Decorative flowering almond. Almond tree is a source of valuable vitamins and microelements. How to plant and grow ornamental almonds

Decorative almond is a beautiful and fragrant tree with pale pink or white flowers on the branches. Although its fruits do not have useful properties, this shrub is grown, but for a different purpose - decorating the garden.

decorative almond — great decoration site

Variety selection

When choosing almonds, they rely on the following criteria:

climatic (dry or humid climate);
weather (frequency of rain, wind, excessive dryness);
land quality;
the height of the garden, etc.

Decorative almonds can be grown even by a beginner. Compared to other shrubs, it does not require special and long-term care. The main selection criterion is the climate of the garden, because in a too dry area a tall and large tree does not adapt.

AT middle lane it is possible to grow such varieties of almonds:

three-bladed;
Ledebour;
steppe (bean);
Georgian;
Petunnikov;
ordinary.

Low decorative almond reaches a maximum of 1.5 m. Its crown resembles the shape of a ball. The average diameter of the flowers reaches 3 cm, and their color is always bright pink.

The flowering period of the ornamental steppe shrub begins in May and lasts 7–10 days. Its advantage is resistance to low temperatures. Among the most common species, gardeners distinguish Albiflora and Gessler varieties.

A three-lobed ornamental almond shrub grows up to 3 m. The crown diameter is on average 1.5–2 m. The color of the leaves is bright green, the shoots are gray. The flowers can be pale pink, crimson, fuchsia, their diameter is about 2–3 cm. The plant blooms in early May for 10–14 days. Winter hardiness is lower than that of the bean, but with proper preparation damage can be avoided by winter.

Ledebour's almond grows in the middle lane on steep slopes and in the steppe area. Its height does not exceed 1.5 m, and its width is 1–2 m. Ledebour's almond blooms until the leaves bloom. It has beautiful bright red buds and rich pink flowers.

Almond Ledebour feels good in the middle lane

Planting decorative almonds

Depending on the type and variety of almonds, they are planted in one of two ways: seeds or seedlings. The first method is more often used in the spring, because in the fall, seeds planted in the ground can be destroyed by rodents.

Planting seedlings is very popular. It is simple and quickly brings results: the flowering of the shrub will begin in the second year. What you need to consider when planting almond seedlings:

Plant at least 4 trees close to each other for cross-pollination. Without it, the almonds will die and will not bloom.
Planting holes must be at least 35 cm deep. The width of the pit depends on the volume of the root system of the seedling.
The optimal distance between plantings is 4-5 m, so that their branches do not interfere with each other.
Almonds can be in the shade of other trees for no more than 3 hours a day.
Strong winds can damage or destroy a tree.
Shrubs are watered as needed, the soil should be checked daily for dryness. In most cases, one watering per week is sufficient.
If the seedlings are small and fragile, strengthen their base with a support made of metal or wood.

to plant ornamental shrubs almonds are needed in the fall. Fertilizers from superphosphate, rotted manure are added to the pit. So the seedlings will be able to adapt to the weather and climate. Once fertilized, they will survive the winter frosts and bloom in the spring.

After planting, the seedlings are watered, 10–15 liters of water is enough.

Propagation of almond trees

reproduction ornamental varieties different from breeding other almond bushes. Budding is used, which preserves the qualities of almonds and their fruits. It is held in mid-July. For vegetative propagation, the gardener will need rootstocks.

How to grow seeds:

Dig and form neat grooves 10 cm deep at a distance of 50 cm from each other.
Plant grains in grooves. Keep a distance of 10–15 cm between seeds.
In a year, the seeds will germinate noticeably. Watch for weeds and remove them immediately.

In June the seedlings will reach 50–65 cm in height. The branches that are located below need to be cut by 10 cm with a pruner into a ring. By the end of July, the thickness of the base of the seedlings will be 1 cm, they can be used for propagation.

Two days before budding, it is necessary to moisten the soil so that the bark falls well behind. It is advised to carry out budding in the cool time of the day. Optimal time intervals: early morning or after 17 hours.

If several seedlings were grown, then well-developed ones with beautiful even shoots are selected. They should have outlines of a vegetative bud.

Sprouted almond grain

Pruning almond ornamental shrubs

Pruning almonds and their branches is one of the essential elements care. The procedure promotes the development and growth of the tree. The crown of decorative almonds in the second year after planting is already formed. In subsequent years, you need to monitor its condition by determining the average height and cutting off all the shoots below it with pruners.

How to form a crown from branches:

Create multiple levels of skeletal branches. The first is at the very bottom of the crown. The second consists of branches that are directed perpendicular to the first. They are located 15–20 cm above the first shoots.
The third level is formed from shoots that occupy the space between the first two. It is 10-15 cm higher. The fourth is formed in a similar way.
The remaining shoots growing between the listed levels are cut out.
Choose the most beautiful, lush and wide branches.

It is necessary to inspect the trees after leaf fall, winter and at the beginning of flowering. Cut off dry, frostbitten, diseased, broken branches. With proper tree care, only sanitary pruning can be carried out.

Anyone who has been in the south in spring will never forget this enchanting sight: decorative almonds, gardens and streets blazing with pink and white! Involuntarily, I want to give spring in my land a small piece of a distant country, where I once visited!

Almond, which usually blooms for 4-5 years, is either a small tree or a shrub with dark green leathery leaves falling in autumn, lanceolate in shape with a sawtooth edge. Together with a huge mass of thin branches, they create a compact, spherical crown. The decoration of the plant is also the abundance of round-shaped fruits with a stone, easily separated from the “suede” three-lobed pericarp.

But before the fruits are tied, they must first be the ovaries of flowers, abundant in petals and stamens. They are very beautiful, large, often pink, less often white, simple or terry, soar in the spring air with a “fluffy” cloud from 2 to 3 weeks. It's for them that almonds are planted - fruits decorative forms almonds are inedible. The plant is usually covered with leaves after flowering.

This unpretentious appearance plants from the genus of plums feel equally good both in the country and in the city. He is warm-hearted and light-loving too. It is also drought tolerant (thanks to the good development of the root system) and can live up to 130 years. Valuable honey plant.

Common almond

A long-liver that adorns the nature of Afghanistan, Iran, the Caucasus. A tree from 3 to 8 m tall, similar to a cherry, with a reddish color of branches or a shrub, after shedding flower petals with pink or red corollas, covered with oblong leaves.

Georgian almond

Fruiting from the age of 7, quite stable shrub within Moscow. Reaches a height of about 1 meter, bright, large-sized pink flowers turn with the onset of September days into ripe bristly fruits, surrounded by leaves up to 9 cm long. Woody shoots before winter are calm about frost.

Almond Ledebourg

A pet of the Altai foothill valleys with large leaves dark green, blooms pink for 2 weeks and begins to bear fruit at the age of 10 years.

Almond (bean) low

It grows in Asia (in Siberia) and in Europe along the lowlands. spherical crown deciduous bush is formed by straight branches gray with a red tone with leaves abundantly covering them, narrow and appearing at the same time with flowers of bright pink tone, for a week abundantly showering a bush.

Undemanding to soils, resistant to winter cold and drought photophilous plant, freely transferring haircut. For propagation, both root offspring and layering are used, as well as seeds, or grafting is done.

This profusely flowering and fruiting decorative almond is grown by gardeners in the middle belt and forest-steppes of Siberia in the form of two forms: white-flowered and Gessler, which has large flowers pink coloration.

Due to its high decorativeness, endurance and long flowering, garden hydrangeas in landscape design…

Almond Petunnikova

Places of growth - mountain slopes with stones, on which it forms dense thickets of bushes 1 m high, with straight or open branches with many very shortened branches. The light-yellow color of the bare shoots turns into a gray-brown color of the bark of the branches.

The single-growing pink flowers are replaced by linear-shaped leaves with pointed tops and a sharp or blunt edge. Winter-hardy and drought-resistant plant, decorative both during flowering and with the onset of fruiting.

Three-lobed almond (louiseania)

The bush has a spreading crown, fruitful dark gray shoots are covered with leaves growing in bunches, densely hairy after deployment and bare afterwards.

flowers simple structure 1.5 cm in diameter, deep pink to red and crimson, growing in pairs on shoots. They appear on the bushes from the beginning of May and last for about 17 days, after which it is time for the leaves to unfold.

Garden decoration molds:

"Captivity". A 2-meter-high shrub with a wide spreading crown, bearing double flowers of pink color, having more than 40 petals and a calyx of 10 sepals with a pedicel 10 mm long. Flowering in May lasts about 10 days and follows the unfolding of the leaves.
"Kyiv". Abundantly flowering shrub or tree up to 3 m high with a pink color double flowers thin pleasant aroma covering it for 7 days at the end of April until the leaves unfold.
Flower growers rarely plant three-lobed louiseania with a simple flower shape; this is a nursery of arboretums.

Plant an almond - it's easy

Pickup time and place

Decorative almond is a lover of sun and air. Therefore, plant it in the southern part of the site, in a sunny place, in extreme cases - in partial shade. It is better that he does not fall into the shade of trees growing in the neighborhood for more than 2 hours a day. And you need to choose a place protected from the winds and even more so from drafts.

Evergreen, hardy and showy coniferous plants – great way give the area a unique image ....

It is necessary to plant in the spring with the establishment of stable heat so that the beginning of the growing season does not coincide with the time of the last spring frosts.

Prepare a hole

Almonds will not grow on acidic and saline soils, with a similar level ground water. It is necessary to clear the place where the landing is planned, from tall plants able to immerse the seedling in its shadow.

Pits are dug for planting several bushes or trees - a lonely tree will not be pollinated by anyone and there will be no fruits on it. Plants are pollinated by insects, so an apiary will be a good neighbor of the almond orchard.

But you should not be afraid of stones on the site, because in natural conditions almonds - which grows on rocky and rubble-strewn mountain slopes.

Features of the landing process

Almonds are planted either late in the fall, or on the first fine spring days, with annual seedlings (this is easier) or seeds. Planting almonds in autumn with seeds is not worth it - mice will gnaw them.

Seedlings should be planted in holes:

according to the scheme 7x4 or 7x5 (at least 3 m between the pits);
a depth of at least 30 cm;
with sand and rubble poured to the bottom.

The support for the seedling is placed immediately: as long as the few but strong roots of the almonds are not fixed in the soil, it is necessary.

Almonds should not be planted in heavy clay soil - loam is more suitable. Lime and compost (humus), sand and leafy soil must be added to the land for planting.

You can get almonds by grafting them onto peach, cherry plum, plum, blackthorn, bird cherry.

Reproduction of decorative almonds

It is easy enough to propagate almonds with the help of seeds, layering, root suckers, stumps. But the easiest way to do this is using cuttings.

Segments of stems harvested in July, having 2-3 knots, are immersed for rooting in a mixture of 1 part of sand and 2 parts of wet peat; when landing, one node remains on the surface. Then rooted cuttings are transplanted into nutrient soil.

Almond care

Watering

Watering according to the principle of necessary sufficiency: a bucket of water under the root, preventing the soil from drying out - when the plant “overflows”, the root collar will rot, the “underwatered” will not bloom for so long.

top dressing

In the spring, you can mulch the plant with manure, feed ammonium nitrate or other nitrogen fertilizers. In autumn, double superphosphate and potassium sulphate are applied (nitrogen-rich fertilizers are stopped from about July).

pruning

Mandatory sanitary pruning - removal of dead and diseased branches. Shearing, which almonds tolerate well, is needed to form a bush. It is usually carried out after flowering.

Old stems of almonds, dying off by the age of 7, must be removed, they will be replaced by root suckers that appear after 3 years of the plant's life.

Wintering

One-year-old seedlings are covered for the winter with lutrasil or straw (dry leaves) to a height of 15 cm. cold winter almonds freeze flower buds at the ends of the shoots. With an excess of snow, the root collar can vypret.

Pests and diseases

The main pests are caterpillars of the leafworm and plum codling moth, as well as aphids; the former eat the leaves, the latter suck the juices out of them and prevent the buds from developing. Help with aphids ladybugs, caterpillars are best collected by hand or use pesticides.

Also, do not forget about, which does not disdain any of the plants. To combat it, Antikhrushch and other insecticides are suitable.

Almonds can also affect diseases: moniliosis (spraying with Bordeaux liquid helps) and gray rot (you need to trim the affected branches before the spore pads form).

Landscape design with almonds

Almond ( Amygdalus) - shrub or small tree from 1 to 6 m tall, famous for its spectacular flowering. Common almond (A. communis) has been cultivated as a nut crop since ancient times. Low (up to 2 m) types of almonds - graceful beautiful flowering shrubs are of interest as ornamental plants. Such is the ornamental plant low almond, steppe, or beaver (A. papa), which is distinguished by its small size (up to 1.5 m in height). In the spring, at the same time as the leaves bloom, the bushes are covered with tender, modest, but numerous pink flowers. At this time, the plant literally catches the eye. But even after flowering, thanks to the compact crown and graceful leaves, the beaver looks attractive.

Another winter-hardy almond is Georgian (A.georgica) grows to a height of 1 m, has bright pink flowers. Of the undersized ornamental almonds, the bean almond is perhaps the most resistant to adverse conditions. This type Ornamental almond bush is winter-hardy, easily puts up with drought, but requires a lot of sun. Almonds are propagated by seeds and numerous shoots.

Decorative almond in landscape design: how the plant blooms (with photo)

Low almond is very popular in landscape design, which is suitable for small open areas and rockeries. In the background of the mixborder, it will become a bright spring accent, and then a good backdrop for perennials. Even before the moment when they began to plant ornamental almonds in our area, this plant grew in the vast expanses of the Mediterranean. Little by little, the shrub began to spread and flooded the territories of such countries as China, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and others. In the middle lane, the cultivation of almonds is now by no means a rare occurrence, since many plant species are well adapted to our climatic conditions. By the way, the three-lobed almond is a favorite among local gardeners due to its frost-resistant qualities and the beauty of flowering. The indisputable advantage of this shrub is also the fact that even novice gardeners can handle it. But it will not be possible to see the long-awaited results of their labors immediately. When asked how almonds bloom, experts smile mysteriously and answer: “Incredible.” Only this splendor can be observed only four years after planting the plant. That is his specialty. However, believe me, it's worth it: stunningly beautiful double flowers of white or pink shades will decorate your garden and fill it with a wonderful aroma. Look at the photo of the almond blossoms: this magnificent plant will grace your garden for many years if you take care of it and provide favorable conditions for existence:

By the way, some believe that almond is translated from Greek as " beautiful tree". Well, it is quite likely, since the riot of colors - purple, snow-white, flaming - not a single picture can convey. Approximately 20 days a year, this plant allows itself to be admired in our area - at the very end of April and until mid-May.

How to plant and grow ornamental almonds

Ornamental almond bushes can be planted either in spring or autumn. In the spring, you must definitely wait for the onset of a good warm weather, but in the middle-end of autumn - by the way, the most favorable moment for landing - you should wait out the leaf fall.

The next very important thing to know about planting and caring for ornamental almonds is that this plant prefers areas with sufficient sunlight during the day. Therefore, it is best to place bushes in the southern corners of your garden.

Please note that the tree will not grow on saline, acidic or clay soil. Moreover, for successful planting and care of ornamental almond shrubs, it is necessary that the groundwater in the soil lie at a sufficient depth. Experienced gardeners it is advised for a successful planting of a plant to pick up a fertile sandy loam or dry clay soil. Take note: if there are apiaries on your site, this is just the perfect solution to one of the important points in growing almonds. The fact is that the shrub needs a process of regular cross-pollination. But if you do not breed bees, do not be discouraged: just plant several of these decorative trees at the same time. So, how to plant almonds, garden masters will tell us:

First of all, choose a well-lit place. If something gives a shadow, try to remove this object. But the stones, if you have any on the site, you can leave. The shrub has been growing on the slopes of mountains since ancient times.
Your next step- dig a hole, the depth of which should be about 30 cm. In the event that you need to plant several bushes, place them about 3 m apart.
Then fill in the holes drainage layer: either broken brick, or rubble. Be sure to sprinkle sand on top.
Now place in the center of the hole what will become the support for the seedling- that is, a long pole. And remember that it should be at least 0.5 m above the ground.

Experts also say that the most favorable time for planting a plant, it is precisely the early morning or the hours of the afternoon that are considered. By the way, if you still couldn’t find loamy soil and have to work with acidic soil, be sure to first add a small amount of lime to the pit. This will help "neutralize" the acid.

On a note: the plant is placed in a hole so that the root collar rises 3-4 cm above the ground. Naturally, after this, the hole should be covered with a mixture of sand, humus and leafy soil. Do not forget to water the seedling with at least 1 bucket pure water. And, to consolidate the result, carry out the mulching procedure - filling the area around the bush with a layer of peat. Be careful: the mulch should not come into contact with the plant! You can see decorative almonds in the photo, planting and caring for which were carried out correctly: with such soft pink buds, the bush of its gardener now pleases every year:

How to care for decorative almonds

Let's take a closer look at how to grow almonds so that they fill the territory of your garden with a divine aroma and do not suffer from a lack of care and care. Growing and caring for almonds follow the same pattern as any ornamental plant: the shrub should be watered, fertilized, cut and protected from any pests.

Let's start with watering. As you remember, stagnant water in the soil of this tree is contraindicated. Therefore, it is necessary to water the shrub no more than once a week. In this case, just a bucket of clean water is enough.

Another feature in the conditions of growing almonds is that after watering the bush, it is necessary to thoroughly loosen the soil. You should go deep into the soil by 7 cm if it is a seedling, but adult specimens should be pampered with this procedure at a depth of at least 9 cm. Remember that the rest of the time - not only after watering - the area around the bush must be cleared of weeds. Every plant needs to be fed. Therefore, when wondering how to care for almonds, remember that it needs in the spring, for example, top dressing in the form of manure or mullein, but in the autumn, you need to add either superphosphate or potassium to the soil around the shrub. Pay attention to the photo of decorative almonds, which are fed with nutrients in a timely manner: it gives a lush color and is protected from any diseases:

But to give the shrub the proper aesthetic appearance, caring gardeners trim their "pet". Trimming decorative almonds involves several stages: in the spring, for example, a sanitary haircut is carried out. With its help, the plant gets rid of sick, broken and those branches that thicken the crown. But the shaping - a haircut that helps to give the crown the desired shape - occurs after the flowering of the shrub. By the way, in the eighth year of life, ornamental trees must get rid of old branches.

You should pay special attention to the cultivation and care of almonds in the middle lane: firstly, since our winters are characterized by very low temperatures, it is necessary to protect the shrub from frostbite. Seedlings should be covered with either straw or dry foliage.

Do not forget to just make sure that under this insulating layer the root neck does not rot and rot. Things are much easier with already adult specimens: they are rarely sheltered for the winter. Just remember that for our edges, the most suitable are winter-hardy species almonds, like three-lobed, Georgian, steppe and Ledebour. They tend to quickly recover from the winter cold. Since you already understood that frosts, in principle, do not pose a particular threat to this plant, you need to be on the lookout for another kind of danger - pests and diseases. A common disease is moniliosis - a type of fungal infection.

Most often, the fight against this scourge is to prevent it. That is why we said that almonds need regular nutrition and proper soil. But if trouble did occur, use a variety of fungicides to fight moniliosis - for example, the same foundation.

But to get rid of such creatures as mites, seed beetles, leafworms and, of course, aphids, you should use a set of insecticides. One of suitable options- Zolon. For stripping spider mites, it is better to use Akarin.

Methods for propagating ornamental almonds

It should be remembered that the reproduction features of ornamental almond shrubs are slightly different: this is how varietal specimens are bred using vegetative methods - layering, grafting and shoots, but gardeners propagate species plants by seeds. Let's try to understand each of the methods. If you are thinking about how to propagate decorative almonds by resorting to planting seeds, then pay attention to the following step-by-step instructions:

You need to decide when you will land - in spring or autumn. This will depend on the nature of the work. So for spring sowing, it is characteristic that the gardener must carry out a mandatory stratification of seeds, which, according to the canons, lasts 4 months.
The next stage is the planting of almond seeds. To do this, it is necessary to prepare grooves, the depth of which should be at least 8 cm, and the distance between them should be approximately 10-11 cm.
After the seeds sprout, do not forget to water them, loosen the soil and fight weeds.
Already in the summer, seedlings can be transplanted to the site where they will grow in the future. In addition, already established specimens are suitable for vaccination.

With the help of cuttings, almond propagation is carried out in mid-June. Then the upper cuttings are cut off, the length of which reaches at least 15 cm. Then they are placed in a substance that stimulates growth and kept in this mixture for about 16 hours. To root the cuttings, they are placed in a cold greenhouse, where the soil has already been prepared, consisting of sand and peat in a ratio of 1: 2. The rooting procedure takes about 4 weeks. Upon completion, the cuttings are carefully transplanted into the garden.

Another way of reproduction of this plant is the growth, which occurs as a result of maximum pruning. It is used only after the shrub is two years old, because then the bush already has a fully formed root system. The growth is simply dug up and moved to permanent place growth. Caring for it is similar to caring for one-year-old seedlings. Can be output varietal species that you see in the photo, by propagating an ornamental almond shrub using layering: this procedure assumes that the shoots need to be pressed to the ground, fixed and sprinkled with soil:

Be sure to water the layers, loosen the soil around them and protect from weeds until they have roots. After the root system is formed, and this happens only after about a year, the plants are transplanted to another place away from the mother bush.

Types and varieties of decorative almonds: photo and description

Let's look at a photo of almonds in landscape design: experts say that this plant, which is so elementary in care, looks great both in solitary - single - plantings, and in group compositions:

But, in fact, this tree has no equal in creating amazing hedges! Most often, gardeners use varieties and types of almonds such as low, "Gessler" or white-flowered. But it does not end with these instances species diversity this bush! Let's learn about other varieties of such a unique plant.

And we will start, of course, with ordinary almonds. It is he who is so popular and indispensable in farms where a tree is grown for fruit production. It comes in two varieties - bitter and sweet. As you might have guessed, it is sweet almonds that are most in demand for industrial purposes.

You can take a closer look at this useful view almonds in the photo below:

A deciduous shrub is the steppe almond, which also has such names as low and bean. It is typical for him spherical shape crowns. The tree can reach a height of up to 1.5 m. This plant is distinguished by the presence of bright pink buds. A characteristic feature is that the riot of colors pleases the human eye for only 10 days. True, a small bonus may be that the fruits of this species are edible. By the way, this particular variety is one of the most popular in our area.

The most common forms are white-flowered and "Gessler". But the varieties of this shrub do not end there:

The bush, which is distinguished by beautiful snow-white buds, is called "White Sail";

The next variety is "Anyuta", the branches of which during the flowering period are decorated with rich pink flowers;

"Pink Mist"- this is a variety whose branches are completely covered with amazing large poisonous pink buds;

Pale pink buds are characteristic of the Dream shrub;

A large specimen that reaches a height of at least 2 m is called "Mediator". It is considered one of the frost-resistant. It blooms with magnificent light pink flowers;

The pink flamingo bush pleases the eye with terry buds. Of course, the flowers are colored appropriately - they are aged in pink. To see the attractiveness of this variety of almonds, see the photo below: perhaps just such a shrub will soon decorate your garden:

Many have seen how almonds, shrubs, planting and caring for which do not cause much concern to gardeners, are strewn with a delicate pink-white color in spring. This marvelous low deciduous plant can transform any garden with its abundant flowering and decorate even the most unsightly corner. Most of its varieties are light-loving, frost-resistant, and tolerate drought and infertile soils. It grows wild in the south, in the middle zones of Siberia, the Crimea, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Belarus, Ukraine, both singly and in small groups. In cities and summer cottages, the shrub is an excellent honey plant, a valuable hedge that can last up to 130 years.

planting almonds

Soil quality. Rocky, sandy, well-drained soils work best. Loams, clayey soil must be limed, to improve air permeability. Almonds feel good on rocky decorative slides.

A light-loving shrub should be placed so as not to shade it for more than a few hours a day.

Plants develop well, covered from cold winds. The best choice – South side slope or a place closed from the north by buildings, a fence, but open to sunlight from South.

With stagnant water, the almond root may die. Therefore, places subject to prolonged accumulation of moisture are not suitable for planting.

Almond is a culture demanding for pollination. The amount of future harvest directly depends on this. neighborhood with bee hives will be an added plus when choosing a location. Early flowering will provide prudent owners with fragrant spring honey.

How to plant almonds

Well-formed annual seedlings, transferred to a permanent place in the fall, in early spring. Landing pattern 7x5,7x4. The pits are prepared in advance, they make an increased rate of fertilizers containing phosphorus. This helps them settle in. The depth, width of the pit is about 60 cm. Half is filled with organic fertilizers, compost, sand, lime. The roots are carefully placed on the mound fertile land formed in the landing hole. Root exposure is unacceptable. You need to pay attention to this when buying a finished seedling. The more earthen clod around them, the more reliable survival. A slight deepening of the vaccination site is allowed. A support is installed near each seedling. Varieties are selected taking into account the conditions of the local climate. Usually they are of three types. It is better to plant in the fall. If this is done in the spring, then after planting annual seedlings, they are shortened at a height of up to a meter. This is how the stem of the tree is formed. All the lower branches on it are cut out in a way into a ring. The branches left in the crown zone are shortened by three or two eyes. Of the new shoots, 3.4 are left, making them the main skeletal trunks. For four years, the formation of the crown is done according to the type of bowl. Remove competitive stems that thicken the crown of the branch. Old trees respond well to anti-aging pruning. Dry, diseased tree stems are removed annually.

A feature of almond trees is the ability to quickly grow a crown. Knowing the variety of the planted plant, one must take this into account so that many extra branches do not grow. So, for example, vigorous plants of Texas, Languedoc varieties are formed on the basis of five leading stems. On low-growing species, for example, varieties Primorsky, Yalta, Drake, with the help of pruning, a bowl shape is created on three, five stems.

Growing almonds in the garden

Features of growing almonds - it grows even on stony, slate, light clay, light sandy soils, but prefers deep fertile permeable soils. Almonds are undemanding to soils. But it does not tolerate heavy clays, high standing groundwater, saline areas.
On household plots, it is easy to increase soil fertility by applying organic fertilizers for deep digging. Under natural growing conditions, almonds are propagated by seeds. To preserve the grade, use vegetative propagation- budding. The rootstock is obtained from the seeds of the bitter seed variety of almonds. Seeds are sown before winter to a depth of 8-10 cm. Already in July, with proper care, seedlings at the root collar reach 1 cm in diameter and are suitable for budding.

Two days before budding, the soil is well watered - after abundant watering the bark exfoliates better. At the base, the rootstock bole is rubbed from top to bottom with a piece wet tissue, after which budding is performed. For budding, well-developed straight shoots are selected, on which eyes are clearly formed.

On poor soils with weak growth of seedlings, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is applied, but rotted manure is better at the rate of 4-5 kg per 1 sq. meter. In conditions backyard garden it is desirable to plant at least 2-3 plants for cross-pollination.

In the first year of planting, plants especially need meticulous care: watering, loosening the soil. Watch the plant - it will tell you what it needs.

If the soil in your area is already very heavy, you can use seedlings of peach, cherry plum, plum as a rootstock. In 3-4 years you will already get a harvest.

cutting almonds

Almonds should be pruned regularly, 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 a tree crown.

How almond blossoms

Muscat tree - almonds - can be compared with an elegant camp beautiful girl, which froze in anticipation of something. Almonds are distinguished by touching exquisite beauty, which artists have reflected on their canvases more than once. Initially, almonds sprouted in Asia Minor, Tien Shan, Iran, the Balkan Peninsula, but the beauty this shrub did not leave people indifferent, travelers brought thin twigs from distant shores, seedlings took root. In Russia, similar shrubs can be found in the Crimea, the southern regions of the Trans-Urals and in the Danube regions. It should be noted that the Russians fell in love with the almond bush, they began to actively use it in landscape design to create magical flowering gardens.

Almond is small tree, rather, even a shrub with a powerful root system that can reach 5 meters. It grows up to 10 meters high. Of course, there are different varieties of this shrub, differing in height, shape and abundance of flowering.

Growing almonds from seed

Almonds can be grown from the seed, but in this case, the biological and commercial characteristics almond may be lost. In order to germinate the almond seed as best as possible, it should be pre-soaked in a strengthening solution and planted at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other in a well-dug place prepared in advance late autumn or at the beginning of winter to a depth of 10-15 cm. Two seeds can be placed in one hole, in this case, after germination, a stronger seedling is left. Bones can be planted in early spring, but before that, from the end of January - the beginning of February, they must be stratified (germinated in conditions similar to natural wintering) in the sand. The process lasts up to one and a half months at temperatures from zero to ten degrees above zero.

When the seedlings reach 10-15 cm, the roots of the plant at the same depth must be cut with a shovel, after which it is plentiful to water.

The budding of seedlings is carried out at the end of summer in the region of the root neck, after which the occult is spudded. Annual seedlings need to be transplanted, otherwise they will not form a crown.

almond graft

For grafting, rootstocks of any of the species of this plant are suitable, but it is recommended to take those that are highly frost-resistant. Almond grows well on rootstocks of cherry plum, bird cherry, blackthorn or plum. A suitable scion for grafting should be straight, have developed stems with eyes that should be fully formed. All foliage should be removed from the handle with a pruner, only short petioles of a centimeter length should be left.

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, and the budding tape should be slightly loosened. In the event that the vaccination was carried out in August, then the tape should not be removed until the next autumn period, while in late autumn it is necessary to spud the grafted seedling with soil (the grafting site must be covered with earth). With the onset of the spring period, it is necessary to remove the soil so that the root collar is free, and the fixing tape is also removed.

Propagation of almonds by cuttings

Root cuttings of almonds in fertile soil- used peat substrate, which must be mixed with sand to create friability, allowing the resulting root system to breathe. Immerse the cuttings in the substrate to the upper kidney - one kidney must remain on the surface - in vertical position. Almond cuttings will gradually develop, so by winter from the moment they are planted, they will still be vulnerable. They need to be insulated. After surviving the first winter, almonds will continue to withstand the cold and will not need significant protection in the winter. You can insulate with straw or leaves, covering twenty centimeters of propagation material. Alternatively, you can use lutrasil.

Almonds will grow if they are fed regularly - this is a prerequisite for propagating almonds by cuttings. perfect time for fertilizer - this is the spring period. You can feed the cuttings with saltpeter, superphosphate, manure. Last option from fertilizers can compact the soil mixture, so it needs to be applied in small quantities. good development also provide direct Sun rays. Also available options for the development of almonds in penumbra places. After the first weeks of planting, almonds are mulched in the soil, but the root neck is not covered, otherwise the tree will stop growing.

A year after planting, in the second spring, the almonds are pruned a little - symbolic, sanitary pruning - to activate their growth. As soon as the almond blossoms, a more extensive, rejuvenating pruning is carried out. Pay attention to this advice - it will help you save energy in the future, and will save you from most of the problems that you may encounter if you do not follow it.

Almond is a tree or shrub. It belongs to the Plum and Rose family.

Many people mistakenly believe that almonds are nuts. However, it refers to cultures with a stone fruit.

decorative tree looks nice on suburban area, which is why many gardeners acquire this amazing plant.

In early spring or late autumn, almonds are planted. Care in open ground for an ornamental plant is not complicated, but has some features.

By providing the plant with the right care and conditions for development, you can grow healthy decorative almonds, which will decorate the site for several years.

The almond shrub is able to grow up to 2 or 3 m in height, at the same time the almond tree is much taller, it reaches 4-6 m.

The root system of the plant has 3-5 skeletal roots that penetrate deep into the soil.

The shrub or tree has pointed dark green leaves that grow on brown petioles.

Distinctive feature almond is that it blooms very early, starting around March. The flowers of this original plant are white or color pink, the fruit is a drupe.

Common almonds are grown for their fruits.

This species is subdivided into wild (bitter) almonds and sweet. The first type contains hydrocyanic acid.

Sweet almond is a popular plant among gardeners.

This plant is not an ornamental, but it is often grown in industrial scale to obtain medicinal fruits with high nutritional value.

Ornamental almonds are grown as a group planting or single plant.

You can also find almonds planted like a living hedge.

This is amazing plant pleases the eye with its numerous flowers of white, red, pink or purple. Decorative almonds fell in love with gardeners for their original appearance.

Low almond (steppe, bean)

Low almonds are also called steppe or bean.

He is deciduous shrub growing up to 1.5 m in height.

The branches of the steppe almond are straight with gray bark. The leaves of the shrub are narrow leathery.

On the wrong side they are pale green, and on the front they have a bright green tint.

The flowers of this type of almond are light pink. Flowering continues for 7-10 days.

Among the most popular varieties of low almonds are:

Dream;
Anyuta;
Pink flamingo;
White sail.

Georgian

Georgian almonds can be seen growing on the edges or slopes.

The Caucasian variety of the shrub is highly resistant to cold.

This allows you to grow almonds in the suburbs.

The plant outwardly is a shrub about 1 m high with longer leaves and bigger size flowers, unlike steppe almonds, although they are very similar in appearance.

Terry

Terry almonds in central Russia are grown only as an ornamental plant.

In this species, the flowers are beautiful terry, delicate pink.

Ledebour

In nature, Ledebour's almonds can be found in the foothills of Altai.

This species grows very densely. The plant has dark green leaves.

Ledebour's almond blooms somewhat earlier than other species and varieties.

For 1.5-2 weeks you can enjoy beautiful flowering.

At this time, delightful pink flowers form on the shrub.

Petunnikova

The real handsome man of Central Asia is Petunnikov's almond.

A shrub with straight or splayed branches, it grows to a height of 1 m.

The shoots of Petunnikov's almonds are light yellow, the leaves are pointed, green, and the flowers are separate, have pink shade.

three-bladed

Three-lobed almond is a beautiful tree, reaching a height of about 3 m. Its crown is spreading.

The leaves are three-lobed, which is why it got its name. Almond flowers are found in different colors. They grow in pairs on stems.

Three-lobed almonds happen different varieties, differing in terms of ripening, the size of the flowers and their color.

It is this species that has a huge number of hybrids. Among the most beautiful and popular varieties are the following:

Tanyusha - differs in twisted leaves and double flowers;
Svitlana - a beautiful variety with delicate light flowers, created by Ukrainian breeders;
Ruslana is a hybrid with flesh-colored flowers that eventually change color to white;
Chinese woman - a variety with delicate light pink flowers;
Hybrid No. 3 - great during flowering, which is similar to cherry blossom.

Dessert almond

Dessert almonds grow beautifully in central Russia. This species tolerates frost very well. The kernels of such almonds are very tasty sweet and oily.

When and where is the best time to plant almonds

To achieve the best result in growing almonds, it is recommended to choose annual seedlings.

It is best to plant plants in open ground in early March or in autumn - at the end of November.

The main thing in this matter is to pay attention to the fact that the site is protected from strong gusts of wind and drafts.

When planting trees, you need to know some of the nuances:

prepare a pit for planting almonds in advance, about 2 weeks in advance;
dig a hole, the diameter of which will be 50-70 cm, the depth - 60-70 cm;
at group landing leave a distance of 3-4 m between individual seedlings, while leaving 5-6 m between rows;
Pour crushed stone or gravel at the bottom of the hole.

In order for a tree to develop well, it needs nutrients.

You can provide them with almonds if you properly prepare fertile soil. To do this, mix:

3 pieces of land;
1 part sand;
2 parts of humus;
5 kg of rotted manure;
0.5 kg of superphosphate.

Please note that if the soil is too acidic, dolomite flour must be added. If it was not at hand, flour can be replaced with lime.

Correct fit almond looks like this:

In the center of the pit, a support is dug in, the height of which should be 1-1.5 m.
Then they build a mound of earth around it.
After that, the seedling is stirred so that the root neck is about 3-5 cm above the ground line.
Next, the pit is covered with fertile soil, carefully rammed.
Water the hole thoroughly.
At the final stage, the seedling is carefully tied to a support and the soil is mulched so as not to damage it. As mulch, it is best to use dry leaves or peat.

If for some reason it was not possible to plant almonds in the fall, this can be done in the spring. The main thing is to prepare a pit for planting in the fall.

Reproduction of almonds

When propagating almonds, you need to know some features.

The fact is that species almonds can be obtained by growing seeds, and varietal - only by layering, shoots or grafting.

Growing almonds from seed

Almond seeds are sown in spring or autumn. When sowing in the spring, the seeds must be prepared in advance.

To do this, they need to be placed in a cool room with a low positive temperature.

Ideal Conditions for this - a shelf for vegetables in the refrigerator. Soak the seeds in this way for at least 4 months.

Barbs are made in the soil with a depth of 7-10 cm.

The distance between the seeds is left at least 10-13 cm.

The distance between the furrows is 50 cm.

As soon as the first shoots appear, you need to provide them with proper care.

It consists in regular watering, weeding and loosening the soil to saturate it with oxygen.

When the seedling reaches a height of 50 cm, and its thickness is 1 cm, it is necessary to cut off all the branches growing at a height of up to 10 cm into a ring.

Pay attention to how to do this correctly, as many gardeners often make mistakes when doing this. It will be possible to plant almonds as soon as the seedling gets sick and adapts to new conditions.

almond graft

It is recommended to choose frost-resistant rootstocks for grafting. Best of all, almonds grow on rootstocks of plum, bird cherry, cherry plum.

Pay attention to the scion. It should be straight, with developed stems with eyes.

It is necessary to remove all leaves with a secateurs, leaving only petioles 1 cm long. As for the time, you can graft during the period of sap flow. It happens in spring or August.

Grafting process:

Dust, dirt are removed from the rootstock and rubbed with a damp cloth.
A T-shaped incision is made slightly above the root collar. For this, there is a special budding knife.
Gently cut the bark apart.
Cut off the shield from the scion.
Next, the shield is placed in the incision in such a way that it enters completely there. That is why it is better not to make the shield too long.
After that, the shield is pressed with the incised edges of the bark and fixed with adhesive tape, plaster.

At spring vaccination after 15 days, the petiole falls off by itself. If the vaccination was in August, then the adhesive tape or patch is left until next autumn.

cuttings

For propagation of almonds by cuttings, planting material is harvested in the first month of summer.

Semi-lignified cuttings should have at least 2 nodes, while the length of the petioles varies from 15 to 20 cm. planting material are placed in the ground.

Rooting occurs in 20-30 days. As a rule, 85-100% of cuttings take root.

How to propagate by shoots

To increase the number of root shoots, you need to do a strong pruning.

In order for the offspring to take root well, it must have a developed root system. As a rule, this occurs in the second year of development.

layering

For propagation by layering, it is necessary to dig a trench. Next, mark a long stem at the bottom, fix it with hairpins.

From above you need to sprinkle with earth. Throughout the period when the roots will develop, it is necessary to regularly water the trench. Rooting lasts for 1 year.

Features of care in the open field

Plant care includes the usual procedures that are common to all fruit trees.

Thus, it is necessary to water the plant in a timely manner, loosen, fertilize, and not delay pruning.

An important point in caring for a tree is considered to be preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of diseases and pests.

Feeding and watering

Mature plants are watered much less often. Tentatively, each tree can be watered every 20 days. At the same time, you need to focus on weather.

With a prolonged drought, watering can be increased, and during a rainy period, reduced.

An important point is loosening the soil around the tree. It is necessary for the active development of the plant.

Note! Almonds are very fond of top dressing. Fertilizer should be applied from the second year of seedling growth. In the spring, you can fertilize with ammonium nitrate or urea. In autumn, dig superphosphate, potassium sulfide and rotted manure near the trunk.

cutting almonds

Pruning of almonds should be done before the buds begin to bloom. At this time, all dried, deformed and frozen branches are removed.

Formative pruning is carried out after flowering. In this case, you need to remove 3 poisons of skeletal branches:

In the first year of development, 3 branches are selected. They should be 15cm apart. These branches need to be cut to a length of 15 cm.
For 2 and 3 years, 3 tiers are formed at a distance of 20-30 cm.
Shoots, which are considered insignificant for the crown, pinch them. Do this all summer long.
The rest of the shoots are cut to 50 cm.
At the end, the center conductor must be shortened. This should be done in such a way that a distance of 60 m is obtained between it and the upper tier.

Anti-aging and sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall. All branches that thicken the tree are removed. Broken and damaged branches are also pruned.

It is worth remembering that when pruning thick branches, the cut point must be processed with garden pitch.

How almond blossoms

According to some sources, almond is translated from ancient Greek as "beautiful tree". And it really is. The almond blossoms are simply spectacular.

At this time, a huge number of flowers form on a tree or shrub, which simply “stick around” the entire plant. Flowers are white, pink, purple or red.

In regions with a warm climate, almonds bloom starting in January. In mid-latitudes, you can admire the most beautiful flowering in April-May.

For this amazing look, almonds are often planted for ornamental purposes.

Diseases and pests

The almond plant can suffer from the following diseases:

Scab - leaves, shoots and flowers suffer from fungal disease;
Rust - you can distinguish it by red spots on the leaves, which dry out and fall over time;
Gray rot- you can recognize the disease by gray bloom and brown spots on the shoots;
Cercosporosis - brown spots form on the leaves, over time, the center of the leaf dries out.

In any case, at the first signs of the disease, it is necessary to cut off all the affected shoots, leaves, and burn them.

Plants are best treated with fungicides. To do this, you need to choose dry, windless cloudy weather. According to experienced gardeners, the best preparations are:

Topaz;
Champion;
Oksikh.

Most often, almonds suffer from aphids, leafworms or spider mite. Preparations will help get rid of uninvited guests: Tagore, Fufanon or Fitoverm.

Experienced gardeners recommend paying special attention to preventive measures. It is much more difficult to cure a plant already affected by a disease or pests.

Prevention includes the following measures:

Before the appearance of buds in the spring, the trees must be treated with a 1% solution. Bordeaux liquid.
Re-treatment must be done after the leaves fall.
Proper care is the most important thing in growing any plant. That is why you need to regularly water, loosen the soil, get rid of weeds, pruning in time.

Please note that you can remove the almonds when the shell becomes darker. At this time, it should easily separate from the core.

Remove the almonds only after the green outer shell darkens and begins to easily separate from the kernel.

Preparation for winter and wintering

To protect almonds from freezing, it must be prepared in winter. Young trees or shrubs are covered with dry foliage, straw.

However, mature plants tolerate cold well and do not require shelter. If the branches are still frozen, there is nothing to worry about.

In spring, the plant will quickly recover and come into shape.

For Moscow and the Moscow region, it is recommended to choose low, Ledebour, three-lobed or Georgian almonds.

There they will grow beautifully, delight the owners with their unique flowering. In Siberia, the climate is more severe, winters are frosty and long.

For this region, the best option would be low almonds (steppe, bean).

An amazingly beautiful almond tree can be grown in any region of the country, the main thing is to ensure proper care.

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