single-trunk tree with a spherical crown.

A short-stamped tree is formed as follows:

• the young plant is shortened to approximately 1.4 m, and new branches growing in the trunk area are broken off;
• choose one conductor and several branches growing in different directions;
• the next year a second row is formed - the conductor is cut to 80 cm;
• after another year, thin out the crown and remove damaged branches.

Formation of a round crown:

• select the central conductor and cut it to a height of 1.5 m;
• remove all lateral buds;
• form a ball of branches.

Growing as a bush:

• they leave several conductors with skeletal branches on them;
• The top of the tree is constantly pinched, due to which the basal shoots begin to actively develop.

Diseases and pests

Manchurian walnut has a fairly strong immunity to pests and many diseases. But still, a gardener must know the first signs of diseases and be able to diagnose them correctly:

1. Black spot. A fungal disease that occurs when there is high humidity. Leads to drying of leaves. It is necessary to reduce the amount of watering and loosen the soil so that it dries faster. It is also advisable to use copper-containing antifungal drugs.
2. Gall mite. This parasite lays eggs on leaf blades. Its larvae can quickly destroy leaves and young green branches. To destroy the pest, the tree should be treated with insecticides and acaricides.
3. Nutcracker. A pest that can attack any part of the plant. For treatment, the nut is sprayed with a solution of karbofos or chlorophos.
4. codling moth. The larvae feed on nut kernels. They cause great damage to the crop. Insecticides are used to control the codling moth.

Harvest and storage

Harvesting is carried out from September to the end of October. The collected fruits are dried and then placed in fabric bags. The most suitable storage temperature is from +18°C to +22°C. Nuts can be stored for several years.

Conclusion

Manchurian nuts are not only tasty, but also healthy. Thanks to this, it is becoming increasingly popular. It has taken root best in the northern regions, where Walnut It will not be possible to grow due to climatic conditions. In addition, this culture is often used for beautification garden.