Walnut 2 (presume Juglans nigra)
Posted: November 22nd, 2009, 3:28 pm
This walnut was also an abandoned orchard rescue (with owner’s somewhat mystified permission – who would want that?).
I felt that the trunk had potential and, as I had some success reducing walnut leaves, I decided to dig it and see what could be done with it. The original trunk had died back and the plant had reshot from the base.
There were a number of large roots and a few finer ones so I left some otherwise unsuitable roots (which had some finer roots attached) to sustain the plant until it could grow new roots from the cut base.
I broke off one of the two upright shoots, (and later carved it), and trimmed off all but a few to branches.
In March 2008, I cleaned up the branch growth. Grommet (the dog) thought that I should carve the stub of the previously removed second shoot and made a start for me.
I know that all work on the tree has to be my own so I must point out that the dog was sent on her way and I did the carving.
At the end of winter 2009 the ugly root on the left coming from high on the trunk and the root that curled back on itself on the right were both removed. The tree now had good roots elsewhere and these were no longer needed.
I continue to tip prune the tree and to manage pests. This tree is also prone to the large scale which also tries to establish on the elms and wisterias. I remove these manually.
It gets either weak sea weed fertiliser or slow release fertiliser depending on the time of year. At this time keeping water up to the trees in the hot drying winds we are having is the big priority (hydrometer often rests on the stopper with nothing to register) and all trees have wicks inserted and stand in trays of wet gravel.
I use immersion watering with all the trees; it gives a through watering to the trees and is very water conservative. I water using a set of recycled deep twin tubs; one for watering and the other for draining. There is a container beneath the outlet to catch the drain water which then goes onto permeant plantings in the vegetable garden (strawberries, etc). We are on tank and dam water, with dams now too low to pump from (drought) I will have to start carting water to my garden tank from a river some miles away.
Reduction of the leaves on this tree has some way to go yet but should improve with time and root pruning. I am considering either full or partial defoliation (cut back to the two leaflets closest to the branch) to encourage a new crop of smaller leaves but I will not do so until the current heat wave eases up.
I felt that the trunk had potential and, as I had some success reducing walnut leaves, I decided to dig it and see what could be done with it. The original trunk had died back and the plant had reshot from the base.
There were a number of large roots and a few finer ones so I left some otherwise unsuitable roots (which had some finer roots attached) to sustain the plant until it could grow new roots from the cut base.
I broke off one of the two upright shoots, (and later carved it), and trimmed off all but a few to branches.
In March 2008, I cleaned up the branch growth. Grommet (the dog) thought that I should carve the stub of the previously removed second shoot and made a start for me.
I know that all work on the tree has to be my own so I must point out that the dog was sent on her way and I did the carving.
At the end of winter 2009 the ugly root on the left coming from high on the trunk and the root that curled back on itself on the right were both removed. The tree now had good roots elsewhere and these were no longer needed.
I continue to tip prune the tree and to manage pests. This tree is also prone to the large scale which also tries to establish on the elms and wisterias. I remove these manually.
It gets either weak sea weed fertiliser or slow release fertiliser depending on the time of year. At this time keeping water up to the trees in the hot drying winds we are having is the big priority (hydrometer often rests on the stopper with nothing to register) and all trees have wicks inserted and stand in trays of wet gravel.
I use immersion watering with all the trees; it gives a through watering to the trees and is very water conservative. I water using a set of recycled deep twin tubs; one for watering and the other for draining. There is a container beneath the outlet to catch the drain water which then goes onto permeant plantings in the vegetable garden (strawberries, etc). We are on tank and dam water, with dams now too low to pump from (drought) I will have to start carting water to my garden tank from a river some miles away.
Reduction of the leaves on this tree has some way to go yet but should improve with time and root pruning. I am considering either full or partial defoliation (cut back to the two leaflets closest to the branch) to encourage a new crop of smaller leaves but I will not do so until the current heat wave eases up.