Blooming almonds (photo). When do almonds bloom? Almonds - useful properties, use and storage Contraindications and restrictions

The almond is a tree or shrub of the plum genus. The homeland of the plant is considered the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Today it is cultivated in China, the USA, in the Crimea and the Caucasus, in Russia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, in Moravia.

Common almond

Almond ordinary is divided into two subspecies: wild almonds (bitter) and sweet almonds.

Wild almonds contain hydrocyanic acid in their kernels, so they are grown exclusively for medicinal purposes.

Sweet almonds are grown for human consumption.

There are varieties of common almonds growing as a bush, there are varieties growing as a tree. This species grows up to six meters in height.

The bark on the almond trunk is brown, on the branches with a gray tint, on young stems it is reddish. The leaves are not wide, with a long petiole and a sharp tip, along the edge of the leaf plate there are teeth. The shape of the leaves is an elongated oval.

Almonds, depending on the variety, bloom from February to April, which is interesting - before the leaves bloom. It has large white or light pink flowers that grow singly.

The fruits of the plant ripen in June - July. The drupe fruits are pubescent with a gray or green pile, the nut-seed is in a thin shell. The shape of the bone is similar to a nail: on the one hand it is rounded, on the other it is smoothly pointed. The nuts are large, up to 2 cm long.

Did you know? In ancient Egypt, the healing properties of almonds were used to support the body of pregnant women. The fruits of the plant were served on the table of important dignitaries and pharaohs.

Low almond (steppe, bean)

Almond low bean grows up to one and a half meters tall. This species is a deciduous shrub. It has a dense crown, forming a ball, with dense straight branches. The bark is gray with a reddish tinge. The leaves are dense, fleshy, oblong, lanceolate. The length of the leaves is up to 6 cm, the color is dark green on the upper plate and lighter on the lower.

The beaver has a lush, but short flowering. Low almond blooms in late March - early April. Small burgundy buds are located on sessile short shoots. Blooming flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, rich pink color with a bitter aroma.

This type of almond blooms at the same time as the leaves. Flowering lasts less than two weeks. The fruit is an egg-shaped drupe up to 2 cm long, flattened and pubescent. Fruit ripening occurs in July. The seed is dense, with longitudinal stripes, edible. This species is represented by varieties with white and pink flowers.

The almond bush is an almond that blooms with a snow-white color. There are a lot of flowers on the shrub, it is literally strewn with them. The flowers are about 10 mm in diameter. "White Sail" can do without watering for a long time: this southern plant is drought resistant.

It blooms in early April, covering the crown with bright pink flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter. Fruit ripening begins in early autumn, towards the end of September. The nuts are large - up to 6 cm in length, the seed has a delicate aroma and a pleasant sweetish taste.

The almond bush loves to grow in open areas, illuminated for most of the day by direct sunlight. Feels good in partial shade. The plant is afraid of drafts and sudden changes in temperature. "Dream" blooms with delicate pink flowers a little over 2 cm in diameter.

- This is an early variety of low bean, it blooms almost a week earlier than other varieties. The flowering plant has double, small, up to a centimeter in diameter, pink flowers. This variety is often used in landscape design, and beauticians also love it.

Important! Bitter almond nuts due to their toxicity can cause death in humans. It is enough for a child under twelve to eat ten seeds, and for an adult about fifty.

The variety will bloom longer in the shade, and more luxuriantly in full sunlight. This variety has large, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, bright pink flowers.

- a species with a limited distribution area, it grows in the Caucasus. It grows in a bush, similar in appearance to a bean. The species has few branches, but many root processes.

The leaves, depending on the variety, can be wide and oblong, up to 8 cm in length. Large flowers, mostly pink, bloom in May. The variety does not bear fruit abundantly, the fruits are pubescent, green with a gray tint.

This almond is frost-resistant, drought-resistant and undemanding to the soil. These qualities make the plant valuable in terms of breeding work. In addition to the above characteristics, the plant is resistant to diseases and pests. With good and proper care, it retains its decorative characteristics for up to thirty years.

Interesting! During flowering, almonds fascinate with their exquisite defenseless beauty. Its color was sung by poets, writers and artists. Garsevan Cholokashvili, Frida Polak, Konstantin Paustovsky were amazed by the blooming view of almonds. Blooming almond branches inspired Vincent van Gogh to paint a painting of the same name.

Distribution area Ledebour almonds- Altai. It grows in foothills, meadows and steppes. The plant prefers moderate soil moisture, well pollinated by insects.

Ledebour's almond is frost-resistant, photophilous and profusely flowering. In nature, almonds of this species form entire thickets of bushes with large dark green leaves.

The plant blooms earlier than other species with pink flowers, flowering lasts up to three weeks. Ledebour's almond bears fruit from the age of ten. The most popular variety is "Fire Hill" with reddish flowers up to 3 cm in diameter.

- a low shrub, not higher than a meter. Distribution area - Central Asia. More often erect branches form a dense crown in the shape of a ball. The bark of the branches is colored gray with a brown tint or a yellowish tint.

Leaves with smooth notches along the edge, lanceolate shape and a sharp tip. Flowering begins at the age of three, in the month of May. Almond blossoms in pink color, flowering lasts two weeks. At the age of five, almonds begin to bear fruit. The fruits are small, pubescent, orange or yellow-brown.

Three-lobed almond

Three-lobed almond- This is a tall shrub with a wide and spreading crown.

The name almond comes from the shape of the leaves, which form three lobes-plates.

The leaves are covered with a pile on the underside of the leaf plate, edged with denticles along the edge. Flowers of different shades and diameters are arranged in pairs on the shoot.

There are two decorative subspecies:

• "Captivity"- with double flowers, large - up to 4 cm in diameter. Pink petals open after the leaves. The shrub grows up to 3 m in height;
• - up to 3.5 m tall, floriferous. Pink flowers bloom before the appearance of leaves, the flowers are large, double.

The species is represented by many varieties and hybrids.

"Svitlana"

"Svitlana"- a variety bred by Ukrainian breeders. The variety is resistant to frost, unpretentious. The flowers of "Svitlana" are very pale in color. Blooms profusely even with minimal care.

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 at 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 is for their sake that almonds are planted - the fruits of decorative forms of almonds are inedible. The plant is usually covered with leaves after flowering.

This unpretentious type of plant from the plum genus feels 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 of a dark green tone, blooming pink for 2 weeks and starting to bear fruit from the age of 10 years.

Almond (bean) low

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

Undemanding to soils, resistant to the cold of winter and drought, a light-loving plant that freely tolerates a 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 pink flowers.

Due to their high decorativeness, hardiness 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 of a simple structure 1.5 cm in diameter, colors from dark 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 pink double flowers with 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". A profusely flowering shrub or tree up to 3 m high with pink coloring, double flowers of a delicate 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, unpretentious and showy coniferous plants are a great way to give the territory 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 close groundwater levels. It is necessary to clear the place where planting is planned from tall plants that can immerse the seedling in its shade.

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 “under-watered” will not bloom for so long.

top dressing

In the spring, you can mulch the plant with manure, feed it with 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. In a cold winter, flower buds at the ends of the shoots freeze near almonds. 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. Ladybugs will help to cope with aphids, it is better to collect caterpillars with your hands 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) species of almonds are elegant, beautifully flowering shrubs that 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 delicate, 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 of ornamental almond shrub 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 decorative 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 how almond blossoms: this magnificent plant will decorate 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, flamingos - is not able to convey any picture. 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 good warm weather, but in the middle or late 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 advise choosing fertile sandy or loamy soil for a successful planting.

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:

• Firstly, 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.
• After that, fill the holes with a drainage layer: either broken brick or crushed stone is suitable. 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 is considered to be early morning or hours in the afternoon.

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 of clean 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 for 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 in order 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 winter-hardy types of almonds such as three-lobed, Georgian, steppe and Ledebour are the most suitable for our regions. They tend to quickly recover from the winter cold.

Since you have 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's 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 the suitable options is Zolon. For stripping spider mites, it is better to use Akarin.

Methods for propagating ornamental almonds

It should be remembered that the reproduction characteristics 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 a permanent place of growth. Caring for it is similar to caring for one-year-old seedlings.

You can breed the varietal species that you see in the photo by propagating the 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 after all, the species diversity of this shrub does not end on these specimens!

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, sweet almonds are the most sought after for industrial purposes.

You can take a closer look at such a useful type of almond in the photo below:

• A deciduous shrub is the steppe almond, which also has such names as low and bean. It has a spherical crown shape. 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:

• It resembles in its appearance the previous specimen of the Georgian almond, which in nature grows on the slopes and edges of the Caucasus. Unlike the bean, this species is characterized by much larger leaves and flowers that have a bright pink color. The bush itself does not grow above 1 m. It is very good for breeding in the northern strip.

Almond is a deciduous shrub, sometimes a small tree with simple, lanceolate leaves, serrate along the edge; with abundant and beautiful, solitary, large, white or pink flowers; fruits - roundish drupes with pubescent, pericarp and separating stone. Almonds bloom for 4-5 years.

Almond is undemanding to the soil, drought-resistant, photophilous, responds well to soil liming, and tolerates urban conditions. Grows fast.

Almonds belong to those shrubs in which aging stems die off, gradually being replaced by root suckers that appear from the 3rd year of the plant's life. At the age of 7, they begin to die off. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the curtain, old shoots must be completely removed. Highly decorative species deserve special attention.

Types and varieties of almonds

Georgian almond

The bush is about a meter high, has large leaves, 9 cm long, large bright pink flowers and a bristly, hairy fruit. Georgian almond blossoms in May, fruits ripen in September, begins to bear fruit at the age of 7. By winter, the shoots become woody and quite easily tolerate frost.

Less hardy, but in Moscow it is quite stable, blooms and pleases with its fruits.

Almond Ledebourg

Grows in the foothills of Altai. The foliage is dark green, large. The flowers are pink. Flowering lasts 2 weeks. Begins to bear fruit at 10 years of age.

Almond low (bean)

Grows in Central Europe, Asia and Siberia. Grows in hollows, along ravines.

Deciduous shrub, with a spherical crown. The branches are erect, reddish-gray, with densely covered narrow leaves. Bright pink flowers are solitary, bloom with leaves and adorn the bush in abundance. Flowering lasts 7 days.

Almonds are low photophilous, winter-hardy, drought-resistant, undemanding to the soil, tolerate shearing well, give root offspring. Almonds are propagated by seeds, grafting, layering, root offspring.

Low almonds are grown in the middle, it blooms profusely and bears fruit, as well as in the forest-steppe part of Siberia.

There are two forms: white-flowered - with white flowers; Gessler - with large pink flowers.

Common almond

Under natural conditions, it is found in the Western Kopetdag, in the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan. Lives for a century.

It grows as a shrub or small tree with reddish branches. Height 3 - 8 m, resembles a sweet cherry. Leaves become oblong after flowering. The flowers consist of a calyx and a red or pink corolla.

Almond Petunnikova

Petunnikov's almond grows on the rocky slopes of the mountains, sometimes forming pure thickets.

Shrub one meter tall, with erect or splayed branches, with countless shortened branches. The shoots are pale yellow, bare, the bark of the branches is gray-brown. The leaves of Petunnikov's almond are linear, with a pointed apex, bluntly or sharply serrated along the edge. In almonds, Petunnikov's almonds have pink, single branches.

Winter-hardy, drought-resistant. Decorative during flowering and fruiting.

Almond (Louiseania) three-lobed

Bush 3 m tall, with dark gray shoots and spreading crown. The leaves of the three-lobed almond are located on fruitful shoots in bunches, when deployed from the underside, densely hairy, then glabrous.

Flowers on the shoots grow in two, of different colors - dark pink, red, crimson. The flowers are simple, 1.5 cm in diameter. The shrub blooms in early May before the leaves bloom, lasting 2.5 weeks.

Two decorative forms :

"Captivity". Spreading bush, 2 m in height. Flowers double, pink, 10 sepals, 48 ​​petals. Pedicel 10 mm long. Blooms in May for about 10 days. Flowers bloom after the leaves open.

"Kyiv". Bush or tree up to 3 m tall. The flowers are pink, double. It blooms very profusely at the end of April for a week, spreading a pleasant light aroma around. The flowers open before the leaves open.

Louisiana three-lobed with simple flowers is grown only in botanical gardens, they are practically absent from flower growers.

Location

Almond loves a sunny place or partial shade. The place for planting almonds must be protected from strong winds.

soil for almonds

The soil mixture should consist of humus, leafy soil, sand with the addition of lime.

Almond Care

Almonds are positive regular top dressing. On loamy watering should be moderate, on sandy - plentiful. With a lack of moisture, the flowering time is reduced, with stagnant water, the root neck rots. Loosening is recommended. The plant tolerates shearing and pruning very well. In cold winters, flower buds and shoot tips freeze near almonds. If there is a large amount of snow, then the root collar may be damp.

Reproduction of almonds

Ortho almonds are propagated by grafting onto sloes, plums, other almonds, and bird cherry. Almond species can be propagated by seeds. Sowing should be done in spring or autumn after stratification.

Annual seedlings grow rapidly and reach 30 cm in height. They tolerate transplant well, bear fruit for 3 years of life. To obtain a dense crown, a bush at a young age is formed by removing dry faded shoots. Almonds are propagated by green and root cuttings, layering and offspring.

Usage

Florists need to take into account that almonds are an ornamental shrub of spring flowering time. It is very beautiful in a single landing, it is used to create rocky slides. Effective almonds, planted in 3 - 5 pieces, against the background of conifers, on the lawn and in standard culture.

1. Botanical description
2. Where does it grow
3. Varieties
4. Application
5. Landing
6. reproduction
7. Pests and diseases

The well-known almond is not a nut, but the fruit stone of a plant belonging to the plum genus. It is the closest relative of the apricot, peach and other members of the Rose family.

Botanical description

Almond is a low densely branched tree or shrub with a rounded or pyramidal crown.. In height, most species reach 3–6 m. The trunks are thin, not wider than 10–15 cm, covered with dark brown or brown, slightly wrinkled bark. The root system is powerful, it penetrates the soil to a depth of 4–5 m. Young shoots are long, reddish. Skeletal branches are shorter.

Leaves are simple petiolate, lanceolate, finely serrated, with pointed tips.. The length of the plates is 7–10 cm, the upper part is dark green, smooth, with feathery veins, the lower part is slightly lighter.

The flowers are bisexual, solitary, sessile, 1–3 cm in diameter, white, cream, pink or light red in hues, with a pronounced bitter aroma. Calyces are goblet-shaped, five-petalled, with many stamens and one pistil. In ornamental varieties, the buds are terry. Almond blossoms profusely and relatively early: from the beginning of April, when there are no leaves on the branches yet.

The fruits are bivalve drupes 2.5–4 cm in size, shaped like peaches.. The skin of the pericarp is light green, fleecy, dense. As it matures, it dries and cracks, the valves open slightly, releasing an oblong brown bone. Depending on the species, almond shells are hard or soft. The thicker it is, the larger the fruit kernels contained inside. Peeled almonds are covered with a yellowish or brown film, the flesh is light, oily, in cultivated varieties it is nutritious, with a delicate taste and aroma.

Greens, flowers and fruits of almonds contain a powerful substance amygdalin - a component of hydrocyanic acid. In wild species, its concentration is higher.

Despite the plant's resistance to cold down to -25 ° C, it is thermophilic. The flowers that have managed to open up quickly die in the spring from unexpected frosts, which is why the fruiting of trees in the current and next years is sharply reduced.

The plant bears fruit from 5-6 years of age. The total lifespan of an almond tree is 80–100 years.

Where does it grow

Almonds are common in regions with a warm subtropical climate. Grows in Western and Central Asia:

• Uzbekistan
• Tajikistan,
• Afghanistan
• iran,
• Tunisia
• Syria
• Pakistan.

The tree is comfortable in Transcaucasia, on the Mediterranean coast:

• Spain,
• Italy,
• Greece,
• Portugal.

Favorable climate for almonds in the southern territories of North America: California, Florida, Australia. Very picky about the level of illumination, heat-resistant, grows in areas from 800 to 1500 m above sea level. Prefers soils with a high content of calcium, loose, with good drainage. It does not tolerate saline, acidic and heavy clay soils.

Varieties

Among the fruit and ornamental varieties of plants, several are popular.

Ordinary

In addition to the wild variety - bitter almonds, there is a cultivated one with sweet fruits suitable for eating. Densely branched shrubs or small trees 4–5 m high with dark green, glossy, lanceolate leaves. The flowers are white or light pink in April. The fruits are about 3 cm in size, ripen at the end of July. The nuclei are large, elongated, bright brown. The yield of sweet almond varieties reaches 10–12 kg per tree. Fruiting for about 25 years. The largest number of fruits is in trees of 12–15 years of age.

Low (bean)

Low-growing shrub 1-2 m high with a dense spherical or trapezoidal crown. The leaves are lanceolate, bright green, fleshy. Flowers 1–2 cm in diameter, dark pink or red. Fruit-bearing species, kernels 1–1.5 cm in size, oily, bitter. Bobovnik well tolerates prolonged drought, thermophilic and sensitive to lack of sunlight. On the basis of the species, decorative varieties with abundant flowering and large fruits were selected: Pink Flamingo, White Sail, Anyuta, Pink Fog.

Georgian

The natural range of the species is Transcaucasia. The Georgian almond resembles the beaver, but with less dense shoots. The crowns are pyramidal, openwork. The flowers are light pink, rare, bloom in April. The leaves are wide, with sharp tops, up to 8 cm long. Fruits annually. More frost-resistant than other species. Unpretentious to the composition of the soil, can grow on stony scarce soils in conditions of prolonged drought.

Almond Ledebourg

Altai view. Wide low shrub with abundant flowering. The length of the shoots is 1.5–2 m. The petals are bright pink or cream bloom in mid-spring before foliage appears. Fruits are 2.5 cm in size with a light green fleecy skin. The kernels are bright brown, oblong.

three-bladed

Central Asian heat-loving species. Lush shrub 1.5-3 m high with dense dense crowns. It blooms profusely, the buds are fragrant, light pink or crimson in color, 3–3.5 cm in diameter. There are varieties with simple and double petals. The leaves are dark green, lobed, slightly hairy on the underside, velvety to the touch. Popular hybrid varieties of the species: Chinese, Ruslana, Tanyusha, Svetlana, Kiev.

Application

Almond trees are early honey plants: sources of nectar and pollen. Decorative species with abundant flowering are planted in gardens.

The fruits of wild almonds are not eaten because of the high content of toxic glycoside. They are used as raw materials for the production of fatty oils and natural flavors.

Cultivated almond is a valuable fruit plant. Its grains contain vegetable protein, fats, almost the entire spectrum of B vitamins, tocopherol, organic acids, calcium, iron, and potassium. They are eaten separately, used in cooking, the confectionery industry for the manufacture of nut paste, creams, almond flour, sauces and essences.

Essential oil is used to flavor food and cosmetic products. Fatty oil is used in pharmaceuticals as a basis for the preparation of ointments and creams.

Landing

It is recommended to plant almonds in the spring, in thoroughly warmed soil. The site should be protected from cold north and northwest winds, well lit by the sun. Do not place the plant in the shade of buildings, tall trees and fences. If you plan to get fruits, you need to plant several copies - almonds are cross-pollinated and only by insects, so there should be apiaries nearby.

Optimum soil acidity for almonds: 4.5–7 pH. At a higher level, it is desirable to add lime or dolomite flour.

The depth of the holes for seedlings depends on the species. Dwarf varieties need pits of 30 cm. Tall - about 50 cm. The distance between them should be at least 3 m. A 10-centimeter layer of drainage from brick chips or small stones is laid out at the bottom. A little nutrient mixture of rotted manure and mineral fertilizer with a mandatory phosphorus content is poured on top. The seedlings are placed in the holes so that the root collars protrude 1–2 cm above the surface. The roots are carefully covered with soil, tightly tamping. Next to the plants, it is desirable to place support pegs 50–60 cm high. The trunks are tied to them with a thin twine.

Immediately after planting, almonds are watered: 10-15 liters of water per copy. Trunk circles are recommended to be mulched with a thick layer of peat: about 5–7 cm.

Care

Frequency of watering young plants: once a week, 10 liters of water per plant. The earth around the almond trunks must be loosened to a depth of 5-7 cm, if mulch is not used. Starting from the age of 3, it is necessary to moisten the bushes less often: only during dry periods, when the soil dries to a depth of 2 cm. It is impossible to swamp the root system.

In the first days of the growing season, almonds can be fed with nitrogen, during the summer it is useful to pour 1-2 times with a liquid solution of mullein or bird droppings. At the beginning of summer, it is recommended to add 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 10 g of urea under each bush, dissolving them in a bucket of water. In October: 20 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

Sanitary pruning of the crown is done in early spring, before the start of active sap flow.. Shaping haircut - in the middle of summer, leaving the strongest shoots. It is advisable to outline the contours and length by which the shoots are to be shortened in advance.

Young trees must be protected from frost by covering the root neck with a thick layer of leaves or peat. The crown must be wrapped in lutrasil. Mature plants do not need shelter.

reproduction

By seed, almonds are propagated only for growing rootstocks - trunks, on which varietal plants will subsequently be grafted. They are sown to a depth of 8-10 cm, the sprouts are watered and fed until they reach a height of 50 cm. Lateral shoots are regularly removed.

The graft must be developed, have healthy growth buds. It is grafted in the summer, placed under the bark, in a T-shaped incision on the rootstock, at a height of about 10 cm above the root collar. Fix with plaster or tape. In autumn, the grafting site is spudded with soil.

Another method of propagation is by apical cuttings.. The material should be semi-lignified, 15–20 cm long. For rooting, it is placed in a mixture of peat and sand for a month, kept at a temperature of + 18–20 ° C.

Adult overgrown bushes are bred by root offspring or layering. In the first case, the shoots with part of the roots are dug up and planted in a new place at the end of summer. Take away and root lateral shoots. At the junction with the soil, several notches are made on their bark. Layers develop their own roots within a few months.

Pests and diseases

Almonds can be affected by fungal infections: molariasis, scab, gray rot, clasterosporiasis, rust. For treatment, fungicidal preparations are used: Topaz or Fundazol. Before spraying, diseased branches are pruned.