Compared to other fruit trees, the walnut tree bleeds excessively. Again and again, hobby gardeners are surprised by the large amount of tree sap that escapes when cutting. The reason for the massive sap flow are the strong roots in the ground. They generate the intense outward pressure. Now the question arises whether it is bad if the walnut bleeds so immensely. In this guide you will learn everything you need to know about the right way to deal with a bleeding walnut tree.
A walnut tree bleeds more heavily at leafless time
Is profuse bleeding dangerous on walnuts?
no A healthy walnut tree can usually cope with temporarily bleeding profusely. However, you should not underestimate intense flow.
Note: Excessive sap loss can cause serious damage to the tree's delicate conduit system.
Timing is important:
If there is a frost during or shortly after pruning the walnut tree, the sap in the wounds freezes. Tissue tears and further damage are then not far away.
In addition, pests and fungi find optimal conditions to spread due to the increased humidity.
This means that you should take care to cut your walnut at the right time, namely when relatively little tree sap is coming out:
- NOT after leaf fall (winter and spring)
- instead in late summer (August, September)
The conditions are ideal between mid-August and the end of September: the tree does not sprout and is not yet preparing for winter.
What to do if the walnut tree bleeds heavily?
If the cutting of the walnut tree cannot be prevented at another time (e.g. due to storm damage), you should let the tree bleed.
Do not try to stop the wound from flowing!
Ultimately, bleeding is a natural defense of the walnut tree to keep its wounds clean.
Especially if the wounds are not too big, the tree does not have a big problem with losing sap. Don't panic if it continues to bleed for weeks. At some point it stops again - usually without damage to your walnut tree.
Note: Gardeners used to flame off bleeding tree wounds with a blowtorch. You must not do this under any circumstances (also do not use tree wax (12.96€)!). With such methods you only cause more damage - by destroying the cambium, which nevertheless contributes to wound healing.
In short, your walnut tree doesn't need help when it bleeds. He heals himself.