Crunchy walnuts from our own cultivation are within reach when there is a walnut tree in the garden. Careful training and an occasional topiary guarantee untroubled joy in the mighty tree. In this tutorial you can read about when and how to cut a walnut in an exemplary manner.

Walnut trees bleed profusely when cut, so it's best to cut them in early fall

Table of Contents

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  1. Strong sap flow
  2. Best time to cut
  3. education cut
  4. topiary
  5. tenon cutting
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. Walnut tree bleeds profusely

    A real walnut tree (Juglans regia) grows slowly but steadily to an impressive 25 meters in height. Nut trees that are grafted onto black walnut (Juglans nigra) and are suitable for gardens also reach impressive growth heights with a crown diameter of 8 to 10 metres. Reason enough to raise a walnut tree at a young age and to prun it occasionally as it gets older. If it weren't for the massive flow of juice that accompanies every cut, no matter how small.

    In the midst of the growth period, veritable torrents of plant sap flow from an open wooden body. The cause is the strong sap pressure, which is at its highest level in spring and only subsides in the course of summer.

    Bleeding is not life threatening

    Streams of sap from the walnut tree often cause hobby gardeners a headache. There is great concern that the so-called bleeding could kill the magnificent tree. In fact, it is one natural reaction for wounds of all kinds, as is known from other tree species, such as maple.

    You can't stop the flow of juice. Tree wax (€12.96) and other wound sealants do not stick to the soaked surface. Cauterizing cuts destroys the valuable dividing tissue (cambium) under the bark. Wounds cannot heal without the cambium, so the wound will never close. The remedy of choice against bleeding on the walnut tree is a wisely chosen pruning time.

    Cut in early fall

    If you have pruned your walnut tree, the best time to cut it is in early autumn. Parallel to the shedding of the leaves, the sap flow is temporarily reduced to a tolerable level. The tree is preparing for hibernation and now no longer wants to grow. A cutting appointment the beginning of October scores with three important advantages:

    • Juice pressure at the lowest level of the year
    • Sufficient time window for wound healing until the first frost
    • Date selection conforms to the Federal Nature Conservation Act

    From October 1st, the Federal Nature Conservation Act allows pruning of all kinds of trees and shrubs, because the birds' breeding season is over by then. Although the new grace period does not begin again until March 1st, the walnut tree should be cut until mid-November be graduated.

    tips

    Autumn is not only the best time for a cut. September to November is also the ideal time window for planting a walnut tree. Inexpensive bare-root products and young trees with balls grow quickly in the sun-warmed garden soil. Add some mature compost to the planting pit as a natural jump starter for healthy growth.

    Build up a shapely crown - training cut

    Tree nurseries and garden centers offer walnut in a garden-ready version as a grafted young tree on a robust base. "Clone no. 139" is very popular because its subsequent budding is less endangered by late frosts. Refined walnuts bear the first fruits after 5 to 6 years, whereas the real walnut takes up to 30 years until the first flowering period. The upright, richly branched growth of premium varieties as a graft offers the perfect starting point for training into a shapely tree, as illustrated in the figure below. This is how the educational cut succeeds:

    • In the first 4 to 6 years, carry out training pruning in early autumn
    • Build up the crown with a vertical center drive and 3 lateral main branches
    • Select leading branches with different attachment points and an angle between 45° and 90° to the trunk
    • Do not cut the tip of the center shoot

    The educational phase focuses on vertical competition to be removed in time. This applies equally to steep shoots on the leading branches and from rootstock or trunk. Prune main branches only if they grow at different lengths. The top buds should be in the juice scale at all times. The top bud of the central shoot is enthroned one to two scissor lengths above the leading branches. Together, the framework forms an angle of 90° to 120° for an exemplary round crown.

    Raise the crown with a vertical central shoot and three lateral main branches. Wild shoots from the base and trunk are promptly removed. Steep shoots that compete with the scaffolding must give way.

    digression

    Preferably tie down shoots

    The walnut differs from apple, pear and cherry in many ways. When it comes to the fertility of shoots, a walnut tree pulls together with pome and stone fruit trees. As long as a shoot grows vertically towards the sky, the law of growth of top support rules. The walnut is not interested in planting flower buds at this point. Before you remove a steep shoot from the crown in a sunny position, you should use its fruiting potential. To do this, tie or spread the young, still pliable branch at an angle of about 60° to trunk or leading branch. Growth comes to a standstill so that flowers and nuts can form.

    Cut tree crown into shape

    A properly trained walnut tree rarely requires pruning. The most common cause is an unwanted expansion in all directions, which makes a reduction of the crown unavoidable. At intervals of 5 to 10 years, a walnut that is sensitive to cuts tolerates the intervention of scissors and saws. With this cut you can bring a walnut back into shape:

    • The best time is between the beginning of October and mid-November when the weather is dry
    • Cut off shoots that are at an acute angle to the trunk or main branch
    • Remove or tie down shoots sprouting on the leading branches
    • Cut back overly long scaffolding branches by a maximum of 150 cm
    • Slim down massively branched shoot tips by derivation
    • Cut branches larger than 5 cm into 20 cm long cones
    • Step back after each cut to plan what to do next
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    A walnut tree will benefit if you are familiar with a derivative pruning. This is used when you have a scaffolding branch that is too long shorten or a broom-like branched branch tip slim down would. Look for an outward-facing, young side shoot near the cutting point. Cut off the used wood at the fork. To prevent the young shoot from being injured, position the scissors or saw a few millimeters into the old wood.

    Your walnut tree needs a topiary every 5 to 10 years. Thin out dead wood and steep shoots by cutting on the cones. Strongly ramified and overly long skeleton branches lead you to a favorable side shoot.

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    fruit woodcut useless

    Note a pruning on the walnut tree only if the crown has grown too large or shapeless. Fruit pruning to increase crop yield is not worth the trouble. In contrast to fruit trees with stone or pome fruit, annual pruning measures to promote young fruit wood on walnuts come to nothing. Rather, site conditions and weather determine the quantity and fruit quality of a harvest.

    Cut gently on cones

    The rare pruning measures on the walnut tree can cause larger cuts. The main branches of a crown are usually affected, on the upper side of which undesirable vertical shoots or similarly unfavorable branches have to be removed. A cut on a string harbors the risk that the wound will dry back deep into the wood at this point and fatal rot will form. It is easier to cut on cones. How to do it right:

    • Cut off thick shoots from the main branch or trunk with 20 to 25 cm long cones
    • Consequence: the cone gradually dries back by half
    • After 2 to 3 years, remove dried cone remains in autumn

    According to this strategy, dead or damaged skeletal shoots should also be removed from the crown. The particular advantage of the pruning technique is that young shoots grow from a cone base. After a few years, select the most promising, sloping shoot as the new leader and remove the rest.

    frequently asked Questions

    Is a walnut tree self-fertile?

    Walnut trees are monoecious and therefore self-fertile. On a tree there are female and male flowers. The male flowers are identifiable as pendulous, yellowish-green catkins. They appear in April about four weeks before the inconspicuous female inflorescences. Pollination is done by the wind. A single tree is therefore sufficient for a harvest of crunchy walnuts.

    Should a walnut tree be supported with a stake while growing? If so, when can the support be removed again?

    A support pole fulfills two important tasks. It primarily serves to ensure that the trunk and central shoot grow straight. In addition, it prevents wind breakage, which is to be feared above all on young and thin shoots. The post can only be removed when a walnut tree has grown well and has formed a thick, stable and stable trunk. The more wind-exposed the location, the longer you should wait.

    Is it possible to limit the growth of a real walnut (no grafting)? I'm thinking about cutting off the lead tip.

    Walnut trees naturally grow quite large. Trees that are not grafted, especially propagated from seeds, reach a height of 20 meters and more. There is the option of regulating growth right from the start with an educational cut. If you want to keep a real walnut more compact and smaller overall, trim the crown all the way around. If you only cut the leading tip, it grows massively in width. The best time is parallel to the autumnal leaf fall between the beginning of October and mid-November. At all other times of the year, a strong flow of sap sets in, which significantly impairs wound healing.

    Is it possible to keep a real walnut tree in a tub for 10 years? If so, how big should the pot be and what should you pay special attention to?

    In principle, it is possible to keep walnut trees in tubs. In contrast to the field, a walnut in a pot requires significantly more care. The substrate dries out faster and after a short time has hardly any nutrients to offer. Regular watering and fertilizing is essential. A 20-liter bucket is sufficient to get you started, but not for a period of 10 years. The pot should gradually grow to a volume of 200 liters when the tree has reached a height of 6 to 7 metres. To do this, repot the walnut tree every 2 to 3 years.

    2 years ago I planted a walnut that has shot up from 90 centimeters to almost 200 centimeters. Unfortunately not a single side shoot has formed so far. I didn't really want the walnut tree to be that big. What to do?

    Walnut trees naturally have a hard time with lush branching. Over time, a few side shoots will gradually form. You can speed up the process by clipping the shoot tip to 150 or 180 cm. Cut just above a vigorous bud. In this way, you create a sap in the lower-lying buds, which then sprout. There will not be more than two or three side shoots. After all, this number is enough to raise a beautiful crown from it.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    Without an educational pruning, a walnut tree will sooner or later outgrow you. If a topiary is made at the wrong time, the magnificent tree threatens to bleed dry. A walnut fares similarly if its branches are not cut into cones. The following overview draws attention to the three most common cutting errors and provides tried-and-tested tips for prevention:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    no educational cut uncontrolled growth, misshapen crown Raising the crown with a central shoot and 3 main branches
    cut in summer or winter massive sap flow cut in early fall
    thicker shoots are not cut on cones sluggish wound healing, spread of wood rot from 5 cm in diameter, cut into cones

    tips

    The wood quality of walnut trees is on par with precious woods such as mahogany or teak. In addition to the optical advantages, the wood is characterized by a fine-grained and medium-hard structure. For cutting care, these attributes mean a low tendency to splinter and little effort when cutting. To cut twigs and branches up to 3 cm in diameter, pruning shears with a bypass mechanism are recommended, which leave clean cuts.

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Vegetable garden