Walnut rejuvenation

Walnut is a tree with a long fruiting period. The fruiting period for a nut begins at the age of 5 and, depending on the variety, can last up to 80 years. Up to 100 kg of harvest can be harvested from old varieties of trees, but its quality leaves much to be desired. In old varieties of walnuts, by the 25th year after planting, the fruits begin to turn black, and the yield decreases. The kernels are already hard to remove from the shell, and more and more nuts are rotten inside.

Many gardeners remove old hazel trees. But a mature and strong tree can be an excellent rootstock for more productive and new varieties. If you want to keep the old variety walnut, then its cuttings can be grafted onto an adult tree, stimulating the growth of young shoots.

Harvesting cuttings for grafting

Cuttings for walnut grafting harvested in the fall. The harvesting is done after the leaves fall. For grafting, an even segment of a branch with a length of 10 cm or more is chosen. Such a branch should have at least 10 buds. The prepared cuttings are placed vertically in a container with water, its level should be 1-2 cm. The container is wrapped in a damp cloth. Store cuttings in the refrigerator until spring.

Before grafting, the branch is cut into equal parts so that the grafts develop evenly. On each cutting should be left from two dormant buds.

Nut grafting

Grafting a walnut, like all trees, is necessary in early May, when the deciduous buds of the tree have not yet woken up. Before grafting cuttings, you need to cut 70% of the branches, and graft the cuttings on the remaining "hemp".

It is necessary to make incisions in the bark of the stock, cutting it through to the cambium. Then the cuttings are prepared. They make an oblique cut equal in length to 2.5-3 diameters of the cutting. With the help of a secateurs, the bark of the stock is pryed off and the cutting is inserted into the formed depression. Then the stalk must be nailed to the main trunk with nails. First, you need to create a slight bark interference in the place where the oblique cut was made on the handle, and hammer the first nail. Then the stalk and the trunk of the tree are firmly connected with another nail. Sections are covered with garden pitch.

If you don't have a garden varnish, you can use old oil paint.

Further, all sections are sealed with electrical tape or wrapped with cloth. So all thickened skeletal branches are grafted. Up to four cuttings can be grafted on one branch. In the spring, the buds of the tree will wake up, and the process of growing new shoots will begin. With this grafting, even a 70-year-old walnut can be rejuvenated.