Most people do not properly care for walnuts, believing that this is useless. However, if you want to collect a full-fledged crop of this plant, fertilizers must be applied regularly. This will not only make the fruits large, but also increase the life span of the tree.

Types of Fertilizers for Walnut

There are a huge number of different fertilizers. All of them are divided into:

• organic
• chemical.

Top dressing is characterized by its own advantages and disadvantages. The use of certain components affects certain parameters of culture and its fruits.

Did you know? Burnt walnut shells are used to make high-quality activated carbon.

Organic fertilizer

The main features of organic substances include:

• natural origin - there is no chemistry in such substances;
• longer effect on the soil;
• positively affect the composition of the soil and its structure;
• Depending on the geographical location, the composition may be different.

One of the most common organic substances is bird droppings. Most often, biological waste from chickens or pigeons is used. Such fertilizers contain potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen and magnesium.

In dry form, bird droppings are not recommended: it is necessary to make tincture from it, mixing the substance and water in a ratio of 1: 1.

Peat is also often used. It can only be mined in swampy areas. It is believed that peat cannot be used in its pure form, since the toxins contained in it can adversely affect the quality of soil and plants.

Important! To protect the soil, it is necessary to leave peat for a day in the open air so that all negative substances evaporate. You can also mix this fertilizer and compost.

The most effective organic remedy that is used to feed walnuts is manure. Its main advantage is that it works 5-7 days after application. Due to the high content of nutrients, manure has a positive effect on soil nutrition. The only caveat - you can not use it on acidic soils, since it has a large amount of acid.

Chemical fertilizers

Nitrogen fertilizers are very popular. If you choose nitrate substances, then they can be used on any soil. Ammonium preparations are used only in combination with lime.

Also, farmers periodically use phosphorus and potassium compounds. They are able to increase yield indicators and protect the plant from hypothermia in the winter season or during the thaw.

There is a certain procedure for applying chemicals:

1. Nitrogen compounds are used in small quantities. If the plant is young, then you can not nourish it during the fruiting period. Otherwise, the tree will develop dysbiosis, which will provoke its death.
2. Phosphorus and potassium components are used in large quantities. They are aimed at increasing the intensity of fruiting of the tree.

Did you know? In ancient Babylon, priests forbade the use of walnuts to ordinary people. The fruits were considered food for the nobility.

How to feed

To understand how to properly feed a walnut, you need to decide on the time of fertilizer application. In early summer, it is recommended to use ammonium nitrate. 6 kg are applied per 1 m² of an adult tree, evenly distributing over the entire surface of the trunk circle. In late June, the use of phosphates and potassium compounds is recommended. They are aimed at the intensive growth of new shoots. It is enough to dilute 300 g of fertilizer in 5 l of water and pour the prepared solution under 1 plant.

In the fall, give preference to phosphorus, potassium and organic components. It is best to apply them while plowing the soil so that the beneficial elements penetrate better into the soil.

On 1 m² it is recommended to make:

• organic y - 3-5 kg;
• potassium - based dressing - 3–7 kg;
• phosphorus - based fertilizers - 5-10 kg.

If the age of a walnut tree is 20 years, then you can add a complex of substances that can be easily prepared with your own hands. It is necessary to mix 10 kg of superphosphate and 2 kg of potassium salt. Distribute the entire volume to 1 m².

Important! Use green manure as organic fertilizer. For a walnut, lupine or oats are ideal, which are sown in the fall during plowing of the site.

In spring, walnuts must be fertilized with nitrogenous substances. The optimal time for this procedure is mid-April. At this point, the soil will warm up sufficiently, and the risk of frost return will decrease. You can add 8 kg of substance under each tree, both in dry form and in liquid solution. Moreover, the second option is considered more effective, since together with water, useful elements penetrate into the inner layers of the soil.

Using Walnut Leaves

Some housewives prefer to use walnut leaves as fertilizers. There are several ways to do this:

1. Dig the area along with the fallen leaves . After that, pour 20 ml of clean water every 1 m² to provoke a rotting process.
2. In the autumn, scatter around the tree ash from the leaves of a walnut. It contains a high concentration of potassium (about 20%), phosphorus (up to 5%) and calcium (about 9%).

So, now you know how to feed a walnut at home and what components are more appropriate to use. Apparently, the tree is able to independently feed itself with the help of fallen leaves. However, the maximum benefit is observed if organic substances are used in combination with chemical ones.