Walnut as a whole and its specific variety, like gray, is valued by many gardeners for its many beneficial properties and ease of cultivation. It has found quite wide application in cooking, in the industrial field and in the manufacture of medical preparations. In this article you will find all the information concerning the gray nut, its planting and care, as well as a description of the various positive properties of the fruit of this plant.
Description
Walnut gray is a very special kind of trees, which belongs to the genus Walnut, in turn, belonging to the Walnut family. Botanists identified it in a personal section called the Trachycaryon.
Distinctive features
Gray walnut is a deciduous tree with the highest degree of affinity with a Manchurian nut. The tree is obliged by the name to a specific gray shade of branches. The leaves have a rather complex shape, the length of which does not exceed one meter.
One of the attractive qualities of this plant is its crown, which has high aesthetic qualities. The trunk is up to half a meter in diameter, and sometimes its height reaches 15 meters.
Did you know? The first information about this tree was obtained by the French dendrologist L. Daudet in 1909. He first studied all the useful properties and made the separation of fruits into several sections. The first mention of this plant in the territory of the USSR dates back to 1987.
Fruits have pronounced ribbing, the shell is rather sinuous, the external characteristics of such a nut resemble fish scales. The green fruit coat is held precisely due to similar morphological features. 
Separating the shell and the nut itself is a rather difficult task. Fruits - of course, the most important and useful part of this plant. They are widely used in medicine and cooking.
One of the qualities that led to the wide prevalence of this plant was its high frost resistance. This tree is able to bear fruit even in conditions of permanent frost.
This tree is included in the list of the most cold-resistant plants common in the Americas.
You will probably be interested to read about the cultivation of cashews, walnuts, Manchu and black walnut.
Habitat
Gray walnut can be found almost throughout North America, as well as in the vast expanses of the Far East, some parts of Ukraine and Russia. The plant is difficult to cultivate, but the right conditions greatly facilitate this process.
Did you know? This plant has a very fast growth rate. In one year alone, he is able to increase his length and width by 50 cm.
This tree is light-loving, and also likes wet soil. A dry climate is detrimental to the plant.In our latitudes, the tree is grown primarily in the form of decorative culture due to the presence of a thick, aesthetically attractive crown and amazing in appearance earrings of fruits.
Properties
As mentioned earlier, the fruit is covered with solid green peel. It has a bitter aftertaste and an oily, fibrous structure.
It is designed to protect the internal organs of the fetus from various parasites, and is also a source of nutrients for the first time if a new tree develops from the fruit.
Useful nuts are hidden behind a winding shell, which is sometimes quite difficult to open. The taste properties of the fruit are quite similar to those of a walnut.
Chemical composition
The huge variety of positive effects of this nut, primarily due to a wide range of different chemical components that make up it.
In addition to the huge number of different amino acids, macro-and micronutrients, it contains in its composition a large amount of vitamins of groups A, PP, B, C, F and E.
In addition, various essential oils, organic iodine, tannin, many organic acids, enzymes, glucose and glycosides are included in the composition of this nut.
Nutritional value and calorie
This product is known primarily for its huge content of various fats, which in total per 100 g of product account for about 57 g. Among other components - 24.9 g of carbohydrates and 12.1 g of protein.
Of the additional components that are significant in weight, you can select water - 3.34 g and dietary fiber - 4.7 g. The caloric content of this product per 100 g of weight is 612 kcal.
Learn about the benefits of cashew, almond, hazelnut, walnut, manchurian, black, brazilian, pine and nutmeg.
Medicinal properties
All the healing properties of the fruits of this plant are entirely due to its chemical composition. Except in its pure form, it is also used in the form of various tinctures, juices and oils.
The range of effects of products produced from this fruit is very wide and includes the following items:
- analgesic effect;
- anti-inflammatory effect;
- wound healing effect;
- antispasmodic effect;
- diuretic action;
- choleretic effect;
- tonic and immunostimulating effect.
Anti-inflammatory properties also have: juniper, zheleznitsa Crimean, pumpkin, black cohosh, aconite, dog rose, gentian, linden, lemon balm, saxifrage.
Gray walnut will serve as an excellent help in the fight against a huge range of various diseases, here is their short list:- ARVI;
- flu;
- various reproductive dysfunctions;
- skin lesions;
- inflammatory processes of the visual organs;
- avitaminosis;
- dysfunction of the digestive system;
- hemorrhoids;
- diabetes;
- liver damage;
- headache;
- obesity;
- various helminthic invasions.
Contraindications
An absolute contraindication to the use of this nut is its individual intolerance, as well as intolerance to any other types of nuts.
In addition, the reason for abandoning the use of gray walnut can be considered pregnancy, exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease and the activation or occurrence of gastritis. Thrombophlebitis is a factor in which the use of this product should be made with caution. 
Application in other areas
Gray walnut has found quite widespread use in the culinary field. Its fruits can be either consumed raw in the form or added as an ingredient to various dishes, such as salads or preserves. The oil made on its basis serves as a dressing for a huge range of various dishes.
The wood of this tree is widely used in industry. Various musical instruments, furniture and various carvings are made from it. Its wood is also great for breeding fire and gives a rather pleasant aroma to dishes cooked on a fire with its use.
Medical use includes the manufacture on the basis of the fruits of various drugs for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes and essential oils.
Growing up
Gray walnut has been cultivated in our country for a long time, but its area cannot be called extensive. Often it can be found in various forest parks, parks and gardens.
Like many other types of nuts, it is striking in its mighty beauty and is excellent for building various biogroups, tapeworms and alleys. 
Living conditions
Growing a given tree is a rather difficult task, due to its high demands on the soil in which it will grow and moisture. Gray walnut reacts poorly to dry air and transplants.
Before planting is not superfluous to take into account the likely size of the future tree. He needs to provide enough free space in order for the nut to actively develop and bear fruit.
Important! This type of walnut requires a very large amount of moisture - about 20 liters of water per day per tree, and even more in arid and hot time.
This tree is not afraid of exposure to drafts and cold wind, so you can safely plant it on open, well-blown areas. If there is an opportunity, it is good to plant a nut not far from the reservoir, which will suddenly deprive you of all problems with watering.
Planting seedlings
Nutrient-rich soils that are close to water are best suited for planting. Before planting seedlings should prepare a pit, the size of which should be approximately equal to 40 x 40 cm, and the depth - about 50 cm.
The bottom of the pit should be covered with any drainage material, after which the mixture consisting of 1 part of sand, 1 part of peat and 1 part of fertile soil should be poured into it. 
The seedling should be carefully placed in the hole in such a way that its roots fully spread in it. Next, you need to fill the pit with soil, slightly condense it and if possible, mulch.
A young seedling needs to be watered daily and from time to time to loosen the soil around it for better access of oxygen to the root system.
Breeding
This tree can be propagated by seed, as well as with cuttings, but the latter method is used quite infrequently due to its complex implementation. Also, gray walnut can be propagated from stump shoots; its shoots are excellently converted into eyeliners.
Sowing is done in the springtime, after stratification, usually lasting about 5 months, or in the autumn period. The latter gives a much better result. Fear that the seeds will be damaged by frost, do not.
Important! Before planting, seeds will not be superfluous to be treated with kerosene to protect against rodents.
Spring sowing should be done as early as possible. The depth to which it is recommended to sow, when seeding in the nursery should be about 7-8 cm, and when sown at the final growing place - about 10 cm.It is necessary to have the seeds top up. For each running meter should be 12-15 pieces. There is no need for watering and shelter for seeds, however, constant weeding and loosening the soil should be an integral part of seedling care.
During the first year they usually reach 0.5 cm in diameter and 15-20 cm in height.
Collecting and storing walnut
The best period for collecting nuts can be considered autumn. To facilitate this process are designed special machines that are fixed at the base of the trunk and shake it, and the fruits themselves under the influence of shocks fall into an umbrella tent, stretched just above the base.
After that it is necessary to remove the peel. Usually it is removed by hand or placed in water, where under the action of a liquid the green shell begins to fall off on its own. 
The best preservation of fruits can be achieved if they are stored in the shell. It is necessary to put the fruit in cotton bags or any other container and place it in a cool place with a minimum of sunlight. Useful properties are preserved nuts for a period of six months.
Similarity to Manchurian Nut and Differences
Walnut is gray, compared to its close relatives walnut and Manchurian nut, has some features and differences. So, the first and most noticeable difference is the color of the branches.
They are gray in the gray walnut, respectively, and brown in the Manchu. The second difference is in the structure of the leaves: in the Manchurian nut, the abaxial side of the leaves is pubescent, while in the gray nut it is not.
But the most important difference, which, of course, catches the eye when collecting, cleaning and eating fruits - this is the difference in the structure of the nuts. Manchurian walnut has 6-8 ribs, 2 of which are more pronounced and seem to divide the whole fruit into two equal parts.
In a gray walnut, the fruit has 4, sometimes 8 edges, each of which equally protrudes above the rest of the shell. 
We hope that this article has helped you decide whether you need to grow this tree. It is worth remembering that the tree is quite capricious in the environment, but its beauty and the beneficial properties of the fruit more than pay for such fastidiousness.
