Almond planting and care in the open field in the Urals

Three-lobed almond (Prúnus tríloba) Is an artisanal plant with pinkish flowers. This plant also has the name Luizeania three-bladed, but people call it sakura near Moscow. It attracts the attention of passers-by, and is on the coveted list of many summer residents and gardeners. Rosenmund three-lobed almond is one of the most beautiful garden plants, cultivated exclusively for its decorative appearance.
Description

Initially it was discovered in China, later it was brought to England, and only in the 20th century it got to the territory of the USSR. Due to its oriental origin, the plant is called Chinese terry plum or sakura, because of its pink flowers.

It looks like a small tree that can grow up to 3.5 meters, with branches sticking out to the sides. Almond leaves grow in bunches and have a three-lobed shape.

In the first half of May, almonds bloom for 2 weeks. At this time, the bush acquires a pale pinkish color. After the flowering period, the leaves bloom and the shrub stops blooming.

The fruit of this plant is not large, round in shape and inedible. Most often, three-lobed almonds can be seen in botanical gardens or among summer residents.

Here is another photo of this plant:

Types and varieties

The main differences between species and varieties of almonds are their shape, height and color.

1. Georgian almonds. The plant grows no higher than a meter, the leaves are large, bright pinkish, with a rough, hairy fruit. The flowering period falls in May and is 3 weeks. It survives frosts with ease.
2. Almonds are low. This plant loves light, resistant to frost and drought, undemanding to the soil. This almond is common in Siberia. Its main difference is the color of the branches, they are dull red with narrow leaves. The flowers are light pink. The flowering period is a week.
3. Common almonds. Can be found in the Caucasus, Iran and Afghanistan. It looks like a large bush or small tree with branches of red or pinkish color and up to 5 meters high.
4. Almond three-lobed or, as they sometimes say, three-lobed has decorative varieties, namely:

Interesting! With proper care of the plant, it can live up to a hundred years!

Landing

The three-lobed almond loves sunlight and lack of wind. With regard to the soil, you should choose light, loose, fertile lime. Places in the shade, without access to light and damp places are categorically contraindicated. It should be planted in late autumn, at the end of leaf fall or with the onset of warm spring days.

An excellent soil for him will be such a mixture: leaf earth + 1/2 of its amount of humus + 1/3 of sand. About 20 cm of crushed stone or broken brick and 6 cm of sand should be used as drainage. The root collar of the seedling cannot be buried when planting, since it must be above ground level. Plants should be planted one meter apart.

Three-blade care

• Watering.

As mentioned above, this plant is drought tolerant. However, during the flowering period, it requires an abundant amount of water. If it is planted on loamy soil, then the amount of water should be normal. It is worth watering the three-blade only if the earth dries out, since stagnant water can lead to rotting.

• Fertilizer.

Luiseania Rosenmund requires constant fertilization. In the spring season, it is fertilized with a solution of 1 kg of mullein, 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 10 g of urea. All this must be diluted in 10 liters of water. In the fall, mineral fertilizers should be applied, for example, double superphosphate and potassium sulfate, 20 g per square meter of soil.

• A haircut.

In order to give the crown a beautiful shape and for healing, almonds need pruning of branches. At the end of the flowering period, the flowering branches should be shortened by 2/3 of their length. This procedure stimulates the growth of new, healthy shoots. You also need to cut off all branches that grow inside the crown.

It's important to know! The shrub is prone to thickening. If the plant has grown too much, then it must be thinned out. This will preserve its decorative appearance and protect it from diseases.

• Preparing for frost.

Quite often, the branches of this plant are neatly tied with a bundle and wrapped in non-woven material. You can also sprinkle a layer of earth around the root. But the root collar should be left open.

Nuances of growing in the suburbs

Although luiseania is a thermophilic plant, she calmly endures frosty, snowy winters... Some sources claim that with proper preparation for winter, she is not afraid of frosts down to -30. However, the problem may lie in sharp or frequent changes in temperature, especially if damp thaws come to replace frost. In this case, the plant wakes up ahead of time and can be damaged by frost. The ends of the shoots and buds are freezing. In such cases, the almonds should be covered for the entire period of frost. Having followed the above recommendations, there should be no problems when growing almonds in the Moscow region.

Growing in the Urals and Siberia

Everyone considers almonds to be an exotic plant that loves sun and warmth and needs special care. However, this is nothing more than a delusion. Of about 40 species of this plant, most do not need a special climate and other conditions.

Although almost all types of almonds are frost-resistant and not particularly demanding on the soil, not all are suitable for growing in Siberia and the Urals. There is one type of plant that is suitable for the northern regions, this is steppe almond. Also called bean, wild and low almond.

Like other types of almonds, its flowers are deep pinkish in color, and it blooms for about 2 weeks in early May. After a period of flowering, it becomes covered with leaves, and at the end of summer, chestnut-colored fruits appear on it. The legume grows in height up to 1.5 meters. He needs enough light and shelter from the wind.

Caring for steppe almonds does not differ from the above-mentioned care for the three-blade.

Almond propagation

Species almonds are often propagated by seeds, and vegetative methods are used to propagate varietal almonds. The most common breeding method for the trilobate is grafting on plums, almonds or thorns... To do this, you need to take one straight shoot of almonds, on which eyes have already formed. Leaves should be trimmed with pruning shears.

Vaccination should be carried out during sap flow, namely in the spring or in August.The stock should be wiped off dust and dirt, make a T-shaped incision slightly above the root collar and unscrew the cut bark. Next, you need to cut a strip of bark from the cutting so that it fits completely under the T-cut. The joint should be wrapped with cloth or tape. The kidney must be left open.

Cuttings

For propagation of almonds by cuttings, it is required cut off cuttings up to 25 cm long from the top and put them in a growth stimulator for 15 hours... Rooting of cuttings takes place in a cool greenhouse, after planting in a substrate that consists of sand and peat. A month later, rooting takes place. When the roots have formed, the cuttings should be transplanted into a test bed.

Pruning

Regular pruning of almond shoots will help it maintain its beauty and splendor. Pruning is done at the end of flowering, in June. With the help of pruning, you can achieve the density of the crowns of the bush, which has a positive effect on its decorative appearance. Also, this procedure protects almonds from pests and fungi, affects the rapid growth of branches.

Where to buy seedlings?

Although the three-lobed almond has an exotic look, it is not a problem to buy this plant. It is worth looking for in special markets where plant seedlings are sold, as well as in stores specializing in seedlings. In addition, you can search for online stores with delivery or the location closest to you.

What do gardeners say?

As you might guess, such a beautiful and ornamental plant will not leave anyone indifferent. The gardeners' comments on the three-lobed almond were divided into two conditional camps: those who cannot enjoy the beautiful flowering, and those who want to buy it.

Here is a review of a summer resident from the Moscow region on the forum for gardeners: “It is impossible to describe the beauty of a garden when almonds are in bloom. All the neighbors are walking around with cameras and asking to be photographed next to the ‘sakura’. And what a smell ... mmmm. "

Many people are also interested in the tendency of the bush to disease, justifying this by cases from their own experience. However, as the reviews show, almonds do not have a tendency to disease. Some seasonal diseases are common in almost every tree.

Application in landscape design

In their homeland, almonds have long gained popularity in the arrangement of territories and different areas. It is used for landscaping, decorating or complementing parks, country houses or summer cottages, on city streets and boulevards. In landscaping, this plant can have many uses. It looks good both when paired with other plants, such as conifers, and paired with similar ones. In addition, almonds can be planted on the lawn, on the slopes, or near stones.

Three-bladed almonds on a trunk

Almonds on a trunk look as impressive and beautiful as in the form of a bush. If you have no experience in creating a shape, you can buy a ready-made plant from specialists, or try to create this shape yourself.

The easiest way to create a stem is the method of forming the trunk by cutting the crown. This method is quite easy and effective, but it takes a lot of time. The essence of this method is that you need to pick up an even seedling, without knots, and after planting it should be tied to a vertically driven wooden peg.

When the seedling begins to grow, the top must be tied to a peg, and all the shoots on the sides must be cut off, giving the almonds the shape of a cap.

Cropping to video

Pruning is the point of caring for plants that are best perceived visually. The video below shows in detail how to properly trim three-lobed almonds.

Almond is a shrub or tree. Such a plant belongs to the subgenus of almonds of the genus plum of the pink family. It is very often mistaken for a nut, although it is actually a stone fruit. Almonds grew in Central Asia and the Mediterranean for several centuries BC.Today it can be found in California, Czech Republic, China, Slovakia, as well as South Moravia. This light-loving plant is highly drought tolerant. Under natural conditions, such a culture prefers to grow in small groups (several pieces of bushes or trees) at an altitude of 800-1600 meters above sea level. In Russia, common almonds are grown in the southern zone of the European part. In the middle latitudes, steppe almonds, or bean, or low almonds, or tender plums are cultivated. This type of such a plant has not only valuable fruits, but also very beautiful leaves and flowers. At the same time, the three-lobed almond is considered the most decorative species in such a culture; it is usually cultivated as an ornamental plant. Below it will be described in detail how to plant and grow an ornamental almond shrub.

Features of decorative almonds

Almonds, which are an ornamental shrub, can grow in height from 250 to 300 centimeters. There is nothing difficult in growing such a shrub; even a novice gardener can cope with this. It is one of the most valuable ornamental crops. There are varieties that grow on a trunk, outwardly this shrub is similar to an almond tree, it has leathery lanceolate leaf plates of a dark green color with a serrated edge, a compact crown has a spherical shape. The flowering of decorative almonds can only be seen 4 or 5 years after it has been planted in the garden. Double or simple, very showy flowers with many stamens and petals can be painted white or pink. Flowering, as a rule, lasts about 20 days, while the bush seems to be shrouded in flowers, like an air cloud. It is enough to see such a shrub in bloom once to remember this wonderful sight for a lifetime. Leaf blades tend to grow back after flowering ends. Ornamental almonds cannot have fruits, but they are just as incredibly beautiful. The fruit is a three-lobed suede pericarp with a rounded shape, inside it has a bone, which is very easy to separate.

This plant is very closely related to such fruit crops as: cherry, bird cherry, cherry plum, nectarine, sakura, plum, sweet cherry, apricot, peach and blackthorn. And it is also related to the apple tree, dog rose, hawthorn, mountain ash, pear, quince, rose and chokeberry.

Ornamental almonds are not picky about growing conditions, are highly resistant to drought and are considered a very valuable honey plant. If you take good care of a shrub, then it can live for 100 years or even more. Ornamental almonds differ from ordinary almonds (cultivated in most cases only for the sake of fruits) in that they have a very high frost resistance and grow well in mid-latitudes. That is why almonds are no longer a rarity in Siberia.

Planting almonds

What time to plant almonds

It is recommended to plant decorative almonds in the autumn after the leaf fall is over. It can also be carried out at the beginning of spring, after the night frosts have passed and warm weather has been established. It should be borne in mind that the autumn planting for such a plant is more preferable.

Saline or acidic soil is not suitable for cultivating this shrub, a suitable soil pH should be between 4.5 and 7.5. You should also choose an area where the groundwater is not close to the soil surface. For growing this shrub, it is recommended to choose an area with light sandy loam or loamy soil saturated with nutrients. At the same time, almonds will quickly die in clayey heavy soil. This shrub needs a lot of sunlight and air, therefore it is recommended to plant it in the southern side of the garden plot.The place where the plant will be planted can be illuminated by the sun all day, or it will be covered by the shade from nearby trees for no more than three hours.

How to plant

Ornamental almonds need cross-pollination, therefore it is recommended to plant several bushes of this beautiful plant at once. Mostly bees are involved in pollination of almonds, in this regard, it will be simply excellent if a small apiary is located not very far from these shrubs.

From the area where the almonds will be planted, it is necessary to remove all plants that can cast a relatively large shadow. At the same time, it is not necessary to remove stones, because in natural conditions this shrub prefers to grow on rocky slopes. The depth of the planting hole must be at least 30 centimeters. In this case, the distance between the specimens should be from 3 to 5 meters, and the row spacing should be about 5 meters. Make a drainage layer at the bottom of the planting hole, for this it is recommended to use crushed stone or broken brick, and a layer of sand is laid on top of it. Then, in the middle of the bottom of the pit, you need to drive a long pole, which will support the seedling, while it is necessary that it rise above the surface of the site by at least 50 centimeters.

Directly planting a bush should be done very early in the morning or after 4 pm. Before you start planting annual seedlings, their root system needs to be immersed for a while in a clay chatterbox. Then they are lowered into the planting holes and covered with a soil mixture consisting of an upper nutrient layer of soil, sand and humus, while the root neck of the plant must necessarily rise above the surface of the site by a couple of centimeters. In the event that the soil is acidic, it will need to be mixed with a small amount of dolomite flour or lime. Upon completion of planting, the soil will need to be tamped well, and the plants will need to be watered (for 1 bush from 10 to 15 liters of water). After the liquid is completely absorbed, and the earth settles at the same time, it will be necessary to tie the bush to the previously installed support, and also cover the near-trunk circle with a layer of mulch (peat or dry earth). It is necessary to make sure that the root collar, which after watering should be flush with the surface of the site, is free of mulch.

Care features

Planting and growing almonds is easy enough and will not pose any particular problems for the gardener. You need to take care of it in the same way as for the rest of the ornamental shrubs, namely: water, weed, cut, loosen the soil, feed, treat diseases and harmful insects on time.

Water the almonds so that the surface of the trunk circle never dries out. However, it should be borne in mind that stagnant water in the soil can cause the formation of rot on the root collar of the shrub. Watering is carried out approximately once every 7 days, while the soil should dry out a couple of centimeters in depth. 10 liters of water are poured under 1 bush. Experienced gardeners recommend, after each watering, loosen the soil surface around adult bushes from 8 to 10 centimeters in depth, and around young ones - from 5 to 7 centimeters. Weeding should also be done during loosening.

In order for the plant to grow and develop normally, it needs feeding. In spring, it is recommended to sprinkle the trunk circle with mulch, but instead of peat, take mullein or manure. A short time later, under each shrub, it will be necessary to pour out a nutrient solution consisting of 10 liters of water, 20 grams of ammonium nitrate and 10 grams of urea. In autumn, for each square meter of the site, it will be necessary to add 20 grams of double superphosphate and the same amount of potassium sulfate.

Almond pruning

Ornamental shrub almonds need timely pruning.Spring pruning should be carried out before sap flow begins, while all injured, frost-bitten, dried, thickening crown and disease-damaged branches and shoots should be removed. It happens that one of the branches interferes with the normal growth of the other, they are called competing. In this case, the strongest and most well-located branch is chosen, and the second is cut off. After the almonds have bloomed, formative pruning is performed. Cutting does not harm this plant, on the contrary, if you cut off the faded stems in a timely manner, then next year the almonds will bloom even more magnificently.

After the bush turns 7 years old, it will be necessary to remove those branches that have become very old. They can be replaced by root suckers, which grow after the bush turns 3 years old.

How almonds bloom

There are sources that claim that the name almond comes from the word amygdalos, which is translated from ancient Greek as "beautiful tree". Many consider this version to be true, since blooming almonds look just bewitchingly beautiful. There are so many flowers that they stick around the whole plant. Their color can be red, pink, white or purple. Those who love painting have probably seen the painting "Blooming Almond Branches" by Vincent van Gogh.

If the region has a rather warm and mild climate, then almonds begin to bloom in the last days of January, and ends in March. In middle latitudes, flowering begins in the last days of April or the first days of May and lasts for about half a month. At this time, the shrub must receive the required amount of water, otherwise the flowering will not be so long.

Diseases and pests

Almonds are susceptible to diseases such as moniliosis, scab, clotterosporia, gray rot and rust. And from pests, aphids, almond seed-eaters, spider mites and leaf rollers can settle on it. Fungal diseases can be dealt with with fungicides, for example: Skorom, Cuproxat, Topaz, Fundazol. They get rid of pests with the help of insecticides: Calypso, Zolon, Actellik or Fufanon. And if a spider mite has settled on a bush, then it should be treated with Akarin, Kleschevit or Agravertin.

However, it should be remembered that if you take care of this ornamental shrub correctly, then you will very rarely have problems with it.

Wintering

Preparing for winter

For wintering, this shrub must begin to prepare in the summer. So, for this, the tops of the stems are pricked, due to which they lignify much faster, and the almonds do not freeze in winter. Young seedlings must be covered in autumn with dried foliage, straw or lutrasil, to a height of 15 centimeters from the ground surface. It is necessary to ensure that the root collar, which is under a layer of snow, does not begin to rot. Adult specimens do not need shelter for the winter. If part of the stems freezes, then the shrub in the spring is restored in a short time.

Wintering in the suburbs and Moscow

In Moscow and the Moscow region, it is recommended to grow such types of almonds as: low (steppe), Georgian, three-lobed and Ledebour almonds. These shrubs may suffer a little during the wintering period from severe frost, but they recover very quickly and bloom incredibly abundantly. You need to plant and care for almonds in the same way as they do in the middle lane (described above).

Almond propagation

Varietal almonds can only be propagated by layering, grafting and shoots, and species almonds can also be propagated by seeds. Some gardeners grow rootstocks on their own, and then they are grafted with varietal cuttings.

Growing almonds from seeds

Seeds are sown in open ground, and this can be done in spring or autumn.It should be noted that before you start sowing in the spring, the seeds should be prepared, for this they are placed in the refrigerator on a vegetable shelf for four months. Make grooves in the soil, the depth of which should be from 8 to 10 centimeters, while keeping a distance of 10 to 12 centimeters between the seeds. The gap between the grooves should be 50 centimeters. Almond seedlings that appear need care, which consists in timely watering, weeding and loosening the soil surface. In summer, when the seedling reaches half a meter in height, and the thickness of its stem is 10 mm, all its branches that grow up to 10 centimeters from the root collar must be cut into a ring. Then the plants are transplanted to a permanent place. As soon as they get sick, it will be possible to start grafting varietal cuttings on them.

Almond grafting

Rootstocks of any of the species of this plant are suitable for grafting, but it is recommended to take those of them that are highly frost-resistant. Almonds grow well on rootstocks of cherry plum, bird cherry, blackthorn or plum. A suitable graft must be straight, have well-developed stems with eyes that must be fully formed. All foliage should be removed from the cutting with a pruner, only short centimeter-long petioles should be left.

This shrub can be propagated by grafting only at a time when sap flow is observed, namely: in spring or in August. The rootstock, which should grow in open ground, should be gently wiped with a damp cloth, thereby removing dust and dirt from it. Then, slightly above the root collar, a T-shaped incision must be made using an eyepiece knife. And then gently turn the incised bark to the sides. From the scion, a scute should be cut, which is a strip of bark with a bud and a thin layer of wood. It should be noted that the flap must fit entirely into the T-cut you made earlier, so you do not need to make it too long. When the flap is inserted, press down on the edges of the bark that were previously unfolded. To fix the shield, you can use an eyepiece tape, tape or a plaster, while it is enough to make just a few turns around the stem. At the same time, remember that the kidney with the remainder of the petiole should not be closed.

If the vaccination was carried out in the spring, then after half a month the petiole from the kidney, which should still be green, should fall off by itself, while the eyepiece tape should be slightly loosened. In the event that the grafting was carried out in August, then the tape should not be removed until the next autumn period, while in late autumn the grafted seedling must be spud with soil (the grafting site must be covered with earth). With the onset of spring, it is necessary to remove the soil so that the root collar is free, and the fixing tape is also removed.

Cuttings

Planting material for cuttings should be prepared from mid to late June. For this, semi-lignified apical cuttings are cut, on which there should be 2 nodes, their length varies from 15 to 20 centimeters. Then the cuttings must be immersed in a growth stimulating agent for 16 hours. They should be rooted in a cold greenhouse. For planting, a soil mixture consisting of peat and sand (2: 1) is used. Cuttings will take root completely after 20-30 days. According to statistics, 85-100 percent of cuttings take root. When the roots appear, the cuttings will need to be transplanted into a training bed for growing.

How to propagate by growth

To provoke an active growth of the growth around the shrub, a strong pruning should be done. The separated offspring must have a fully formed root system, and this will only happen in the second year. The offspring transplanted to a permanent place must be looked after in the same way as a one-year-old seedling.

How to propagate by layering

It is necessary to bend flexible stems to the soil surface, fix them with metal studs, and then sprinkle with earth. During that time, while the root system is forming at the cuttings, they should be provided with timely watering, weeding and loosening of the soil surface. It will be possible to separate the layers and put it in a permanent place only after 12 months. During this time, the root system should be fully formed.

Types and varieties of almonds with photos

Common almonds

This species is grown as a fruit plant. It is divided into sweet almonds, which are cultivated by many gardeners and does not contain any harmful substances in their fruits, as well as wild almonds (bitter) - in its cores there is hydrocyanic acid. A large number of varieties of sweet almonds are very popular among gardeners and are also grown on an industrial scale. This type of almond is not decorative, but its fruit has a high medicinal and nutritional value.

Low almond, or steppe, or bean

The height of this deciduous shrub can be up to 150 centimeters. Its lush crown has a spherical shape, the bark on upright branches is gray-reddish. The length of leathery narrow lanceolate leaf plates is about 6 centimeters. Their front surface is dark green, and the back is pale green. Single flowers have a deep pink color. It blooms for 1–1.5 weeks. The fruit of such a shrub can be eaten. This type is very popular with gardeners in the middle lane. This species has 2 forms, namely: white-flowered and Gessler. Gessler's almond is smaller than the original species, but its deep pink flowers are somewhat larger. In the middle lane, the following varieties are most popular:

1. White sail... White flowers of a centimeter diameter densely cover the branches of the plant.
2. Anyuta... The deep pink flowers have a diameter of about 2.5 centimeters.
3. Dream... The diameter of the light pink flowers is about 2.5 centimeters.
4. Pink flamingo... The diameter of the double pink flowers reaches 1 centimeter.
5. Pink fog... Quite large deep pink flowers have a diameter of about 2.5 centimeters.
6. Mediator... This variety was created by Michurin. In height, such a tree reaches, as a rule, 200 centimeters, its large flowers are light pink in color. The plant is highly frost-resistant.

Georgian almonds

This Caucasian endem prefers to grow on forest edges, elephants, and also in hollows. The bush reaches a height of about 100 centimeters, outwardly it bears great resemblance to low almonds, but its leaf plates are not so small and reach about 8 centimeters in length, and the bristly rich pink flowers are larger. This type is especially often used in their work by breeders, and it can also be grown in the conditions of the Moscow region, since it is quite frost-resistant.

Almond Ledebour

In natural conditions, it can be found in the foothills of Altai, while this species can form dense thickets. Large leaf plates are dark green in color. Flowering begins earlier than in other species and lasts 15–20 days. The flowers are pink. The most famous variety is Fire Hill, its pink-red flowers can reach 30 mm in diameter.

Almond Petunnikov

This species is endemic to Central Asia. The height of this shrub reaches 100 centimeters, the branches are spread out or erect, covered with brown-gray bark. Shoots are pale yellow. Lanceolate or linear leaf plates have a pointed top and a blunt-serrated edge. Single pink flowers.

Three-lobed almond

This shrub has a spreading crown, and in height it can reach 300 centimeters. Three-bladed sheet plates with a coarse toothed edge have a very fuzzy back surface during opening.In diameter, the flowers reach 1.5 centimeters, on the stems they are located in pairs, can be painted in different colors. There are 2 decorative shapes:

1. Captivity... The diameter of the double pink flowers is from 3 to 4 centimeters. Flowering begins after the leaf plates appear, which reduces the decorativeness of the plant itself.
2. Kievskaya... In height, the bush can reach 350 centimeters, the flowering is very lush. The double pink flowers range in diameter from 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters. The leaves appear later than the opening of the flowers, due to which the plant has high decorative qualities.

This species has a large number of hybrids and varieties that differ not only in color and size of flowers, but also in flowering period, for example:

1. Svitlana... This variety was created by breeders from Ukraine. The flowers are very light.
2. Tanyusha... The diameter of the double flowers is from 25 to 35 mm, the petals are swirling.
3. Snows of Wimura... Terry large enough flowers have a light pink color, which, after the plant begins to fade, changes to cream.
4. In memory of Makhmet... The color of the double flowers is flesh-pink.
5. Chinese... The flowers are simple, pale pink.
6. Ruslana... This variety is hybrid. The color of simple flowers is flesh, and when the plant begins to fade, it changes to almost white.
7. Hybrid No. 3... Large double light pink flowers are placed on long peduncles. The flowering of this plant is similar to sakura.

Almonds are tall trees or bush, which belongs to the genus Plum and the Pink family. Many people think that almonds are nuts, but in reality they are not, they are stone fruits.

Description and flowering of an ornamental shrub

The almond tree reaches a height of 4-6 meters, and the shrub 2-3 meters. The rhizome consists of 3-5 skeletal roots, which are able to penetrate deep into the soil, thereby protecting against drying out.

The plant is quite branchy, while it consists of two types of shoots, which include shortened generative and elongated vegetative ones.

Dark green leaves are attached on brown petioles and have a lanceolate shape with a pointed tip.

An interesting feature of the almond is that it begins to bloom in March or April, much earlier than the time the leaves bloom.

Flowers such a plant consists of 5 petals painted in white or light pink. On average, the diameter of one flower is 2.5 centimeters.

Almond fruit Is a dry and velvety drupe with a leathery and fleshy green pericarp.

After drying, the pulp is very easily separated from the oval-shaped edible bone and is 2.5 - 4 centimeters long. It is characterized by the presence of a large number of furrows.

The first fruiting occurs in the 4-5 year of the tree's life., but in full force it appears only for 10-12 years. With good care, the shrub bears fruit for 30-50 years.

Besides getting fruit almonds are also grown for decorative purposes... The pink or white foam of the flowers of such a tree not only decorate the garden in early spring, but also exude a unique aroma.

Almonds bloom in March-April with white or light pink flowers

Almonds are a plant that needs to be pollinated beforehand. There are two types of trees:

• the former need cross-pollination, therefore, at least 3 pollinators are planted next to the fruiting almonds, the flowering time of which must coincide;
• the latter are pollinated by bees, therefore, it is desirable that 2-3 hives stand next to the plant.

Initially, it was believed that almonds can only be grown in the southern regions, but with the development of scientific technology, breeders have developed varieties that, with proper shelter, can survive even the most severe winter.

Varieties

Sweet varieties of almonds are grown in the culture, the following types are especially popular:

• Anniversary - the variety blooms rather late, has good drought resistance. The skin is of medium thickness and the kernel is sweet, firm and dry;
• Ayudagsky - this variety is late-ripening and early-fruiting, the first fruiting occurs already at the 3rd year of the tree's life. Fruits, covered with a soft shell, are a dense, slightly flattened oval core of light brown color;
• Sevastopol - these almonds boast excellent resistance to heat and drought, besides, they bring a huge amount of harvest. The shell of the fruit is soft, and the kernels themselves are dense, sweet, colored in white;
• Mangul - this late-ripening variety is not afraid of drought. Hard and dense kernels with increased oiliness are covered with a soft shell. A distinctive feature will be good immunity to most diseases and pests;
• Dessert - such a self-fertile almond is well suited for growing in central Russia, because it is not afraid of recurrent frosts and frostbite of flower buds. The shell is soft and rough. The oval kernels are very sweet and oily. Primorsky or Spicy almonds are usually used as pollinators for this variety.

Rules for planting an almond tree in open ground

It is best to grow almonds from annual seedlings, which are placed in open ground at the beginning of March or at the end of November.

As a place to plant a plant choose a sunny area, protected from draft and gusty winds, almonds can also grow well in partial shade.

Trees planted in the fall are believed to thrive better than those transferred to open ground in the spring.

Before planting a plant, you need to prepare a hole. In the fall, two weeks before planting, pits are dug, the diameter and depth of which will be 50-70 centimeters.

If almonds are planted in groups, then the distance between individual trees should be 3-4 meters, and between rows 5-6 meters.

Best to grow almonds from annual seedlings, plant in March or November

A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of each pit, consisting of crushed stone or gravel. Then fertile soil is placed in them, consisting of the following elements:

• 1 part sand;
• 2 parts of humus;
• 3 pieces of leafy land;
• 5-6 kilograms of rotted manure or humus;
• 500 grams of superphosphate;
• in the presence of acidic soil, 200-300 grams of dolomite flour or lime are additionally introduced into it.

After the pit has infused enough you can start planting a tree:

• initially, a support with a height of 1-1.5 meters is dug in the center of the pit;
• then a hill of earth is built around it;
• the seedling is placed on a mound in such a way that the root collar is 3-5 centimeters above the ground;
• at the next stage, the pit is covered with fertile soil, tamped and carefully watered;
• as soon as the water is completely absorbed, the seedling is tied to a support and the soil is mulched with a 3-5 cm layer of peat or dry leaves.

When carrying out spring planting, the pit is also prepared in the autumn.

How to plant almonds correctly:

Almond care

Almond care consists of several standard procedures that must be followed when growing almost all fruit trees.

For the best fruiting almonds need regular watering... Young plants are watered every 2 weeks, and adults 1 every 20-25 days.

Loosening the trunk circle has a beneficial effect on the growth of the tree. The first time such work is carried out at the end of March to a depth of 10-12 centimeters.

Then, during the entire growing season, another 3-4 loosening is carried out, but already to a depth of 6-8 centimeters. It is also necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner.

Almonds are very responsive to fertilizing. Starting from 2 years of age at the end of April-beginning of May, 20 grams of ammonium nitrate or urea diluted in water are introduced into the trunk circle of each tree.

In the fall, the following mixture is introduced into the trunk circle for digging:

• 1 kilogram of manure;
• 20 grams of potassium sulfide;
• 40 grams of superphosphate.

For the first 5-7 years of the life of trees in the aisles, it is recommended to grow green manure.

In Siberia, legumes, steppe, low or Russian almonds can be grown without shelter. In the central strip, three-lobed almonds grow well.

Caring for almonds consists in regular watering, loosening the trunk circle, feeding

Pruning

In early spring, before bud break all frozen, broken, diseased or deforming branches must be removed.

After the end of flowering, you can start formative pruning., during which 3 tiers of skeletal branches are derived:

• in the first year, three branches are chosen, located 15-20 centimeters from each other and shortened to a length equal to 15 centimeters;
• the next 2-3 years, 3 tiers are formed on the central conductor, located at a distance of 20-30 centimeters;
• shoots that are insignificant for the formation of the crown are pinched several times over the summer;
• the rest are cut to 50-60 centimeters;
• at the end of the work, the central conductor is shortened so that the distance between it and the upper tier is 55-60 centimeters.

In autumn, after the leaves fall, carry out sanitary and anti-aging pruning. That is, they remove all dry, diseased, broken, growing in the wrong direction and thickening the crown of the branches.

It is worth remembering that when cutting thick branches, the cut site must be processed with garden varnish.

Almonds are pruned in spring, after flowering ends and in autumn, after leaves fall

Diseases and pests

Most often, the following types of diseases are found on almonds:

1. Cercosporosis - initially brown spots with a diameter of 2-4 millimeters appear on the leaves, on which you can see a gray bloom. Then the center of the leaf dries up and falls off.
2. Scab Is a fungal disease that affects the leaves, flowers and shoots of a tree.
3. Rust - red spots appear on the upper side of the leaf, and brown pads appear on the inner side. Over time, the leaves dry and fall off.
4. Hole spot - the disease affects all parts of the tree. It can be found on the leaves, because characteristic spots of red shades with a dark border around the edges appear on them.
5. Gray rot - brown spots and gray fluffy bloom appear on the shoots.

To get rid of diseases, it is necessary to remove and burn the damaged parts of the plants and carry out the treatment with fugnicides according to the instructions. The most popular drugs are Horus, Topaz, Champion and Oxyhom.

Of the pests on almonds, you can find insects such as seed eater, aphid, leaf roll or spider mite.

Aphids on the leaves of an almond tree

As a pest control, trees must be treated with insecticides, which include Actellik, Fufanon, Tagore.

Biotlin or Antitlin are used against aphids. You can get rid of a spider mite with the help of Apollo, Agravertin or Fitoverm preparations.

As you know, it is much better to prevent the occurrence of any trouble than to cure it, therefore preventive measures will be extremely effective:

• in early spring, before the formation of buds, the tree and the soil around it are treated with 1 percent solution of Brodsky's liquid;
• after the end of the leaf fall, the treatment should be repeated;
• the best preventive measure will be adherence to cultivation agrotechnics. This includes proper watering, weed removal, and sanitary pruning.

The almonds are removed only after the green outer shell darkens and becomes easily separated from the kernel.

The use of a flowering tree in landscape design

Almonds have a very beautiful and unusual flowering., for which it is very often planted for decorative purposes. Early flowers can only decorate a waking garden and create a spring mood.

In addition, a well-formed crown will help to use such trees to create an alley or simply as shade for resting places.

The almond tree is an amazing flowering plant, which in modern conditions can be grown in any corner of the country. If all the recommendations are followed correctly, you can get very tasty bone fruits.

When on the banks of the Neva and the Moskva River still lies

snow

, blooms in Crimea

almond

... And inhaling its aroma, once again it seems that we live almost in paradise.

Almond

good not only for its delicious spring aroma, but also for tasty, healthy nuts with medicinal properties. However, if you want to plant this beautiful plant in your home, please note that

almond

rather thermophilic. If there are varieties for your climate, great!

We planted our "almonds" when we were planning our first pregnancy, stocking up on our "medicines" ahead of time for the period of pregnancy and lactation. Almonds increase the level of lactation (in other words, the amount of breast milk) in a nursing mother.

Almond nuts are dried and eaten, added as a spice to various dishes. In addition to fruits, almonds are valued for their aesthetic appearance and a very pleasant aroma during the flowering period.

Planting almonds

There are two main planting methods: either a seed or a seedling is planted in the ground. I will say right away that the second method is much easier - I happened to observe the neighbors who really wanted to grow almonds from the seeds.

If you still want to grow an almond tree from seed, plant them in the spring. Because if you lay the bones in the ground in the fall, as, by the way, our neighbors did, they risk not living until spring - field

rodents

will say thank you very much and will eat them with pleasure.

As for planting seedlings, it also has a number of its own characteristics. If you want to

almond

fruiting, it is necessary to plant at least two, and preferably three plants. Features of pollination affect.

A girl is planting an almond tree We did not have any special problems with planting - the seedlings were sold with a lump of earth near the roots (they seem to be almost all sold like that). We were advised to plant in the sunniest place protected from the wind. Somewhere we did just that, dug small holes (25-30 cm deep) at a distance of about 3 m from each other, where we lowered the seedlings along with a clod of earth.

Tied to a reed support (in our supermarkets we sell such long sticks to support plants) and watered every time the soil dries up.

Now, after talking with many amateurs

almonds

, I know that traditionally the bottom of the planting pit is covered with crushed stone and sand, and they add

lime

... But when we were planting

almond

(and it was almost 9 years ago), I did not know about this, respectively, and planted without any special wisdom directly into the ground, since we have it in excess

sandy

.

Almond care

Almond

- the plant is unpredictable, in some (probably, it depends more on

soil

) grows well and, which is typical, bears fruit without

fertilizers

and special treatment

glaze

... Others fertilize and water, but abundant

harvest

do not receive.

• Watering almonds

With mode

glaze

everything is relatively simple: when the soil under the plant has dried up, you need to pour a bucket of water under it. Moreover, it is important not to overdo it - this can harm the root system of the plant. If

almond

not enough

to water

, the flowering period will be reduced, and as a result, the volume of the resulting

harvest

.

The abundance of fruiting directly depends on watering

• Almond fertilization

In the spring, almonds are fertilized with rotted manure, and in the fall with superphosphates and potassium sulfide.

• Almond pruning

Almond

necessary regularly

prune

removing dry and diseased branches. Decorative

pruning

also does not harm the plant. It is usually carried out after flowering, cutting off annual shoots in order to form the crown of a tree.

• Almond diseases

One of the most common

almond diseases

- gray rot. There are no specialized means of protection against it.(If suddenly anyone knows, I would be grateful if you share in the comments.) It helps a lot.

pruning

infected branches. But it is important to trim it in time, before the spore-bearing pads appear. We saved one plant this way, and two more did not have time.

There are others

illness

dangerous for

almonds

, for example, moniliosis. To save a plant from it, spraying must be carried out

Bordeaux mixture

.

• Almond pests

For our plant, the main

pests

the neighbor's goats have become 🙂 Fortunately, they did not eat all the leaves.

But in general, most often almonds suffer from aphids, leafworms and plum moths. Fortunately, I did not have a chance to encounter the latter two. And the aphids, there was a case, they got there - they washed the leaves with laundry soap (with a solution, of course), we did the same with the leaves of the rose, and the gluttonous insects retreated.

Collecting almonds

Blooms

almond

in April, filling the neighborhood with the maddening scent of their flowers.

Then, from these wonderful flowers, fruits are formed, which, depending on the type of almond, ripen in June-July.

They are usually harvested when the outer shell of the fruit cracks. Then the nuts are separated from the inedible outer shell (we are not talking about the nut shell, but about the outer green skin) and dried for several days.

Almond variety selection

The choice of one or another variety of almonds largely depends on the climatic zone (and, accordingly, the method of planting it). For southern regions, where almonds are planted directly into the soil, large varieties are well suited.

Inhabitants of the northern regions who grow almonds in tubs prefer dwarf varieties. It is understandable - it is a dubious pleasure to grow a three-meter plant in a tub. For container growing, a species such as steppe almonds is well suited. This is a short shrub with very beautiful flowers, but you should not count on fruits: steppe almonds are poisonous!

Almond nuts
Almond varieties such as Foros, Yalta and others are grown in the ground. Most of the varieties are zoned for the appropriate type of climate. So, before choosing one or another variety, based on the size and taste of the fruit, the height and density of the crown and other important factors, ask how it will live in your latitudes. Even in our relatively warm regions (Simferopol), only specially zoned varieties, whose seedlings are sold in nurseries, take root well.

You can paint for a long time the indescribable aroma of almond flowers and the pleasant taste of almond

nuts

, but all this will not give the necessary idea of ​​the true beauty and usefulness of the plant. Many, who once breathed in a fabulous spring scent, remember it all their lives. If the climate allows you to plant this wonderful plant, plant it without hesitation, you will not regret it.