Walnut Ideal: description, photo, reviews

Walnut Ideal fell in love with gardeners from the first meeting. First of all, the fact that it can be grown in regions where other varieties are unprofitable. The ideal is fast-growing, frost-resistant, has a small size in adulthood. Gardeners are happy to plant a new species for the sake of a harvest of delicious hearths.

Description of walnut Ideal

The ideal was bred by Uzbek breeders in 1947 in order to obtain an early ripe hardy fruit variety.

The new species helped to significantly expand the cultivation areas of the crop. The description of the walnut should start with the appearance of the tree and the main characteristics:

1. The height of the tree in adulthood is much less than that of other varieties. The ideal reaches a size of 4-5 m, which is quite a bit for a nut.
2. The bark on the trunk is grayish-brown in color, it acquires brown color on skeletal branches and fruit-bearing shoots. Young growth is easy to distinguish by the bark of a green hue with a bluish bloom.
3. The leaves are dense, large, dissected into parts of an oval-pointed shape.
4. The flowers of the walnut are dioecious. They are small, white with a greenish tinge, wind-pollinated, in one brush from 8 to 15 flowers. The peculiarity of the variety is the second wave of flowering, which begins 1-2 weeks after the first. If the year is successful in terms of climatic conditions, then gardeners harvest a second crop. The second wave lasts until autumn. In spring, there is a risk of damage to flower buds by return frosts. Therefore, if the first harvest suffers, then the second wave gives, if not a full-fledged, but worthy harvest. Ripening lasts from early September to late October.
5. The fruits are oval in shape, the average weight of one nut is 8-11 g. The shell is thin, light beige. No effort is required for splitting, the kernels are large with a high content of nutrients, mainly fats and proteins.
6. The appearance of the first ovaries begins 2-3 years after planting the seedling. Stable yields are noted from the age of 6. One large Ideal tree gives 100-120 kg of large fruits. Walnut refers to varieties of early fruiting.
7. The variety is resistant to chlorosis.

Walnut Photo Ideal:

Pros and cons of the variety

The advantages and disadvantages are easy to put together in groups, focusing on the description of the Ideal walnut variety and gardeners’ reviews. Among the advantages are:

1. Skoroplodnost. The variety begins fruiting very early.
2. Tree compactness. Ideal differs favorably in size from other varieties of walnut. Therefore, other crops can be planted next to it at a closer distance than from an ordinary nut.
3. Frost resistance. The grade maintains without damages lowering of temperature to – 30-35 °C.
4. Undemanding to the composition of the soil. When planting an Ideal walnut seedling, no special soil mixture is required. The plant grows normally on soil with high acidity.
5. double fruiting. The characteristic allows you to harvest even in the case of spring freezing of flower buds.
6. High annual yield.

The cons of the Ideal walnut are:

1. Variety fragility. This is due to the precocity of the Ideal nut. Such species live an average of 40-50 years, an ordinary walnut grows 100 years or more.
2. Instability to return frosts.

Optimal growing conditions

Walnut variety Ideal prefers well-lit areas with normalized humidity. A powerful root system penetrates deep into the ground, so areas with close groundwater should be avoided. It is also not recommended to plant a tree next to buildings so that the grown nut does not damage them. The variety is distinguished by a strong spreading of the branches. Particular care from the gardener is needed in the first year after planting the seedling. At this time, the Ideal grows reluctantly. If the tree successfully winters, then the next year it already develops much more actively, and in autumn it reaches a height of up to 1,3 m.

Planting and caring for a walnut Ideal

The planting process does not differ from the traditional stages for walnuts. The gardener needs to be careful to withstand all the nuances. Culture is capricious in the first years of life, then it gains strength and grows without problems. Care requirements include adherence to a watering schedule and crown formation. Pruning is necessary so that the ovaries have enough light. Landing is scheduled for spring or autumn. When seedlings are planted for the winter, during the summer they reach a size of 15 cm. The second stage of development occurs in the second year. The best time for autumn planting is a month before the onset of frost.

Selection and preparation of the landing site

For a walnut tree, a site is allocated that is well lit by the sun and protected from strong winds. Especially north direction. Although the plant is compact, it does not tolerate crowding. Therefore, if it is planned to plant several Ideal walnut seedlings, then 4,5-5 m are left between them. Although the originators of the variety indicate that the tree grows on acidified soil, it is still recommended to choose a site with soddy-calcareous loam.

Seedling preparation

If there is a choice between a grafted and own-rooted seedling, then gardeners prefer the first option. This is because specimens obtained from seeds do not always retain all parental traits. The culture is cross-pollinated, and the seeds do not always convey all the advantages of the Ideal nut.

When choosing a seedling, pay attention to the condition of the bark and roots. You should not purchase copies with alarming factors:

• the presence of any damage;
• even small pockets of decay;
• weak or sluggish root system.

The ideal does not like unnecessary transplants, and if the plant is unhealthy, it may die. It is recommended to buy seedlings with a closed root system. In such a nut, when planted, the suction and root growth zones will remain intact.

Rules of landing

The variety must be immediately planted in a permanent place, it does not tolerate transplantation.

If a seedling is grown from a seed, then it is germinated in advance in wet sand. A step-by-step description of planting a nut Ideal looks like this:

1. Prepare a landing pit with dimensions of 60×60 cm. You do not need to pre-treat the pit, you can dig it on the day of planting.
2. Mix the earth with peat and humus in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. Add 0,5 kg of dolomite flour and 0,6 kg of superphosphate. Next, 0,5 kg of wood ash. Fill the bottom of the hole with potting soil.
3. If a walnut seedling with an open root system, then the roots are dipped in a clay mash. It is prepared from 1 part of manure (rotten) and 3 parts of clay, which are mixed and diluted with water to a state of sour cream. The root former Kornevin or Heteroauxin is added. The roots are left to dry for 25-30 minutes.
4. A support is installed near the mound of earth.
5. A walnut seedling is located on top of an earthen mound. The lower roots are distributed along the sides of the slope, the upper ones are laid horizontally. The depth of the upper roots is 7-8 cm.
   Important! The root neck should be located 3-5 cm above the soil surface.
6. Fix the seedling to the support.
7. Fill the hole and mulch.

When planting a nut from a closed root system, you need to carefully transfer the plant into a pit with a clod of earth. Then cover with soil and water.

Watering and top dressing

Watering is most needed for young nuts in spring and summer. During this period, the Ideal consumes a large amount of moisture. Trees are also watered during dry periods. Each plant requires at least 20-30 liters of water per 1 sq. m area. The average frequency of watering is 2 times a month. When the height of the nut reaches 4 m, the intensity of watering is reduced.

Feeding the Ideal is carried out twice a year – in spring and autumn. Spring top dressing should contain nitrogen fertilizers, autumn – potash and phosphorus. Adult plants aged 20 to 50 years require 7 kg of ammonium nitrate, 10 kg of superphosphate, 3 kg of potassium salt. When applying nitrogen fertilizers, you need to follow the rules:

1. Be sure to keep the dosage. Excess leads to the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms that cause walnut diseases.
2. Do not apply nitrogen components at the beginning of the fruiting of the variety (2-3 years), so as not to stimulate the growth of green mass, but to allow the formation of ovaries.

The walnut responds well to root watering with a solution of chicken manure.

Trimming and shaping

There is no need to constantly trim and shape the walnut tree. It is important to remove dry, broken branches and thin out the crown a little. This is necessary for uniform illumination of the branches. If you need to cut an unnecessary branch, this is done in two stages. The first time the branch is not completely cut. A knot 7-8 cm in size is set aside on the tree. It is removed the next year after drying. The Ideal nut bears fruit on annual shoots, so pruning is done in order to provide them with good lighting.

Preparation for winter

Cooking a nut for the winter period begins in the summer. In the second half of August, watering is stopped, nitrogen fertilizers are dosed very carefully. This allows the wood to mature better before the onset of cold weather. In autumn, the near-stem circle is mulched with manure for a first-year seedling or humus for an older nut. Young trees are covered with spruce branches or wrapped in paper.

Reproduction

There are two types of reproduction of the Ideal variety walnut:

1. Seeds. Intact healthy fruits in the stage of cracking of the green shell are selected. Then dried in a dry room. The seeds are germinated before planting. It is desirable to carry out stratification. The seeds are sown in early April. Large specimens are buried by 10 cm, small ones by 7 cm. Be sure to lay them on edge.
2. Grafted seedlings. It is preferable to graft with a cutting, and not a kidney, which can freeze in winter.

Gardeners claim that the methods make it possible to obtain an accurate reproduction of the properties of the Ideal walnut and its varietal characteristics.

Walnut yield Ideal from 1 tree

The yield of the Ideal variety is characterized by annual stability. An adult tree produces 100 kg of quality fruits. With a good agricultural background, the yield increases to 120 kg per nut.

Harvesting and storage of crops

Time is determined by the state of the green pericarp. They begin to harvest when the green shell begins to crack.

Harvested nuts are kept for a week in the cellar. Then they clean the pericarp that has not fallen behind. To make it easier to remove the green peel, hinder the nuts in the sun.

Diseases and pests

Among the diseases that the Ideal walnut can be exposed to are:

• bacteriosis;
• bacterial burn;
• brown spotting.

For control and prevention, copper-containing preparations are used, spraying with a Bordeaux mixture (1%) is carried out.

Of the pests, the walnut moth, walnut moth, warty mite, and sapwood can annoy. For the fight, use the means permitted for use on walnut varieties.

Conclusion

Walnut Ideal is grown in various regions. This variety produces a good harvest in climates where others do not survive. The only condition for gardeners is to comply with the requirements of agricultural technology.

Walnut Reviews Ideal