The abundant, early flowering of almonds grown in the south can forever be remembered for its splendor. Pink flowers, sweet aroma remind of distant lands and endless summer. But the almond tree is not exotic at all. In temperate latitudes, its cultivation is quite possible. Zoned varieties are not only decorative, but bring good yields of healthy fruits.
If in winter the air temperature does not drop below 25 ° C, then the shrub can well grow in the open ground of a normal garden. Subject to several rules, almonds produce from 6 to 10 kg of fruit per season and live up to 100 years.
How to grow almonds: planting according to all the rules
Flowering almonds can transform the entire garden, give it an exotic look. Southern heat-loving handsome man in nature grows on rocky slopes, demanding for light. What conditions will be optimal for its growth? A place reserved for the "almond orchard" must meet several requirements.
1. The quality of the soil. Rocky, sandy, well-drained soils are best suited. Loam, clay soil must be liming, improve air permeability. Almonds feel good on stony decorative slides.
2. The light-loving shrub should be placed so as not to obscure it more than a few hours a day.
3. Well-developed plants, covered from cold winds. The best choice is the south side of the slope or a place closed to the north by buildings, a fence, but open to sunlight from the south.
4. With stagnation of water, the almond root may die. Therefore, places subject to prolonged accumulation of moisture are not suitable for planting.
Almonds are a demanding pollination crop. The quantity of the future crop directly depends on this. Neighborhood with bee hives will be an additional plus when choosing a place. Early flowering will provide prudent hosts with fragrant spring honey.
Methods for growing almonds
When a place is chosen, it is time to decide how the plant will be grown. There are several ways to propagate almonds:
• growing from a seed;
• vaccination;
• rooting of cuttings and cuttings;
• planting a grafted seedling.
The first method is the most time-consuming, vaccination will require certain skills, the latter method is simpler than others. Let's start with a simple one.
Almonds: planting a seedling, a brief instruction with a photo
If zoned varieties are available for sale, the problem of buying planting material comes down to choosing between seedlings of decorative and table varieties. Grafted seedlings from a bona fide seller are guaranteed to possess the properties of the claimed variety.
When buying, it should be borne in mind that for full fruiting almonds need to be pollinated. Therefore, to obtain a crop, the planting of several plants, preferably of different varieties, is required.
Planting a seedling - the event is not difficult:
1. Preparation of the landing hole. The size of the pit for planting will tell you the size of the root. For a year-old plant, usually a hole with a depth of up to 60 cm and the same diameter is sufficient. The bottom should be covered with a layer of rubble, broken brick and sand. This provides the necessary drainage, excess moisture can not harm a young plant.
2. The distance between the holes should be maintained within 3 m. So the bushes growing up and in breadth will not block each other from the sun.
3. The soil for filling the wells is fertilized with superphosphate (not more than 0.5 kg per plant), rotted manure (about 5 kg); Lime must be added by adding 1 cup of dolomite flour or lime.
4. At first, the seedling needs support. In the center of the landing pit, a long pole, a stick or a bamboo support is stuck deeper. The roots are distributed along the bottom of the hole, not allowing the bend up.
5. When filling up a hole, they carefully monitor that the place of vaccination remains above the soil level.
That's all the basic wisdom of landing. Each plant should be abundantly watered; later, monitor the cleanliness of the land around. Almonds do not tolerate basal vegetation, even ordinary grass.
In the first year, the bushes grow reluctantly - mainly the root system develops. But subsequent years will please the active growth of the bush. Almonds bloom, with care and proper top dressing, begins at 4 years of age.
Almonds, stone growing
You can grow shrubs using seeds. Almonds are grown (as in the photo) in the house to the size of a seedling, or seeds are sown directly in the ground in spring. It is not always possible to preserve species characteristics by such reproduction.
Planting bones in the autumn on the street is not recommended. Their smell attracts rodents. By spring, there may simply be nothing to emerge. All seeds intended for sowing should be “wintered” in containers with wet sand, at a temperature of no higher than 10 ° С. This will increase their germination, will have a beneficial effect on future crops.
Transplanting a young sprout, you should pinch the root, for the uniform development of the aboveground and underground parts of the plant.
Vegetative almond propagation
If you have an adult plant of the desired variety, you can propagate in several more ways.
Cuttings obtained by pruning. Cuttings up to 20 cm long, take root well in wet sand, in a cool place.
Root growth regularly appears around the bushes. Leaving a few sprouts during pruning, in the second year you can get a finished seedling with a developed root system.
Layers are low-growing branches that take root easily when they come into contact with the soil. Having pinned such a branch to the ground, covered it with earth, it is enough to wait until the roots appear. Having separated the rooted branch from the mother bush, it can be planted as an independent plant.
Almonds: adult plant care
Almonds are unpretentious in care. He will need only regular watering, top dressing, timely pruning.
Crown formation starts from the moment of planting. The seedling planted in the spring is immediately shortened to a height of 80 cm. The lateral branches are cut into three buds. Almonds are grown as a bush, and a small tree. The main task is to form a sparse crown. All damaged, thickening, prolific shoots should be removed.
Formative pruning is carried out after flowering. Peach and almonds love pruning equally, their crowns are formed according to one principle - more air and light. The fan type of crown formation is well established.
The appearance of adult almonds is laid in the early years, and depends on the height of the central stem, originally laid.
When watering almonds, it is important to observe the "middle ground". A lack of moisture leads to sparse flowering and fruiting, and with excess moisture, the root neck rotts easily. When the soil dries to a depth of 2 cm, it is enough to spend 10 liters of water per plant when watering.
Stone fruits are demanding on top dressing. In early spring, it is appropriate to fertilize with copper-containing preparations. The spring-summer period is the time of nitrogen and potassium top dressing. Closer to fall superphosphates are relevant.
Helping Almonds Survive Frosts
Several tricks from experienced gardeners will help the plant survive the winter without significant loss.
• In July - August, pinch buds on the shoots. Shoots ripen faster, easier to tolerate winter.
• Nitrogen-containing top dressing is stopped by mid-summer. Fertilizing with superphosphate and potassium accelerates the aging of the cortex.
• Wrap seedlings for the winter (for example, lutrasilom). The trunk circle is also covered with special materials, or mulch.
• When hilling the stem with snow, there is a danger of root neck warping.
Existing varieties of almonds, with care and due attention, allow you to grow a thermophilic plant even in Siberia. Southern aroma, beauty of flowers, healthy and tasty almond nuts will be a well-deserved reward to a patient gardener.
