If you want to learn about the benefits of almonds, about how to harvest these delicious fruits from your trees, then open this page. Content:
- Plant characteristic
- Beneficial features
- Growing features
- Almond formation
Common almond is a tall bush up to 4-8 meters or a tree with an openwork crown. A tree that lives up to 130 years old grows in Iran, Afghanistan, Central and Asia Minor. Blooms in late winter. Flowers - white-pink, large. The kernel is edible. Common almonds have 3 varieties - bitter, brittle, sweet.
Characteristics of the almond plant
Common almonds have the shape of a shrub or tree. Depending on the variety, it can reach a height of 10 m. In almonds, the root system consists of 4 or 5 skeletal roots. They penetrate deep into the soil for as much as 4-5 m, due to which they provide the plant with nutrition.
The crown of a tree can be of various shapes - pyramidal, round, spreading. Although almonds are a nut-bearing plant, the biology of its growth and development is not much different from such stone fruits as peach, plum, apricot. It is not for nothing that he belongs to the Plum family.
To obtain valuable nuts, almonds have long been grown in warm countries: Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Argentina, USA, Chile, Australia, the Mediterranean. It was brought to the countries of the former USSR by the ancient Greeks. Here almonds are grown in Central Asia, Transcaucasia, in the Crimea.
In regions where frosts can exceed -25 ° C, almonds are capable of freezing, and spring frosts are destructive for its flowers and ovaries, therefore almonds grow only in such warm regions. After all, the tree blooms very early - in March-April, and spring frosts make it impossible to set fruits and get a harvest of nuts.
Despite the fact that there are about 40 types of almonds, only 4 varieties can be grown in Russia, such as "Dream", "Anyuta", "White sail", "Pink fog". These are varieties of the common Almond species, and they grow in the form of a tall bush, reaching a height of 4-6 m at maturity. In total, almonds have 3 three varieties: sweet, bitter, thin-walled.
Useful properties of almonds
Almonds are a valuable food crop. Kernels are used to create high-quality confectionery products: they are added to ice cream, cakes, sweets, cookies, pastries and other desserts. Nuts are used in the production of almond water, butter, milk.
This product is also used in perfumery: it is used to make powder, milk for removing makeup. Activated carbon also contains almonds.
Ripe fruits, leaves, almond seeds are used to treat bronchial asthma, diabetes, insomnia, migraine, stomach ulcer, gastritis, heartburn, kidney disease.
For some diseases, inflammation, pneumonia, pain in the heart, almond oil is used. It improves appetite, gastrointestinal tract function. Souvenirs are made from the wood of this tree, as it is very dense.
Features of growing almonds
Wild bitter grows in nature, cultivated sweet varieties of almonds were developed on its basis.
Almonds love warmth, light, tolerate drought quite well, as in nature they often grow on slopes. This must be taken into account when choosing a landing site. It should be elevated, but protected from the winds. The plant is planted in spring or autumn. In order for it to take root better and endure the winter, it is better to plant it in the spring.
The soil for almonds can be very diverse, for example, loamy, the tree will grow well even on clay, but light soil. On black earth carbonate, ordinary and leached, the plant will also feel comfortable. Almonds love a high lime content in the soil, so acidic ones are not suitable for it.
Almond planting material - one-year seedlings. For better pollination, you need to plant several of them. You need to place it at a sufficient distance, since over time the tree will grow not only upwards, but also in breadth. Almonds are planted according to the scheme 7x4 or 7x5 meters.
Arrange 4 or 5 rows of almond seedlings from the main variety, with 1 row of pollinator in the center. There should be at least two of them, preferably 3-5 pollinating varieties. Without bees, you will not be able to get a rich harvest either. Therefore, it is better to put hives on the site. Three or four are enough for 1 hectare. You can plant honey crops that will attract bees to your area.
The holes are dug with a diameter and depth of 60 cm. If the root system of the seedling is not closed, then before planting it must be dipped in a clay chatterbox. After planting the trees, the earth is compacted and mulched.
Throughout the entire growing season, it is necessary to water, loosen, weed and mulch the tree trunk on time.
Almonds are propagated by nuts. They need to be soaked before planting for two or three days and planted in the ground. This is done in the fall in October-November or in the spring in March-April. The soil must be moist and clean at all times, without weeds, so they must be weeded out.
Almonds are fed until June with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, and then containing phosphorus and potassium. This will help the formation of abundant fruits and good preparation of the trees for winter.
Almond formation
After spring planting, the stem of the seedling is cut off, leaving 60-80 cm in height, and the branches - 30-40. 4-5 of the strongest stems are selected, the rest are cut off. By the fourth year, the tree will be formed, taking the shape of a bowl. During this period, you need to continue the formation of almonds.
Growths that are more than one year old need to be shortened to 60 cm, branches that grow incorrectly and those that compete with the main branches must be cut. Semi-skeletal branches that are more than 4-5 years old rejuvenate up to 3 years old wood. This pruning helps to rejuvenate the tree or repair damaged wood.
You can taste the first almonds from your own garden in a year, but mass fruiting occurs in the fifth or seventh year after planting. How to grow almonds - watch the video:
If you follow these simple tips, you can collect up to 20 kg of nuts from one tree, provide your family with this valuable product, and sell the surplus.
