In principle, the hobby gardener does not need any experience to grow a walnut tree. This means that even newcomers to the field can easily attempt to grow a new tree from a nut. We'll show you step by step how to do it!

A walnut tree is easy to grow from a walnut

What you need to grow a walnut tree

Basically, if you want to grow a walnut tree, all you need is a handful of fresh walnuts, a pot of soil and a little luck.

Important: Make sure you have enough space in the garden right from the start. Walnuts reach an impressive height and width over the years. So BEFORE breeding, check how it looks in terms of location options.

As far as nuts are concerned, you should never use those from the supermarket - these are usually not germinable. It is ideal if there is a healthy walnut tree in a neighboring garden or forest (in the former case you would only have to ask the owner to let you have some of his nuts). Alternatively, you can contact a specialist dealer.

Note: You need five to six walnuts for a high probability of success.

Growing walnuts - step by step

  1. Remove the green shells from the walnuts.
  2. Perform the swim test to identify and sort out dead nuts. Healthy walnuts will sink to the bottom while unhealthy ones will float to the top.
  3. Fill a flowerpot with damp foliage.
  4. Place the walnuts on the foliage.
  5. Cover the nuts with some garden soil.
  6. Provide the flower pot with wire mesh all around (14.99€) to keep rodents away.
  7. Carefully dig the pot into the ground in your garden. This will protect the nuts and future seedlings from frost damage.
  8. Between late March and early April, the shells should open, revealing roots and shoots.
  9. Transplant the seedlings into a fresh flower pot with garden soil. It is important to place the seedlings close to the surface (do not bury them deep!).
  10. Place the pot in a light, cool spot until the ice saints are over. This, in turn, serves to protect the seedlings from frost. Temperatures of two to ten degrees are optimal.
  11. During this time, keep the soil in the pot constantly slightly moist.
  12. In the warmer months, the pot can be moved to a sunny spot outside.
  13. Place the young plants in their desired place in the garden after the following ice saints.
  14. For the first few weeks after that, you'll need to water the seedlings regularly, especially on warm, dry days.
  15. In the first year, the young plants grow about 25 to 30 centimeters in height.
  16. From all your seedlings, identify the two or three strongest seedlings - these will remain. Carefully pull the rest out of the ground.
  17. Then select the prettiest walnut baby next spring. It shall become your tree.
  18. Cut the weaker seedlings below the root collar in the ground. By doing this, you prevent them from growing further. Attention: You shouldn't pull any more here, otherwise you might damage the roots of your chosen little tree.
  19. In the third or fourth year of your pulled nut it is time for the first cut.

tips

In order to accelerate the growth of the walnut and to be able to enjoy the first harvest after just a few years, grafting is recommended.

Category:

Vegetable garden