Growing almonds - we adopt the knowledge of experienced gardeners. Growing an almond and caring for a healthy tree

Almond is a shrub that can reach a height of 8 meters. He has beautiful pink flowers resembling small roses. We used to think that almonds are nuts. In fact, experts say that the almond fruit is an ordinary bone that you can eat. Outwardly, the fruit resembles a slightly enlarged apricot pit.

Almonds are often used in cooking, cosmetology and even medicine.

This shrub blooms in early spring and is pollinated by bees. From its nectar, good fragrant honey is obtained.

Almonds have only three varieties: sweet, bitter and thin-walled. In addition, there are about 40 varieties of this delicious nut. It is important to know where almonds of one kind or another grow, and how to grow healthy and beautiful almonds. There are several of the most common varieties:

• Common almond is the most popular type. It is grown in hot climatic zones such as: Crimea, Caucasus, Iran, Central and Asia Minor. His life expectancy is 130 years. It can grow as a shrub up to four meters high or as a tree that can reach a height of 8 meters. Common almond blooms in February. Its flowers have a pleasant white-pink hue and delight with their flowering for no more than three weeks. The leaves have a fairly saturated green color and slightly pointed towards the end. The fruits do not have much difference from other varieties. They have a slightly flattened shape, a velvety coating and an edible nucleolus inside. Almonds can be divided into three more varieties: bitter, brittle and sweet. Most often in fruit growing, this type of almond of the following varieties is chosen: Anyuta, Pink fog, White sail.
• Almond steppe, low- is one of the most frost-resistant species. It can often be found on the territory of European and northern Russia. It does not have a great height and reaches only one and a half meters in height. Its crown is quite fluffy and resembles a large ball. Flowers and leaves bloom almost simultaneously. This happens at the beginning of May. Flowering lasts no more than three weeks, and such a shrub lives for about 80 years. You can harvest from steppe almonds at the end of August.
• Three-lobed almond- this species has the shape of a tree with a spreading crown of falling yellowish and gray leaves. It is widespread in northern China. Reaches five meters in height. The first flowers on the three-lobed almond appear at the end of April and bloom different colors from bright pink to crimson.
• Almond Ledebourg- This is a predominantly Altai shrub that reaches only two meters in height. It tolerates frost quite well and is distinguished by large dark green leaves and pink flowers. Interestingly, the first fruits on this shrub appear only 10 years after planting.
• Almond Petunnikov a - compared with other types of almonds, this one can be safely called a dwarf. It reaches a height of only 1 meter. He came from the Western Tien Shan. It begins to bear fruit a little earlier than Ledebour's almonds. Already 5 years after landing. You can distinguish Petunnikov's almonds by small reddish fruits with a fairly thick velvety skin. It does not tolerate frost well, it is subject to frostbite of shoots.

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Gallery: almond (25 photos)

There are several ways to plant almonds. The most faithful is considered - planting an annual seedling. The most favorable time for planting almonds is considered to be early spring, if you did not have time to plant a seedling in the ground in March, then it is better to postpone this process to the end of November. It is important to choose a sunny location without strong winds and drafts.

Chernozem is considered the best soil for an almond tree, in addition, the soil should have a sufficiently high lime content. You can not plant a tree in acidic or chloride soils, as well as in areas where there are many ground water. Almonds do not like stagnant water.

The most favorable time for planting almond seedlings in the ground is late autumn, or rather the last days of November. But you can not plant a seedling in unprepared soil. About 14 days before the expected day of planting, it is necessary to prepare holes for seedlings. Their depth should be about 60 centimeters and a diameter of at least half a meter. If you plan to plant several rows, then you must observe a distance between rows of at least 5.5 meters and a distance between trees of 3-4 meters.

Every hole must have drainage. For its laying, you can use broken brick or crushed stone. Also, the composition of the soil should include sand, humus and leafy soil, and do not forget to add 500 grams of superphosphate to the rotted manure. If there is no black earth in your region, and the soil is acidic, then be sure to add about 300 grams of lime to the hole. When all preparatory work over, you need to wait two weeks and start planting seedlings.

Planting almonds in spring is no different from autumn. True, in the spring, seedlings take root worse, and it is necessary to have time to plant them in the ground before the start of sap flow. It is necessary to prepare pits for seedlings in the fall.

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The procedure for planting a seedling is no different from planting an ordinary apple tree. A support is dug into the center of the prepared hole. The support is a flat pole, which should rise above the hole by about half a meter. At the bottom of the hole, you need to pour a small handful of earth, on which the seedling should be placed. But remember that to bet completely root system it is impossible to land on the ground, it should only slightly rise above it. Now you can fill the hole with prepared soil, and then water it well.

For watering, you will need at least 10 liters of water per seedling. After complete absorption of water, the seedling is tied to a support and mulched. Make sure that the root neck of the tree does not touch or come into contact with the mulch.

proper care

A good harvest directly depends on the correct planting and care of the plant. It is not enough just to plant an almond nut correctly, you also need to perform all care procedures in a timely manner. These include: pruning, watering, weeding, top dressing, pest and disease control.

• loosening. The first loosening of the soil around the tree trunk must be carried out at the end of March. You can deepen no more than 12 centimeters. Next, you will need to carry out another 3-4 loosening already at a shallower depth, about 10 centimeters. The ground around the tree trunk should always be cleared of weeds. This must be monitored constantly.
• Harvesting. You should not pluck the fruits from the almond tree before their shell darkens and begins to separate on its own. The peeled fruits are dried and then stored in cloth bags.
• Watering. The almond tree is quite drought tolerant, but this does not mean that its watering can be neglected. You need to water the tree every 10-14 days, while making sure that the earth has dried to a depth of 1.5 centimeters. It is not worth flooding the plant because it cannot tolerate excessive moisture. For an adult tree, one bucket of water will be enough. Seedlings need to be watered a little more often.
• top dressing. Almonds grown in the garden are in dire need of nitrogen. To provide the plant with all the necessary substances, you need to feed in a timely manner. You can provide the tree with nitrogen at the end of April as follows: 20 grams of ammonium nitrate is taken in a bucket of water and poured into the trunk circle of each adult plant. In autumn, 1 kilogram of manure is added to the same trunk circle, as well as 20 grams of potassium sulfide and double superphosphate. If almond trees are planted in rows on your site, then in the first years after they are planted, green manure can be grown between the rows.
• Treatment. Growing almonds is quite laborious work. So that all kinds of diseases and pests do not appear on it, trees need to be processed. Trees are treated in the spring until buds begin to appear on them. To do this, use Bordeaux liquid. In the fall, it is worth repeating such a treatment so that the pests that decide to overwinter in the bark of the plant are destroyed.

Almonds are not only fragrant and healthy nuts. It is also profusely flowering. ornamental shrub, striking with its delightful fragrant flowers in spring time. Seeing the flowering of almonds, many wish to have a tree in their area. Growing and caring for it is quite simple, however, many varieties bred in our time are not frost-resistant and, as a rule, freeze out in the very first year of planting.

Common frost-resistant varieties

Almond is a fairly frost-resistant tree. However, due to early flowering spring most of flower buds in middle lane freezes. As a result, you will not be able to get a bountiful harvest from every tree.

Blooming almond tree

Many modern cultivars, bred in our time by breeders, have long period generation of fruit buds and rather late flowering. This guarantees fruits.

Important! When choosing an almond seedling, always check with the seller whether the tree is adapted to your climate zone.

The following varieties have the best fertility and frost resistance in the middle lane:

Planting and caring for almonds

Almond seedlings are planted in autumn or spring, in groups of 3-4 trees at a distance of at least 3 m from each other. As a rule, annual grafted bushes are used.

Important! Almonds are self-sterile, that is, 2 trees of different varieties are required to obtain fruits.

Choose a sunny place for landing, on a small hill, protected from the effects of northern winds. The original "amphitheatres" open on the south side are excellent.

Prepare a landing pit with a size of 50 x 70 and a depth of 60 cm, add 5-6 kg of rotted manure mixed with 0.5 kg of superphosphate, and 200-300 g of lime or dolomite flour. Bury the seedling to the grafting site. After planting, it is recommended to water the trees abundantly at the rate of 10 liters per seedling.

Planting an almond tree

In the first year after planting, the young growth does not give a very significant increase, since at this time the root system, damaged as a result of transplantation, is being restored. The tree will need regular watering (every 10-15 days) and periodic loosening of the ground around the trunk. AT further care behind the tree is quite simple, but you should adhere to the following rules:

• water the plant moderately and only when absolutely necessary (that is, during dry times);
• do not fill the root neck - it easily rots, which leads to the death of the shrub;
• fertilize regularly under the tree;

Almond seedling

• carry out formative and health-improving pruning of shoots. Almonds are pruned after flowering. First of all, branches and shoots that thicken the crown are removed, diseased, frozen and dried shoots are cut off;
• a grafted almond tree will need shelter for the winter.

Proper feeding

Almonds like everything else walnut trees, needs proper regular feeding. They are held in spring and summer every two weeks.

Young plants are fed with fertilizers containing more nitrogen and potassium. Under mature trees, nutrient solutions are applied from manure and ammonium nitrate (for 10 liters of water, 1 kg of manure and 20 g of nitrate). In early spring one-time fertilizing with fertilizers containing copper.

Reproduction of almonds

AT natural conditions almond propagation occurs by seeds, however, cultivated varietal trees are propagated only vegetatively - by budding on a stock. For this procedure, any variety of almonds is used, even bitter-seed species. In the absence of a rootstock on personal plot, it can be grown independently from the stone of a high-quality tree.

almond fruit

Budding is carried out in mid-July:

• take a one-year well-developed seedling with a root collar thickness of at least 0.8 cm;
• at a height of 8-10 cm from the root collar, a T-shaped incision is made on the rootstock and a vegetative bud cut with a heel from a tree of the variety you are interested in is inserted;
• the vaccination is closed with a wrapping film, which is removed after 1.5 months.

Many legends and tales are associated with almonds. For some peoples, this tree was sacred, and for some, the fruits of almonds were considered the food of the elect. This attitude towards almonds is quite justified, because it can be considered one of the most beautifully flowering plants. In total there are more than forty types of almonds. In our zone, there are steppe almonds and three-lobed almonds. Almonds are a wonderful decoration of the garden, the duration of its flowering is about two weeks. But, some people want to have this plant not only on the site, but also on their windowsill.

Well, at home it is possible, but at the same time it is necessary to take into account some of the requirements for care of this plant.

Almond is a light-loving plant, so it needs to highlight the lightest window sill. It does not tolerate cold well and may turn yellow and shed its leaves when winter sets in. On the plot of almonds in winter time shelter, at home, it is enough to keep the plant away from cold drafts. AT summer time The wind tolerates almonds normally, so it is quite possible to keep it on an open veranda.

For planting almonds, rather deep ceramic containers are chosen, since it has a powerful root system. The soil should consist of compost and leafy soil, taken in equal proportions. In order to form a beautiful tree, it is necessary to regularly cut off the growing shoots from the trunk. withered flowers are also removed. Young shoots for two or three eyes are cut with scissors until they have time to stiffen. AT room conditions almonds grow quite slowly.

Transplantation is carried out every year in the spring or after the end of flowering. When transplanting, choose a larger container and cut off 1/3 of the root system.

At the end of summer, another pruning is carried out, removing long branches, while not touching the branches with next year's buds. In October, all branches are cut, forming a neat crown.

Growing almonds on a windowsill is reminiscent of the art of bonsai. Can be used in spring and summer copper wire to guide the growth of branches.

In the period before flowering, almonds need abundant watering, which is reduced after the plant blooms.

Top dressing is carried out in spring and autumn organic fertilizer. Autumn top dressing is more plentiful, as the plant needs a supply nutrients before the upcoming winter.

Almonds can be propagated by root offspring, green cuttings, grafting and seeds. To grow almonds from the stone at home, you need to plant fresh seeds, spring planting should be preceded by stratification for 4-6 months.

Almonds can grow as a small tree or as a shrub. It is mistakenly referred to as nuts, I will not be original either, although in fact it is a stone fruit, resembling an apricot stone in size and shape.

Almond fruits are very similar to apricot kernels.

I really like almond nuts, I always dreamed of planting at least a few seedlings. It was seedlings, because I saw how unsuccessfully my neighbors tried to grow them from seeds.

Also, you can fry them.

Later, I saw how beautifully almond blossoms in Japanese garden and fell in love with this plant even more. And then one day I came across almond seedlings sold in pots. It was spring and I could not help but acquire an old dream.
Almond is a heat-loving plant, at first I was very worried, would it take root? Everything worked out and the next year I got just such a beauty.
You can describe the wonderful smell of these flowers, the usefulness and wonderful taste of nuts for a long time and not create a proper idea.

Almond blossoms

When there is still snow in the parks of our cities, almonds bloom in the Crimea. In our area, it blooms in April. From the enchanting aroma of its flowers, it may seem that you are in paradise. A nice addition to tasty and healthy nuts.

Covered on the north side by a wall, almonds feel good

I repeat that almonds are very thermophilic. If you do not live in the Crimea, then you should look for varieties that are more suitable for your climate. The extra worry will pay off later.

Landing

There are two ways to plant almonds: by cutting or by pitting.

Planting seeds is best done in the spring. When planting seeds in the fall, the likelihood of them being eaten by rodents is too high. winter period. If you do not want to lose six months - plant the bones in pots.

Awakening

With regard to seedlings, I can say that you should not plant one tree. To obtain crops, several nearby growing almonds are needed. This requirement is related to the characteristics of pollination.

Don't plant just one almond tree

I had no problems landing. The seedlings were sold in pots with a clod of soil. To be honest, I have not seen almond seedlings without a pot for sale. The seller recommended planting the plants in a sunny but not windy place. So I did. He dug holes 0.4-0.5 meters deep with an interval of 3 meters, poured a little mixture of crushed stone with sand, and mixed the excavated soil with a small amount of lime. There he placed the seedlings taken out of the pots.
Pay attention to the development of the seedling branches. As a rule, branches are better developed on the south side. To correctly orient the plant to the cardinal points.

Care

Almond is a mysterious and unpredictable plant. In some places, it grows and bears fruit well without fertilizers, while in others, even with fertilizers, yields are small.

Almond is a mysterious plant

Fertilizer

Almond fertilizer is produced twice a year: in spring and autumn. In the spring, before the growing season with manure or compost. And in the fall they bring in something that will help him winter better - potassium sulfide and superphosphates.

Watering

The watering regimen of almonds is extremely simple, the soil under the plant has dried up - give it a bucket of water. But no more. If you overdo it, you can harm the root system. Regular watering is important during the flowering period. But if you water too rarely and little, then the flowering period will be reduced and, accordingly, the yield will decrease.

From marvelous flowers fruits are formed

pruning

Almonds require regular pruning. Remove diseased and dry branches. Can be applied decorative pruning. Such pruning is not carried out until the end of flowering. After that, annual shoots are cut, forming the intended shape of the tree crown.

Diseases and pests

The most common almond disease is gray mold. The causative agent is the fungus botrytis. An effective drug has not yet been found. All protection lies in prevention. During the growing season, we spray the plant three times with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. The same mixture will also help from another misfortune of almonds - moniliosis. It is also required to ensure that the plant has enough trace elements: potassium and magnesium - this significantly increases resistance against the disease. If the tragedy could not be avoided, then we cut off all the diseased parts and must destroy them. It is necessary to cut off the diseased parts on time, before the appearance of spore-bearing pads!

On my site, my goat Teresa became the main pest of almonds. And the good news is that she does not eat much, so the plant did not suffer much.

Teresa is now locked up

In addition to goats, almonds often suffer from leafworms, plum stalks, and the ubiquitous aphids. I did not encounter the first two, but I had to fight against aphids - I sprayed the leaves with soapy water, it helped. Now I try to prevent aphids from growing on trees - I fight garden ants.

Harvesting

After flowering in April Almond fruits, depending on the variety, ripen from June to July. Harvesting begins when the outer green protective shell cracks (not the shell!).

Almonds are ripe

Nuts are harvested, cleaned of the green fleshy shell, dried for several days and put away for storage.

Varieties

Choice suitable variety almonds depends on your climate and planting method. In the southern regions, where it grows in open ground, varieties are perfect - large-sized. Residents of the northern regions who grow almonds in pots or containers prefer dwarf varieties. And this is clear to everyone.

steppe variety. For growing in a container ornamental plant, the steppe variety is perfect. This is a shrub with the most beautiful flowers, but do not dream of a harvest - it is inedible and even poisonous!

Blooming steppe almond

The following varieties grow well in open soil: Yalta, Foros, Dessert. The vast majority of varieties are zoned for a certain climate and are poorly suited for other places. Therefore, before choosing a variety, seduced by the size of the fruit and good palatability, decorative properties of the plant, it would be useful to find out what climate it is suitable for. Even in the Simferopol region, and this is after all the Crimea, only specially zoned varieties feel good and bear fruit.
And in order not to buy a "pig in a poke", purchase seedlings only in nurseries.

Almond, bonsai

If the climate allows you to grow almonds, plant and you will have a lot of fun.
Good luck!

The varietal characteristics of almonds cannot be guaranteed when propagated from the seed. Almond culture is heterozygous, as is the set fruit crops. So homologous chromosomes with the same shape of the gene. It is recommended to apply vegetative propagation almonds for its cultivation in industrial scale. The most successful method of propagation of almonds is budding with peach or various interspecific hybrids, apricot and cherry plum.

The rootstock is recommended to choose ordinary almonds. For growing almonds, it is recommended to choose a well-drained planting site, protected from strong winds on fertile soil. If the area with low rainfall, we must not forget about additional watering.
Before sowing almonds, it is necessary to dig deep and loosen the soil. The laying of seeds is carried out late in the autumn, in the southern regions - in winter, in January. To a depth of 13 cm in the furrows. If it was not possible to sow in the fall, sowing can be postponed until spring, but then stratification in the sand at a depth of 5 cm for 30 days is required at a temperature of 1 to 8 degrees above 0.
It is recommended to carry out stratification at the beginning of the year, this is January - February. Stratification should be carried out 20 days before sowing in the soil. If the stratification is carried out earlier than the recommended period, the seeds may be damaged by previously germinated seedlings when sown in the substrate.
If the root is very large before sowing, it is recommended to pinch the main root, this will provoke the growth of lateral root shoots. After the seeds germinate and the seedlings reach 10-15 cm, their root system should be cut to 15 cm with a sharp chopper or shovel, and water the almonds.
Until the moment when the seedlings have not grown to the required parameters for budding, and this is a trunk diameter of about 10 mm they need to be watered regularly. It is with this trunk diameter that the bark begins to lag behind well.
In the area for sowing almonds, one should running meter place about six nuts. When planting nuts in a permanent place with subsequent budding, it is recommended to put two nuts in one hole. Budding is recommended at the end of August to avoid premature budding.
Budding should be carried out at the root collar. It is imperative to carry out the hilling of the occulant to avoid drying out the eye. It is also recommended not to spud an occluded wild seedling so that the eyes did not germinate prematurely and did not freeze during the winter cold.
For the period of cold weather, it is not recommended to remove the strapping of the eye, but it can only be loosened by checking its engraftment after 10-14 days. The binding is completely removed in the spring, when the leaves appear. On rootstocks with dried eyes, you can graft with cuttings.
For grafting by cuttings, cuttings must be prepared at the beginning of the year and stored in sand with ice or snow.
The occulant is spudded when it reaches 10 cm in height with loose soil. When reaching a height of 20 cm, re-hilling is carried out. The rootstock must be cleared of awakened shoots. On the oculant, side shoots must be cut or broken out.
On the almonds of the first year, the crown is not shaped, they must be dug up and transplanted to a permanent place.