Latest Technical Methods and Tutorial for Winter Management of Walnut Trees

Walnut trees have very poor cold tolerance. If the temperature is relatively low, the walnut trees will experience leaf drop. This has a great impact on the walnut trees' production the following year. If the walnut trees suffer severe freeze damage, it is very likely to lead to death. So how should they be managed during the low-temperature winter season to ensure they safely overwinter? Below, the editor brings you the winter management techniques for walnut trees. Let's take a look!

1. Reasonable Fertilization

In winter, we must first do a good job of fertilizing the walnut trees, and walnut tree fertilization should be based mainly on organic fertilizer. When deep-plowing the orchard, apply it as base fertilizer. When applying base fertilizer, we should control the application amount according to soil fertility, walnut growth and yield, and tree nutritional status. Under normal circumstances, for every 1 kg of output, about 5 kg of organic fertilizer is needed, and an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should also be applied. After fertilizing, be sure to mix the fertilizer thoroughly with the soil to improve fertilizer efficiency.

2. Timely Pruning

For walnut trees, the best pruning period is from after the autumn fruit harvest until before the leaves turn yellow and fall. Pruning at this time is mainly to adjust the walnut tree's framework structure, focusing on large branches, overly long and dense branches, and diseased and pest-infested branches. It is best not to prune within one month after leaf drop or before the walnut trees bud, because these two periods are the bleeding periods of walnut trees and will affect the healing of pruning wounds.

3. Heat Preservation and Freeze Protection

As just mentioned, walnut trees have very poor cold tolerance, so heat preservation and freeze protection work is very important. Generally, commonly used freeze protection methods are basically all suitable for walnut trees. Before the soil freezes, be sure to water thoroughly with freezing water to ensure the walnut trees safely overwinter. Then whitewashing the trunks and wrapping the trees can all be used. In addition, before the winter cold wave arrives, we can also use smoke to raise the temperature and reduce freeze damage to the walnut trees.

4. Appropriate Watering

Walnuts have a relatively large demand for water and strong waterlogging tolerance, and are not suitable for growing in dry environments. Therefore, in winter we should also water appropriately to ensure the walnut trees' production capacity the following year. After applying base fertilizer, water once to improve the absorption rate of the base fertilizer and speed up the decomposition of the fertilizer. Then we should also water well for overwintering, especially during winter drought, when watering work must be done well. However, be careful to control the water temperature, which must not be too low, to avoid causing freeze damage to the walnut trees.

The above is a brief introduction to winter management techniques for walnut trees. In addition, we must also do a good job of pest and disease control to avoid affecting the normal growth of walnut trees the following spring. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and your support.