Try growing a tree from a simple walnut

We are used to consuming fruits, legumes and seeds of many types, in the dishes we cook every day, but we don't always stop to think that we could grow new plants from each of these food types. This is the case with walnuts, a much-prized nut that is good to eat by itself or combined with both sweet and savory dishes.

We could use a walnut to grow our own walnut tree at home and that will one day give us its fruit. It is an easy and fun pastime, even for children. Read on to find out more:

Video tutorial via L' Arca delle idee - Stefano Gullotta/YouTube

The method to grow a new plant starting from a simple walnut is given by YouTuber, Stefano Gullotta. For this task, it only needs:

• A walnut: one that it is fresh and not dry. They are usually found easily during the first half of September or at the end of summer. Furthermore, it must be a nut with a completely intact shell, without cracks or breaks.
• A plastic bottle.
• Scissors or utility knife.
• Water.

The process is very simple:

• Cut off the neck of the bottle, about a third of the way up.
• Take the cut piece and insert it, upside down, into the bottom of the bottle that is left over. It's exactly what you do to build DIY insect traps.
• Fill with water so that it covers (about one centimeter) the upside-down mouth of the bottle.
• Take the walnut and locate the tip. With the tip of a blade, open the shell a bit: only separate the halves a small amount.
• Insert the point of the nut (you just partially opened) into the funnel you created with the inverted bottleneck.
• At this point, you just have to wait. You will notice that the water turns yellow within a couple of weeks. After that period, you will see that the shell has continued to open by itself and perhaps a sprout is already peeking out from the kernel inside.
• Keep waiting. Within a few days the nut should begin to produce roots.
• After about 40 days, you should see roots and a leaf sprouting: it's time to plant this seedling into a pot, in which it is best to use peat and not soil. Remember to place the walnut with its sprout pointing upward.
• Place the pot in a bright spot, but not exposed to direct sunlight, and water only when the soil dry.

In a few weeks you will notice the development of a seedling: it is your miniature walnut tree ready to grow.

Creativo

You can discover many other useful tips and see the various stages of the procedure in Stefano Gullotta's video.