Walnut

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Walnut (lat. Juglans regia) - a variety of trees from the numerous Walnut family.

Description

The walnut is a fairly large tree, capable of reaching twenty-five meters in height. And the trunks of this tree sometimes reach a diameter of three to seven meters. All trunks are covered with dense grayish bark, and walnut twigs always fold into lush crowns.

The odd-pinnate and complex whimsical alternate leaves of the plant consist of elongated ovoid leaves (of two or five pairs). They bloom at the same time along with the flowers and reach a length of 40 to 70 mm.

Small greenish flowers are always dioecious. Collected in hanging earrings, staminate flowers are formed by stamens in the amount of twelve to eighteen pieces and perianths, each having six lobes. And sessile pistillate flowers are endowed with double perianths fused with formed ovaries. They are located on the tops of annual branches in small groups (two or three flowers) or singly.

The fruits of this plant look like rather large single-seeded drupes, covered with rather thick green leathery-fibrous peels, which are called pericarp. And strong spherical or ovoid bones (that is, the nuts themselves) are equipped with incomplete partitions in the amount of two to five pieces. As soon as the fruits are ripe, the peels on them immediately dry up and burst, exposing woody shells, inside which are hidden edible nucleoli.

Walnut bloom can be observed in May, at the same time with the blooming of the leaves. Sometimes it happens that the trees bloom again in June. And the ripening of the fruits occurs in September-October. All fruits are quite different in a number of indicators. As a rule, one nut weighs from five to seventeen grams, and the nucleoli account for 40 to 58% of the total mass.

The renewal of this culture occurs either vegetatively or by seed. Until the tiny seedlings reach a year, powerful taproots are formed on them, reaching a length of one and a half meters by the age of five, and three and a half by the age of twenty. And after 3 - 5 years, horizontal roots are also formed, most of which deepen by twenty to fifty centimeters.

Spreading

In the wild, walnuts can be found in the Transcaucasus. In addition, this culture grows well in Iran, the Tien Shan, northern India and far northern China, as well as in sunny Greece and Asia Minor. And in Western Europe, this plant is still considered wild.

Growing and caring

Walnut thrives on moderately moist and humus-rich soils with good aeration. And lime-rich substrates are generally a real find for these trees. When growing a walnut, it is important to take into account that this culture needs very solid volumes of soil, since its roots often go four meters deep and about twenty meters to the sides. By the way, this feature allows trees to easily endure periods of drought.

But the vulnerable walnut, alas, cannot withstand large frosts - if the thermometer drops below twenty-five to twenty-eight degrees, the trees begin to freeze.

Since the walnut is very unpretentious, it does not require any special care. And until the trees begin to actively bear fruit, you can grow various vegetable crops in the aisles. By the way, the walnut begins to bear fruit only in the seventh or eighth year of its existence. But then he does not lose this ability until the very end of his life. And the yield of this crop can sometimes reach twenty five to thirty centners from each hectare.