Irrigation in Walnut Farming;
One of the most important features that we will look for should be that there is no watering problem in the land where we will grow walnuts. For the irrigation of the saplings, we should make our pre-planning and create irrigable land conditions after planting the saplings.

We should know that we will need water starting from spring and especially in summer for the development of saplings and future fruit quality in our land where we will be planting walnut saplings.

The annual water need of the walnut tree, which is fully efficient, is around 1100-1300 mm.

The irrigation need of walnut trees starts at the end of spring and continues until the end of the harvest period. During this period, additional irrigation is needed in many regions of our country due to the insufficient precipitation.

If we examine the irrigation activity separately as irrigation of saplings and trees that have yielded;

Watering Walnut Saplings;

a. It is important for the sapling holes opened during planting to be at the appropriate depth (50-60 cm depth-40-50 cm width in a normal soil structure) and the soil to be filled in the seedling pit by mixing well-burned animal manure and leonardite into the top soil is important for successful irrigation in the first years. .

b. The watering of the walnut starts with the water that will be given enough to reach the roots and saturate the seedlings during the planting. (5-10 Lt)

c. If the sapling is planted in winter, life water should be given again, but additional irrigation should not be done unless needed. Humidity of the soil caused by precipitation is sufficient.

D. With the arrival of spring and the decrease in rainfall, the water need of the walnut sapling will increase and it will need additional irrigation. How much and when our saplings will need water is a matter of keeping the soil moist, that is, the ability to hold water. Increasing air temperatures will also increase the water requirement of the sapling.

to. Again, in the planting of walnut saplings in the summer, planting should not be done without taking precautions regarding irrigation.

The issues you need to follow while determining the sapling's water need;

* During the seedling period, you should determine the depth of water we recommend as 15-20 liters for each irrigation, and determine how many minutes of watering and how many liters of irrigation you will do.

* You should observe how many days your irrigation keeps the seedling soil moist and adjust the irrigation frequency accordingly.

* Generally, we recommend watering 15-20 Lt of saplings in 10 days, 7 days and 3-5 days in very hot days depending on the temperature and rainfall.

* The water stress that will be experienced due to not irrigation may slow down the root, trunk and branch development during the sapling and cause the sapling to dry.

* Insufficient irrigation will harm the sapling and frequent irrigation (1-2) will have a negative effect on the development of the sapling.

* As mentioned above, keeping the humidity in your soil is your main indicators in terms of irrigation amount and frequency. You should make your irrigation planning according to your observations.

* In general, the sapling irrigation interval should be continued until September 15th. In our warm regions, if there is drying in the root areas of the seedling soil, ie 15-20 cm depth, an additional irrigation can be done.

Irrigation of Efficient Walnut Trees;

a. In a walnut garden where fruit is taken, it starts from the end of spring when the rainfall decreases and continues until the end of the harvest period. In very dry years, autumn and winter irrigation may be needed.

b. Insufficient irrigation causes small fruit formation, shrinkage of walnut core, sunburn, blackening and stains. In these, walnuts significantly reduce the fruit quality.

c. Irrigation should be started the week after the walnut tree blooms.

D. During the fruit formation and filling period covering June-July and August, the walnut trees should not be left without water and sufficient irrigation should be done.

to. During the harvest period, water should be given 15 days before harvest so that the fruit can be easily detached from the branch.

f. Irrigation should be stopped by making another irrigation right after the harvest.

g. It is very important to deliver water to all the roots of the walnut tree. For this, an irrigation system should be set up to deliver water to the capillary roots, which are intensely spread in the projection of the tree.

Special Conditions to Be Considered;

a. Especially in regions where autumn frosts are effective, watering should be cut in mid-September for seedlings and from the end of August in trees. If water is given, the tree cannot be prepared for winter dormancy and young shoot tips will be damaged in early frosts. This leads to a decrease in walnut fruit yield in the next year.

b. In regions with late spring frosts, the irrigation activity performed before the tree awakens can provide beneficial results in negative effects from frosts by allowing the walnut tree to wake up late.

c. While the drip irrigation system is installed, care should be taken that the water does not touch the body and does not collect near the body. This issue can cause fungal diseases in particular.

We recommend that the irrigation should be done by drip irrigation both during the sapling period and the large tree period.