Almond planting and care in the open field in the Leningrad region

Almonds are not only fragrant and healthy nuts. It is also a profusely flowering ornamental shrub that amazes with its delightful fragrant flowers in springtime. Seeing the flowering of almonds, many want 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 first year of planting. You will learn about how almonds grow and how to choose a variety that suits your climatic zone in this article. As always, the text is complemented by colorful photos.

Common frost-resistant varieties

Almonds are a fairly frost-resistant tree. However, due to early flowering in spring, most of the flower buds in the middle lane freeze underneath. As a result, you will not be able to get a bountiful harvest from every tree. Many modern cultivars, bred in our time by breeders, have a long period of generation of fruit buds and a rather late flowering. This ensures that fruit is obtained.

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

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

1. Nikitinsky - forms a shrub reaching a height of 5 m. Large-fruited variety with a long dormant period, which has a high yield and is suitable for growing in any region. Blooms in mid-April. The tree is self-sterile. For pollination, any other variety blooming at this time is planted nearby.

   Variety Nikitsky

2. Seaside - forms a fan-shaped tree with a height of 3.5 m. Flowering occurs in mid-April. Elongated fruits with a rounded base and pointed end, ripen in mid-November. High-yielding variety. The pollinator can be "Dessert" or "Alenik".
3. Dessert - forms a dense spherical crown up to 4.5 m high. It blooms in April, depending on the air temperature. As you can see in the photo, the fruit is oval, slightly pointed in shape, the kernel is easily separated from the shell. The yield is high, annual. For pollination use the variety "Primorsky", "Spicy".
4. Almonds have good fertility and frost resistance. petiolate... It is a small shrub up to 2.5 m in height. Blooming later. The fruits are small, but there are many of them on the tree.

   Pedunculated almonds

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, one-year grafted bushes are used.

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

Choose a place for landing that is sunny, on a small hill, protected from the influence of northern winds. A kind of "amphitheater" open on the south side is perfect.

Prepare a planting 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 restoration of the root system, damaged as a result of transplantation, is underway. The tree will need regular watering (every 10-15 days) and periodic loosening of the soil of the trunk circle. In the future, caring for the tree is quite simple, but you should adhere to the following rules:

• water the plant sparingly and only when absolutely necessary (that is, during dry times);
• do not fill the root collar - it rots easily, 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 thickening the crown are removed, diseased, frozen and dried shoots are cut off;
• a grafted almond tree will need shelter for the winter.

Correct feeding

Almonds, like all walnut trees, need proper, regular feeding. They are held every two weeks in the spring and summer.

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

Almond propagation

Under natural conditions, almond propagation occurs by seeds, however, cultivated varietal trees are propagated only vegetatively - by budding on the stock. For this procedure, use any type of almond, even bitterseed species. In the absence of a stock on a personal plot, it can be grown independently from a seed of a varietal tree.

Budding is carried out in mid-July:

• take an annual 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 is inserted, cut off with a heel from the tree of the variety you are interested in;
• the inoculation is covered with a wrapping film, which is removed after 1.5 months.

Almond tree grafting

Diseases and pests

Common almond diseases include leaf curl, rust, moniliosis and gray rot.

1. You can cope with curly leaves and moniliosis by spraying with Bordeaux liquid and applying nitrogen-containing fertilizers to the soil.
2. If damaged by gray rot, diseased shoots are removed, and the tree is treated with a systemic fungicide.
3. To combat rust, a solution of an aqueous suspension of sulfur or sulfur powder is used.

Bacterial damage to almonds

Of the pests, almonds are most often affected by aphids. Spraying with a solution of karbofos or laundry soap will help to cope with it. Plum moth or leafworm may appear on young shoots. In this case, spray the tree with chlorophos or karbofos twice with an interval of 10-12 days.

Effective almond cultivation: video

Growing almonds: photo

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 the plant from it, it is necessary to spray

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.

When there is still snow in Moscow, blooming almonds can be seen in Crimea. The plant is appreciated not only for its external beauty, but also for its tasty and healthy fruits. But before planting, it is worth noting one feature of the plant - it is thermophilic, this should definitely be taken into account.

Almonds are a deciduous shrub or small tree with pink or white flowers, rounded drupes. The plant is undemanding, tolerates urban conditions. Almonds grow fast enough.

Features of planting a decorative pink almond tree

There are two planting methods - seedlings or seeds. Growing with seedlings is much easier.

If you do decide to plant seeds, it is better to do it in the spring. When planted in the fall, the bones will simply be eaten by rodents.

Also read: Creeping juniper: growing popular varieties

Proper plant care at low temperatures in Siberia

• The plant must be shortened immediately after planting in the spring. Its height should be about 120 cm. In this case, 40 cm are allocated to the crown. The branches are cut so that a ring is obtained.
• For 4 years, the crown should be formed in the form of a bowl. Pruning consists of thinning the branches.
• The soil must be loosened and watered.
• It is important to apply fertilizers on time: in the fall - organic (bird droppings, manure, compost), potash and phosphorus salts, until June - fertilizers with nitrogen content.

Planting perennial almond bushes (video)

Dangerous pests

Since almonds are a flowering plant, they are susceptible to aphid attacks. Insects damage leaves and inhibit bud development. Aphids also release a special sticky substance that attracts ants. Biological enemies are ladybugs. Pest control can be done with pesticides.

Caterpillars may appear during flowering. They will try to leave the tree without leaves. You can fight leaf beetles with insecticidal soap or oil.

The harm and benefits of almonds

The beneficial properties of almond nuts are recognized all over the world. But it should be noted that it is necessary to use the product in moderation. The benefits and harms depend mainly on the form in which you consume the almonds. There will be no benefit from a roasted nut. Useful substances are found only in a raw product.

Benefit:

• positive effects on hair, skin and nails due to the content of vitamins B and E;
• milk and almond oil soften the skin;
• nuts cleanse the blood, calm the nerves;
• remove bile, increase potency;
• high content of fats and proteins;
• rich chemical composition;
• proven to stimulate the brain. In view of this, you should definitely include it in your diet if you are doing mental work.

Harm:

• do not eat unripe almonds. They contain hydrocyanic acid;
• excessive use of the product also negatively affects the body, dizziness may appear;
• almonds can provoke an allergic reaction;
• if you are prone to weight gain, you should not consume large amounts of sugary and fatty nuts - they are high in calories;
• it is contraindicated to eat almonds in large volumes and for people with heart disease;
• the fruits are difficult to digest, so people with a weakened intestine should not get carried away with them.

Decorativeness of terry shrub (photo)

Ornamental almonds are a thermophilic plant, but they can withstand both frost and the climate, for example, in the Leningrad region.

Mainly used for gardens are such types of almonds as:

• Short
• Gessler
• White-flowered

Deciduous almonds are usually planted in hedges - high or low. It will not take much work to grow a shrub, but you will have to be patient.

Almonds are also used in landscape compositions with medium-sized red-leaved species.

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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 a 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 is 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 near-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 the spring, after flowering ends and in the fall, after the 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.