Content
Almonds are a low-maintenance crop, but whether the shrub will grow on the site depends on the species. Producing edible fruits, the Common Almond and its numerous varieties are very heat-loving. You can get a stable harvest only in the Caucasus or Crimea. Planting and caring for almond bushes, the photo of which is given below, is difficult mainly due to return frosts in the spring, destroying flowers or ovaries. The plant itself can withstand winters with temperatures down to -25-30° C.
It is much easier to grow decorative almonds in the country, bred with the participation of other species that are more resistant to cold, and no one will expect nuts from them. The main thing is that the bush decorates the area in the spring, when other flowers have not yet had time to open.
Botanical description of almond
Amygdalus or Almond is a subgenus included in the genus Plum, family Rosaceae. It consists of 40 species distributed in Eurasia and North America.
Almonds are deciduous shrubs or low trees no more than 10 m high with gray or brownish cracking old bark and greenish-gray, smooth young shoots. On the side facing the sun they have an anthocyanin tint. The leaves of all species are greenish-gray, strongly elongated, with a sharp tip and a smooth or slightly serrated edge.
The symmetrical five-petal flowers, white or pink, usually open before the leaves and often suffer from return frosts. The fruit is a drupe with a fleshy mesocarp, which, after the stone ripens, dries out and cracks.
The roots of almond bushes are well adapted to the rocky soil of dry mountain slopes. They consist of several powerful shoots, capable of reaching the lower layers of the soil in search of moisture, and a small number of fibrous roots.
The lifespan of the bush depends on the cultivation and care of almonds. It is often planted in conditions that are not even close to natural. In nature, the crop lives up to 100 years; cultivation on industrial plantations and gardens significantly shortens this period.
The most important economic value is the fruit-bearing and very heat-loving Common Almond (Prunus dulcis). Its flowers are also unusually beautiful, but the main task of the crop is to produce a harvest. There are bitter almonds, obtained from the seeds of a species plant, and containing from 2 to 8% amygdalin, and sweet (cultivated) almonds, in which the amount of this substance does not exceed 0.2%.Amygdalin, when broken down, releases hydrocyanic acid, so bitter varieties are more used in the pharmaceutical and perfume industries, and sweet varieties are used for cooking.
Varieties and hybrids of other almond species are grown as an ornamental plant in Russia:
- Stepnogo (Nizkogo, Bobovnik);
- Ledebura;
- Georgian;
- Petunnikova;
- Triloba (Louisiania triloba).
Particularly beautiful shrub in spring Louiseania, which even has double flowers. Some scientists classify the crop as a separate genus, but most include it in the subgenus Almond.
Optimal conditions for growing almonds
Perhaps almonds are the most light-loving fruit crop. Not only does the shrub not tolerate shade, it does not tolerate competition for sunlight with other plants. That is why it is impossible to find almond thickets in nature. Trees and shrubs are arranged singly or in groups of 3-4 specimens, located 5-7 meters from each other.
What at first glance appears to be small clumps in some species is actually root growth that grows abundantly around the main trunk. If annual pruning is not carried out in a culture, then old shoots, deprived of light, quickly dry out, and new ones take their place. This is why even those types of almonds that form a tree become shrub-like.
The soil for growing the crop must be well-permeable and drained, alkaline or carbonate, or, in extreme cases, neutral. Shrubs are suitable for loams, light clays, and rocky soils. Groundwater standing close to the surface is unacceptable, the minimum distance is 1.5 m.
The culture is quite drought-resistant. The natural conditions for its growth are mountains, rocky slopes, and a hot climate with scanty precipitation. Species plants require very little watering, varieties require more, but still not much. In areas with frequent rains, it makes no sense to plant the crop.
Those who claim that the almond bush will live where the peach grows and grapes that do not require shelter are, of course, right. The culture can withstand frosts down to -25-30° C. However, during and immediately after flowering, even a short-term decrease in temperature to -3° C will cause the ovaries to fall off in the Common Almond and its varieties that produce edible fruits.
The problem of return frosts has not yet been resolved. Therefore, even for the southern regions, it is recommended to choose varieties that bloom as late as possible, with a long dormant period.
How to plant almonds
Actually, there is nothing complicated about planting an almond bush and caring for it. It is much more difficult to choose a place on the site and properly prepare the soil.
Almond planting dates
Almonds can be planted in spring or fall. But since the crop grows very quickly and begins to bear fruit early, when placed on the site at the beginning of the season, the shrub can bloom immediately. This will weaken the plant and prevent it from taking root properly. Excavation work in the spring should be planned only as a last resort.
It is preferable to plant almonds in the fall, in November. In a warm climate, the shrub will have enough time to take root, and in the spring it will immediately begin to grow.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
The area for growing almonds should be well lit and protected from cold winds. It is desirable that the shrub planting site has a southern orientation. Other trees or buildings should not shade the crop for more than 1.5-2 hours, but this is also extremely undesirable.
The soil should be well drained; if it contains stones of any size, there is no need to remove them. Loams, sandy loams or light clays are suitable; heavy and acidic soils, soaking or simply damp, are not suitable for almonds. Even in neutral soil, lime or dolomite flour should be added when planting. Groundwater should not lie closer than 1.5 m to the surface.
Planting holes for planting shrubs are prepared at least 2 weeks in advance. Their diameter should not be less than 50 cm, depth - 60 cm. At least 20 cm of drainage made of crushed stone, gravel or broken brick is laid at the bottom. Then they fill it with sand so as not only to fill the voids, but also to create a 5-7 cm layer.
The planting mixture should not be too nutritious. Sand, clay and brick chips must be added to the black soil; poor soils are improved with humus. Acidic soil is brought back to normal by adding up to 0.5 kg of lime or dolomite flour to the planting hole.
The recess is filled 2/3 with planting mixture and filled with water.
When planting and caring for almonds in open ground, they will not grow as large as in nature, but they should still be located freely. The distance between plants must be determined based on the height of the adult shrub; it is different for each variety. On average, almonds are planted 4-5 m apart. The rows (if any) should be spaced 7 m apart.An adult shrub should not have branches in contact with other crops, otherwise the lighting will be insufficient.
It is recommended to plan at least a meter of free space between plants. If you ignore this condition, the almond bush will bloom profusely, since the buds open when most crops are bare or have just begun to bloom leaves. But the harvest will be meager - the fruits simply do not have enough light for normal development. In addition, almond bushes grow faster in shade.
Seedling preparation
Sweet and bitter almond bushes grow well in the Crimea and the Caucasus. In other regions, when choosing seedlings, you should definitely ask whether the variety is adapted to local conditions. The best way to buy a shrub is to go to a nursery - at an exhibition or online you can buy almonds grown in the southern regions on rocky soils. It will be long and difficult for him to take root in a different environment.
Almonds need to be planted when they are one or two years old - the crop grows quickly and begins to bear fruit early. In the first year after planting, it is not recommended to let the shrub bloom, and plucking the buds that abundantly cover the branches in early spring is not difficult, but it will take a long time.
When buying a seedling, first of all you need to pay attention to the root system. It must be intact, elastic, contain at least one strong shoot and few fibrous branches. For grafted shrubs, you need to inquire about the rootstock and carefully examine the place where the crops are merging - there should be no cracks, peeling of the bark, or spots of unknown origin.
Preparing a seedling for planting involves watering the container plant or soaking the exposed root for at least 6 hours. The shrub can be kept in water for several days if you add a growth stimulant or half the dose of any potash fertilizer to the liquid.
Rules for planting almond bushes
There is nothing complicated about the landing itself:
- Part of the soil is removed from the planting hole.
Comment! There is no need to make a mound in the center - the young seedling has almost no fibrous roots, but several strong shoots have already formed. So, sorry, there is nothing to spread around the hill! - A strong peg is driven into the bottom to secure the seedling.
- The shrub is immediately tied to a support so that the root collar rises 5-7 cm above the ground surface.
- Only after this the root is covered with soil, constantly compacting it.
- Check the position of the root collar.
- Almonds are watered, spending at least a bucket of water on each bush.
- The tree trunk circle is mulched with dry soil or lowland (black) peat, but not humus. The thickness of the shelter should be 5-8 cm.
How to grow almonds
If you choose the right place and plant almonds, the bush will require a little care. Fruiting varieties need more care than decorative ones.
How to water and feed
Immediately after planting, especially if it was done in the spring, almonds need regular watering. As soon as the bush begins to grow, moisture is limited. Almonds planted in the fall may not require additional watering. You need to focus on the weather and remember that an excess of water is much more dangerous for a crop than a lack of it.
This does not mean that a varietal almond bush can grow without watering at all - species plants in this regard are more resistant to drought. If there is a lack of moisture, the flowering time will be shortened, and since the crop is pollinated exclusively by insects and is self-sterile, there may not be enough time for fertilization. Sandy soils require more frequent watering than loams or chernozems.
Almonds grown in household plots are fertilized three times per season:
- in early spring, before the bush begins to flower, use nitrogen, 20 g per 1 sq. m. m;
- at the beginning of May - with complex fertilizers according to the instructions (optional);
- August-September - phosphorus-potassium fertilizing, 20 g of superphosphate and potassium per 1 sq. m.
Doses of fertilizers should correspond to the age of the bush and the composition of the soil. If you overdo it, you can simply ruin the plant. This is where the “golden rule” of fertilizing any crop comes into force: it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.
On non-irrigated soils, where almond plantations are often established, the main fertilizing is applied in late autumn, when the soil under the bushes is sufficiently moist. After leaf fall, manure, superphosphate and potassium salt are embedded shallowly in the soil. On black soils you can limit yourself to rotted cow manure.
How to trim almonds
To get a consistently fruitful or beautiful ornamental shrub, it is impossible to do without pruning almonds.Immediately after planting, the seedling is shortened to 0.8-1.2 m, all branches located below 60 cm or the grafting site are removed, and 2-3 buds are left on the rest.
When the bush takes root well and produces new shoots, leave 3-4 of the strongest ones to form skeletal branches. Up to 4-5 years, the crown of fruiting almonds should be formed in the form of a bowl, with one trunk.
In the future, pruning consists of maintaining the shape of the crown, removing thickening and intersecting shoots, and fatty branches directed vertically upward. The entire growth is shortened to 60 cm.
The main pruning of almonds is carried out in the fall, after leaf fall. In the spring, the frozen ends of branches, dried and broken shoots of bushes in winter are removed.
Old and frost-damaged trees quickly recover after heavy pruning. If you ignore the procedure for at least one year, the yield and decorativeness will decrease.
It is imperative to work with a sharp, sterile instrument. The wound surface, with a diameter greater than 1 cm, is covered with garden varnish or special paint.
How to prepare for winter
Almonds tolerate short-term frosts reaching -25-30° C. Under the influence of low temperatures, the tops of young shoots may freeze, but after pruning they quickly recover. Return spring frosts are much more dangerous for shrubs. Even a short drop to -3° C will cause the buds or ovaries to drop.
So it is more important to protect almonds from the cold in spring than in winter. Where frosts are long and severe, there is no point in planting the crop at all.
To increase the crop's resistance to low temperatures, at the end of summer or early autumn the plant is fed with phosphorus and potassium; nitrogen is no longer given in June. A mandatory procedure is moisture recharging at the end of the season.
In late July or early August, pinching is carried out - the tips of young shoots are pinched. This simple procedure is very important for almond bushes; it significantly accelerates the ripening of wood and reduces the likelihood of branches freezing.
The only way to protect almonds in the spring is with smoke bombs or the construction of a shelter made of agrofibre or lutrasteel. The grafted standard forms are most sensitive to low temperatures. Where the weather is unstable or significant frosts are possible, the tree is covered with covering material in the fall. In any case, it is better to insulate the grafting site, but so that the bark does not dry out.
Features of growing almonds in different regions
Before you start growing almonds in the middle zone, you should clearly understand that they may live there, but they will not bear fruit in the open ground. Even in most regions considered southern for Russia, the crops are cold and there is no point in expecting a harvest there. But ornamental shrubs are more resistant to frost, although they also love warmth.
Growing almonds in the Krasnodar region
Sweet almonds can be grown in the Krasnodar region.The bush does not produce stable yields everywhere, but only where there are no sharp temperature fluctuations. The dormant period of almonds is short; flower buds awaken in early spring, and sometimes at the end of February. The sun can heat the bush and cause the buds to open prematurely. A decrease in temperature causes flowers or ovaries to fall off.
Sometimes almonds simply do not pollinate because bees and other pollinating insects have not yet begun their work when the buds open. So even in the Krasnodar Territory, it is not possible to get a harvest every season.
To be fair, it should be noted that even in Iran and Morocco, almonds do not bear fruit every year. That is why the United States has become the world leader in nut production. California's weather is a standard of predictability and an even, warm climate, ideal for growing most heat-loving crops, including almonds.
Growing almonds in the Moscow region
Planting almonds in the Moscow region is possible, but only decorative. Fruit-bearing - only in closed ground. Even if, at the cost of incredible efforts, you grow and preserve an edible shrub on your site, it will not produce nuts.
Decorative almonds will have to be carefully looked after and measures taken to increase frost resistance. By the way, in most of Ukraine, it is also useless to plant shrubs of fruit varieties, and the flowering ones regularly freeze.
Productivity
Growing almonds at home has one peculiarity. All varieties are self-sterile, so you can’t plant one shrub - it simply won’t produce a harvest. On industrial plantations, it is recommended to grow at least four varieties, or alternate 4-5 rows of the main variety with 1 line of pollinators.
In garden plots, 2, or better yet, 3 forms of sweet almonds should be planted. The crop is capable of bearing fruit annually, but even in Central and Asia Minor, several harvest seasons in a row are considered good luck. The quantity of nuts greatly depends on the vagaries of the weather. The best and most consistent harvest is obtained far from the native land of almonds - in California.
The crop enters full fruiting after 8-9 years for grafted plants or 10-12 years after emergence for those grown from seed. The first nuts appear after 2-3 or 4-5 years, respectively. Fruiting under favorable conditions lasts 50-65 years, then the yield decreases sharply.
Different varieties of almonds can produce 6-12 kg of peeled kernels from an adult bush. This is considered a good harvest. Each kernel weighs on average 2-3 g, some reach 5 g, but this is very rare.
Early almond varieties ripen at the end of June or early July, late ones - by September. A sign of removable maturity is cracking and darkening of the mesocarp. In ripe nuts, the shell is easily separated from the pit.
The bush is shaken to loosen the nuts. If necessary, use long sticks or poles. After collecting, the seeds are quickly cleared of the shell and laid out in a thin layer in a warm, ventilated room to dry. You can store almonds for a year.
Almond propagation
Almonds can be propagated by seeds, but since the crop is cross-pollinated, varietal characteristics are not inherited in this way. What will grow from the seed is unknown, one thing can be said with certainty: the nuts will be tasty, but it is impossible to predict the amygdalin content in them.The fruits of the shrub grown from the seed should not be eaten without heat treatment.
The easiest way to propagate varietal (not grafted) almonds in small quantities is to separate the root shoots and root the cuttings. The latter method does not present any difficulties, but takes longer than other crops.
On an industrial scale, almond varieties are propagated by grafting.
Features of grafted almonds
Often, varietal almonds are grafted onto a species plant. This way, you can not only quickly obtain a fruit-bearing shrub that produces high-quality fruits, but also slightly increase frost resistance. Unless, of course, the common Almond species is used as a rootstock, but representatives of the subgenus that are resistant to low temperatures.
But this does not always make sense - in unsuitable conditions, almonds quickly grow, the old trunk dries out, and is replaced by new shoots growing from the root. As a result, the tree loses its shape and becomes like a bush.
Therefore, before growing almonds grafted onto representatives of your own subgenus, you should first find out how it will behave at the planting site. Perhaps in a few years there will be not a varietal tree on the site, but a shrub formed from root shoots that has nothing in common with the scion (except perhaps the species). You will have to carefully monitor the condition of the trunk and at the first signs of drying out, re-graft the young shoots. It is even better to use other crops as rootstock.
To increase the frost resistance of almonds, it is recommended to use bird cherry, sloe, plum, and cherry plum as a rootstock. For growing on rocky soils, it is better to graft onto bitter almonds. Papershell varieties are compatible with peach.
Diseases and pests
Almonds, like peaches, are often affected by diseases and pests. Without preventive measures it is impossible to obtain a harvest.
Among the diseases of the almond bush, the following should be highlighted:
- gray rot;
- rust;
- monilial burn;
- I'm scabby.
The main pests of almonds:
- leaf roller;
- aphid;
- plum moth;
- almond seed eater;
- plum bark beetle.
The main problems of ornamental almond bushes are aphids and monilial blight.
For prevention you should:
- plant almonds freely, so that the branches of an adult plant do not come into contact with other trees;
- thin out the crown annually;
- trim dry and diseased branches;
- in spring and autumn, carry out preventive treatments of shrubs;
- remove plant debris from the site;
- regularly loosen the soil to a depth of about 7 cm;
- choose disease-resistant varieties for planting;
- fight anthills - they are the reason for the appearance of aphids, which in turn not only infect the crop itself, but also spread diseases;
- regularly inspect the bushes, and if a problem is identified, treat them with fungicides or insecticides;
- do not over-moisten the soil;
- follow the rules of agricultural technology.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for almond bushes, photos of which were given in the article, are not a particular problem in the south.In cool climates, the crop grows, but does not bear fruit; unfortunately, varieties resistant to return frosts have not yet been developed. Decorative almonds can be grown in the middle zone.
