Planting an almond tree in the garden, features of care and reproduction

An almond tree, with proper planting and proper care, will bloom profusely every spring and decorate the garden while the rest of the plants are still sleeping. Blooms in April or early May. Its branches are literally covered with pink or white-pink flowers, exuding a unique aroma. If you plant several almond trees of different varieties next to each other, then at the end of summer it will be possible to collect fruits, inside which there is an edible tasty bone.

Description of the almond tree

Almonds are a tree up to 6 meters high or a spreading shrub up to 3 meters high. It begins to bloom early, in regions with a warm climate, flowers appear in March, in the middle lane - in April or early May. Flowers appear on the branches first, and after they crumble, leaves. There are so many flowers on the shoots that the almond tree looks like a pink fireworks in the spring. Each flower is 2.5 cm in diameter and consists of five petals.

There are two types of almonds:

• bitter is a wild plant, its bones are inedible;
• sweet is a cultivated plant whose nuts can be eaten.

The first fruits appear in the 4-6th year after planting, and abundant fruiting - after 10 years. In favorable conditions, it lasts up to 50-60 years. Almond is a long-lived tree, its maximum age can be 120 years.

Fruits are set only by cross-pollination. A prerequisite is that the trees must be of different varieties and bloom at the same time. They are planted at a distance of 3-5 meters from each other. Pollinators are bees or other insects. Almonds are a honey plant.

Requirements for growing conditions

The almond tree is sun-loving. Growing it in a shaded area leads to the fact that flowering becomes scarce.

The root system has several skeletal branches that go deep into the soil. This makes the plant drought tolerant. Stagnation of water at the roots does not tolerate, the soil must be drained, loose, breathable. Outdoor cultivation should be carried out in a place protected from winds and drafts. Almonds grow well on rocky soils with a high content of calcium and lime. Planting on acidic or saline soils is unacceptable - the tree may die.

Almonds are a thermophilic plant. For cultivation in regions with cold winters, cold-resistant species were bred.

• Steppe almonds are frost-resistant, winters without shelter at temperatures down to -25 °. Its other names are low, Russian, almond or bean.
• Three-lobed almonds are cold-resistant, in frosty winters, the ends of the shoots can freeze out, shelter with agrofibre is required. After freezing it quickly recovers.

Important!

All of these species are decorative. Their bones are inedible and can cause severe poisoning.

Saplings grafted onto thorns or cherry plums are considered resistant to cold weather.

Features of cold-resistant almond species

Steppe almonds are considered the most winter hardy. This is a low-growing shrub, its height does not exceed 1.5 meters. The branches are erect, the bark is gray-red. The steppe species is interesting in that its pericarp is pubescent, as if covered with felt. The fruits adorn the branches all autumn.

The steppe species has a lot of root growth, which is used for its reproduction. Pruning is only required sanitary, which is carried out in early spring. This species is undemanding to the soil, transfers gas-polluted air, easily withstands drought - it needs minimal care.It is used for landscaping streets and courtyards in the city.

One of the common varieties of the three-bladed type is "Pink foam". It has beautiful large double flowers of pink, crimson or purple color. The root system of this variety is superficial and highly branched. The variety "Pink foam" is suitable for strengthening slopes, artificial embankments.

Planting almonds in the garden

Almonds are planted in pre-prepared pits:

1. they are dug out in the size of 60x60 cm, the same depth;
2. drainage is poured to the bottom, for which you can use crushed stone, cracked brick, stones, expanded clay;
3. for drainage - a layer of coarse river sand, it is tamped;
4. a mound is made from the nutrient soil, and a long stake is driven into its center, which will serve as a support for the seedling;
5. the roots of the seedling are directed along different sides of the mound, making sure that they do not bend;
6. the pit is covered with loose fertile soil.

Important!

The root collar is left 1-2 cm above the soil level.

The soil mixture is 5 kg of humus or compost, 500 grams of superphosphate, 250 grams of lime and a small amount of river sand.

If you plan to grow several almond trees, then dig holes at a distance of 5 meters from each other.

Advice

Autumn planting of seedlings is preferable, this guarantees their survival.

When planting in spring, the roots of the seedling must be smeared with a clay talker. This will retain moisture and prevent the plant from drying out. The trunk circle must be mulched, but the root collar should not be covered with mulch. Caring for a planted tree consists in constant watering. Until the almonds take root, it is important to keep the soil moist. At the same time, it is impossible to fill in: with excessive dampness, the roots can rot.

Care

Caring for an almond tree is not difficult but should be done regularly, especially in the first few years after planting.

Care includes the following activities:

• loosening several times per season to a depth of 15 cm - a crust must not be allowed to form on the soil surface;
• watering regularly, as the earth dries up, but not more than 10 liters in the near-trunk circle;
• top dressing twice a year: in the spring - nitrogen, in the fall - phosphorus and potash;
• in early spring and late autumn, it is necessary to carry out water-charging irrigation - in the fall, such care will help to endure the winter more easily, and in the spring it will provoke a lush flowering;
• pruning.

Sanitary pruning is done after the snow has melted. Cut out all the broken, frozen branches. Formative pruning is carried out immediately after the flowers have fallen off. Branches growing deeper into the tree are removed, intersecting with each other and too thickening the crown.

Older trees sometimes need anti-aging pruning. In this case, all branches are cut, leaving a stump. After a while, it will grow overgrown with young shoots.

In regions with cold winters, care includes preparing the almond tree for winter. To do this, in the second half of summer, buds are removed from the tops of the shoots. This accelerates the lignification of green young shoots and makes them frost-resistant. In cold winters, you need to put agrofibre on the almond bush and press the ends of the canvas tightly to the ground.

Reproduction

The almond tree can be propagated by seeds, layering, grafting, or undergrowth.

• The easiest way to reproduce is by rooting the shoots. It is carefully dug up and cut off with a sharp shovel from the mother plant along with the roots. It's good if you manage to keep some of the soil on the roots - rooting will be faster.
• Reproduction by layering is possible for bush almond species. The lower branch, extending almost horizontally, is pinned to the ground in several places and lightly sprinkled with earth. Separation from the main plant is carried out the next year.

Growing almonds using the above methods is the most effective. Rooting takes place quickly, and all the characteristics of the mother plant are transferred to the seedling.

The grafting method is more complicated, and inexperienced gardeners do not always succeed on the first try. It takes a long time to grow almonds from seeds. Seed stratification is required, their germination on a separate bed. Only three-year-old seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place. Maternal characteristics are not always transmitted when propagated by seeds.

conclusions

In regions with cold winters, ornamental almond species are suitable for cultivation. They winter well, quickly recover from freezing, and in early spring they become favorites of the garden.