How to winter prune walnut trees? The latest technical method tutorial

After First Frost, the leaves of walnut trees gradually fall, and this period is the best time for winter pruning of walnuts. Pruning at this time has the least impact on the walnut, and no bleeding will occur at the cut. So how should walnuts be winter pruned? Follow the editor and take a look.

1. Control the strong leader and cut back long mother branches

The first thing to do in winter pruning of walnuts is to weaken apical dominance. This is the main key to whether walnut cultivation succeeds, and it is the main technical means of cultivating a high-yield and stable-yield tree shape. The growth habits of walnuts are rather unique. If an upright terminal branch grows to more than 3 m in the current year, then if it is not stopped, it will keep growing, resulting in strong branching ability at the top and little branching at the bottom. In this way, the scaffold branches cannot grow well, and the fruiting branches become noticeably bare. Therefore, if you want to control the tree shape, you must control the growth vigor at the top and make the horizontal growth of the plant greater than the vertical growth.

2. Cut off autumn branches before pruning, leave flower heads after pruning

Walnuts differ from other fruit trees in growth habits. For its flower buds to bear fruit, a new fruiting branch first sprouts in autumn, and then the terminal bud of the new fruiting branch is used to bear fruit. If the autumn branch is not cut off in time, then the flower buds on the branch will be located in the rear half of the branch. If the branch is not shortened in time, these flower buds will not receive growth advantage, will not sprout new fruiting branches, and will naturally die by then. The meaning of the second half of the sentence is that in actual operation it is not fixed at the junction of spring and autumn wood. For example, if the junction of spring and autumn is a leaf bud, then pruning can be moved toward the base until the first flower bud position, and the pruning point is 2-3 cm above the flower bud.

3. Branch groups should be renewed, remove weak and keep strong branches

The weak fruiting branches of walnuts are very likely to die after fruiting, so to protect high yield, fruiting branch groups should be renewed and rejuvenated every year, removing the weak and keeping the strong during pruning. It should be noted that the training direction of walnut fruiting branch groups is not strong, and there are no excessive requirements; it is enough for them to be evenly distributed above, below, left, and right. Many people ask me whether to remove all the branches above and below the scaffold branches. This is the wrong approach.

4. Do not leave a head in winter pruning, and there will be no lack of heads next year

The cultivation of the walnut tree shape begins after planting and trunk heading. During winter pruning each year, you must not intentionally leave a tree head, and do not leave a central upright trunk, intentionally letting the trunk grow taller. When cultivating the crown, pay attention to a reasonable distribution of branch groups and maintain balance between the top and bottom. In the early stage of crown cultivation, do not first consider how the tree should grow taller; first ensure that horizontal growth is slightly greater than vertical growth. If apical dominance is too strong, then the tree body will keep growing taller, the lower and inner branches cannot emerge, and the basal branches are greatly reduced, weakening the lower layer of the crown and promoting apical dominance. In this way, high and stable yield is completely impossible, and future renovation is also troublesome. Therefore, even if no head is left during winter pruning, there will still be no lack of heads next year, and the growth vigor at the top will still be very strong.

  The above is an introduction to the winter pruning techniques for walnut trees. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.