The fruits of the walnut tree or their kernels are what we particularly love this plant for. Walnuts taste delicious and are good for people. In our article we will introduce you to the walnut fruits in detail. You will find out everything you need to know about the appearance of the fruits and receive information about the nut yield.
What do fruits of the walnut tree look like and when is harvest time?
The fruits of the walnut tree are real nuts with a green shell and different shapes and sizes. Walnut trees bear fruit when they are 10-20 years old; the yield varies depending on the year, location and variety. Harvesting takes place in September and October, when the fruit falls to the ground.
This is what the walnut fruits look like
For a long time, the fruits of the walnut tree were considered stone fruits in botany. However, today we know that these are not just colloquial, but actually real nuts.
Experts at the Ruhr University Bochum found out in 2006 that the green shell that surrounds the nut (the kernel) is not - as originally assumed - part of the pericarp, but is instead formed from leaf organs.
The nut itself can look very different in terms of shape and size. Sometimes it is round, sometimes oval-cylindrical, sometimes egg-shaped and sometimes beak-shaped. It is 2.5 to eight centimeters long and 2.5 to five centimeters wide - with a shell thickness of 1.8 to 2.2 millimeters.
What you need to know about nut yield and harvest
Walnut trees generally only bear fruit when they are around ten to 20 years old. It takes even longer to produce exceptionally good yields: after around 40 years of standing, the trees produce rich harvests. However, in old age the yields decline again.
In addition to age, the following factors also play a role:
- Location
- Variety
In addition, walnut trees do not fruit equally well every year - whether you can enjoy lots of fruit depends heavily on the weather.
Exciting: Large-crowned trees produce yields of up to 150 kilograms of nuts (per tree, mind you)!
Here is an overview of the average nut yield per year (per tree):
1. up to 15th year: 0 kg (whether good or bad location)
16.up to 25th year: 10 or 7 kg (good or bad location)
26. up to 35 years: 25 or 15 kg
36. up to 60 years of age: 45 or 22 kg
61. up to 80 years: 55 or 13 kg81. up to 100 years: 32 or 13 kg
If there are any yields, then only very small ones (a few hundred grams).
Harvesting Notes
In our latitudes the fruits ripen in September and October. Harvesting is easy as the fruits fall to the ground on their own.
