Almond (Prunus dulcis) - bush culture, belonging to the subgenus Almond (Amygdalus) in the genus Plum. The plant looks very impressive and decorative, so it is often grown by domestic gardeners in their garden plots.

How different types and varieties of almonds look and bloom

The Rose family includes several species that have petiolate and lanceolate leaves with a long-pointed apical part. Single flowers have white or light pink petals, numerous stamens and a single pistil. A medium-sized flower with a faint almond scent.

Flowering occurs before foliage blooms. Both wild mountain and cultivated flowering shrubs look very attractive. The fruit, which many perceive as a nut, is a dry and velvety-pubescent oval single drupe with a leathery and fleshy green pericarp.

How to plant almonds with a stone (video)

The variety "Pink Foam" is grown in middle lane Russia and the Moscow region as ornamental plant, which can serve as a very beautiful living decor for any garden and personal plot.Such a plant is cultivated quite often and purely for practical purposes. The presence of a superficial root system helps strengthen soils on slopes, which helps prevent landslides.

Аmygdalus georgiсa Desf. - a shrub about a meter high, with large leaves. It blooms with large bright pink flowers in May, and the fruits ripen around September. By winter, the shoots become lignified well, so Frost resistance is sufficient for cultivation in many regions.

Compact shrubby plant or a small tree with double and spreading form crowns The height does not exceed three meters. A special feature is the presence of regular, lanceolate, dark green foliage with serrated edges.

In April, large double flowers appear, pink in color. The fruits are rounded drupes. For the growth and development of a light-loving and frost-resistant plant, exceptionally well-drained, fertile soils are needed.

Steppe almond (low, bean)

Amygdalus nana L. - bean, or steppe almond. This low growing shrub with erect branches and a loose, slightly branching crown. The shoots are covered with reddish-gray bark. The foliage is lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate. Flowers pink or light pink. Bobovnik blooms in late April or early May, but is characterized by weak fruiting. It is recommended to plant in clumps on the edges of parks and forested areas. and for the purpose of turfing slopes.

Common bitter and sweet almond (A.communis L.) is a small tree or branched shrub with dark brown or almost black bark on the trunk and grayish-brown or reddish-brown shoots. The foliage is lanceolate, narrowly elliptical, with a pointed apical part and a wedge-shaped base.

The plant is characterized by long petioles. The leaves are alternate, collected in bunches on short branches. The edges of the leaves are serrate-toothed. Flowers large sizes, single type, represented by snow-white or light pink petals, as well as numerous stamens. Flowering in March or April even before the leaves bloom. The fruits ripen in June or July.

Ledebourian almond (A. ledebouriana Schlecht.) is a shrub no more than one and a half meters high, with a spreading, transparent and loose crown. The shoots are covered with reddish-gray bark. The foliage is narrow-lanceolate. Pink colored flowers.

The homeland of this species of shrub is the territory of the Western Tien Shan. This is a dwarf crop with a crown up to 80 cm in diameter and a height of the above-ground part of no more than a meter. Fruiting occurs in the sixth year. The formed fruits are reddish in color and covered with a thick, velvety peel.

This variety was bred by specialist breeders of the State Nikitsky botanical garden as a result of work on crossing the almond variety “Nikitsky-62” with the variety “Nikitsky-1”. They belong to mid-early ripening varieties. Varietal characteristics is a stable period of dormancy and late flowering. The plant belongs to the category of medium-sized. Forms a dense and spherical, well-leafed crown. It is extremely rarely affected by pests or diseases.

Decorative almonds in landscape design

Most often, bean grass is used in the decoration of home gardens. Such a plant can be used not only in single, but also in group plantings. Decorative crops look very impressive and original against the backdrop of lawns and various conifers. Very good result gives the design of rocky gardens in oriental style with almonds. Quite often, crops are planted to stabilize slopes that are susceptible to crumbling or sliding.

A characteristic feature of the culture is the fairly rapid death of all aging shoots, as well as their replacement by those formed in large quantities root suckers. The result is this species features the formation of powerful and fairly wide clumps begins even around separately grown bushes.

In order to preserve the decorative appeal of curtains for a long time, shoots that are more than seven to eight years old must be periodically removed. The most good feedback Gardeners in the central zone of our country have now received varieties such as “Anyuta”, “White Sail”, “Dream”, “Pink Fog” And "Pink flamingo".

How to grow decorative almonds (video)

Features of planting almonds in the garden

Almonds are light-loving, drought-resistant and heat-tolerant, as well as relatively winter-hardy crops, so they grow best in elevated areas. With proper care and correct location, even seedlings of such a garden crop can withstand frosts down to 23-25°C. However, frosts in spring period can be destructive to flowers, and to reduce the risk of damage to flower buds, The crop should not be planted in lowlands and areas with stagnant cold air masses.

It is recommended to plant annual seedlings in spring or autumn. Planting pits must be located according to the 7x5m or 7x4m pattern. When planting, it is very necessary to slightly deepen the grafting site. Absolutely all varieties and types of almonds require cross-pollination, therefore the main variety alternates with a number of pollinators.

Caring for almonds in open ground

Growing such a shrub on a personal plot or summer cottage will not require much labor from the gardener, but some effort will still be required to obtain a harvest.

Feeding and watering

The soil in the area around the plants must be kept under black fallow throughout the entire growing season, as well as regularly loosened. Irrigation measures are carried out as necessary. In the late autumn period It is recommended to apply organic fertilizers in the form of manure, compost and bird droppings, as well as phosphorus-potassium complexes. Any nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied only until June.

Technology and timing of pruning

Directly after planting in the spring, annual seedlings need to be shortened at a height of 80-120 cm, which will allow you to form a trunk 60-80 cm high and a crown 30-40 cm high. The branches are cut out on the trunk “into a ring”, and in the crown area they are shortened by a pair of eyes. It is necessary to leave three or four skeletal branches of the first order.

In about four years, if the pruning technology is followed, it is possible to form a cup-shaped crown. Subsequently, sanitary and maintenance or thinning pruning is carried out.

Frost protection

In winters that are too harsh or with little snow, flower buds or shoot tips may freeze on the plant. In preparation for winter, the apical part of the shoots is pinched, which speeds up their lignification. Young seedlings need to be covered for the winter with straw, dry leaves or non-woven material to a height of 10-15 cm from the ground level.

It is important to ensure that the root collar does not damp out under the snow mass. An adult plant, as a rule, overwinters well even without the use of shelter.

Disease prevention and pest protection

The leaf roller needs to be combated with 0.15-0.3% chlorophos. You can protect the plant from the plum moth by spraying it three times with karbofos or chlorophos.. The plum bark beetle can be destroyed with a lime-clay solution with the addition of wood glue or bustylate. Disease prevention is carried out with Bordeaux mixture or colloidal aqueous suspension of sulfur.

How to trim almonds (video)

Almonds are the closest relative of the garden plum, but are much more often used in decorative design local area or country landscape. A blooming crop with beautiful fragrant flowers, reminiscent of peach, and its low maintenance requirements allow even inexperienced gardeners to grow it.

Plant almond – small tree or shrub of the Almond subgenus of the Plum genus of the Rosaceae family. It is often classified as a nut, although in fact it is a stone fruit. Almonds grew in the Mediterranean and Central Asia many centuries BC. Today it is also distributed in China, California, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and South Moravia. This light-loving and drought-resistant crop grows in nature in small groups of several trees or bushes at an altitude of 800 to 1600 m above sea level.

In our country, common almonds are usually found in the southern zone of the European part. In the middle zone they grow steppe almonds, or bobwhites, or low almonds, or tender plums. The value of this type of almond is not only in the kernels of its fruits, but also in the high decorativeness of its leaves and flowers. And the three-lobed almond is one of the most beautiful garden shrubs, which is grown solely for its decorative qualities. We wrote about how to plant and care for common almonds in the article “Almonds - planting and care, pruning and grafting.” Today we will tell you how to plant and care for ornamental shrub almond.

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Planting and caring for almonds (in brief)

• Landing: in the spring, before the sap begins to flow, or in the fall, after leaf fall.
• Lighting: bright light or partial shade.
• The soil: fertile, light, loamy or sandy loam, with a pH of 4.5-7.5. Saline and clayey soils, as well as areas with groundwater lying close to the surface, are not suitable for almonds. It is better to plant the plant in the southern part of the garden.
• Watering: when the soil dries to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, pour a bucket of water under the bush. Typically, watering is carried out once a week, but in extreme heat and drought you will have to water more often and use more water.
• Feeding: in the spring trunk circle mulch horse manure or mullein, and before flowering the bush is fertilized with a solution of 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 10 g of urea in a bucket of water. In autumn, 20 g of double superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added to each m² of tree trunk circle.
• Trimming: in the spring they carry out sanitary cleaning of almonds, and seven-year-old bushes need rejuvenating pruning, which is also carried out in the spring, before the sap begins to flow.
• Reproduction: seeds, cuttings, shoots, layering and grafting.
• Pests: spider mites, aphids, leaf rollers and almond seed eaters.
• Diseases: Clusterosporiasis, moniliosis (gray rot), scab and rust.

Read more about growing almonds below.

Decorative almonds - description

The decorative almond shrub is usually medium in size (2.5-3 m), and is easy to grow even for gardeners with no experience. It is one of the most valuable ornamental crops. Some varieties of decorative almonds are grown on a trunk, and then the bush looks like an almond tree with dark green lanceolates leathery leaves with a serrated edge, creating, together with the branches, a spherical compact crown. Decorative almonds bloom, as a rule, in the fourth or fifth year after planting: flowers of incredible beauty with big amount petals and stamens, simple or double, pink or white - they envelop the almond bush air cloud sometimes up to 3 weeks.

Anyone who has ever seen almond branches blooming will never forget this magic. Almond leaves usually bloom after flowering. The fruit of the decorative almond is inedible, but also decorative: round shape a suede-like three-lobed pericarp containing an easily detachable seed.

Almonds are a close relative of these fruit trees like plum, cherry, apricot, cherry plum, peach, nectarine, sloe and sakura. Its relatives also include pear, apple, quince, rose hip, rose, hawthorn, chokeberry and rowan.

Decorative almonds are unpretentious, resistant to drought, they are a valuable honey plant and good care can live more than a hundred years. Ornamental types of almonds, unlike ordinary almonds, grown mainly for their fruits, are able to withstand the harsh winters of the middle zone, and almonds in Siberia have also ceased to be a curiosity.

Planting almonds

When to plant almonds

Planting of decorative almonds is carried out in the fall, after leaf fall, and in the spring, after the establishment of warm days, so that return frosts did not coincide with the beginning of the plant's growing season. However autumn planting almonds are preferable.

How do almonds grow? What soils does he prefer? Almonds will not grow in acidic or saline soils - the pH should be in the range of 4.5-7.5, and the occurrence groundwater on the site should be deep. Almonds grow best in light, fertile loamy or sandy loam soil, but heavy clay soils will destroy them. Since decorative almonds love air and sun, allocate a place for them in the southern part of the garden. This could be an area that is exposed to the sun all day, or a place where almond tree There will be 2-3 hours a day of shadow from trees growing nearby.

How to plant almonds

Since almonds require cross-pollination, it is advisable to plant several almond bushes at the same time. Almonds are pollinated mainly by bees, and proximity to an apiary site with several hives would be very useful.

Clear the area for planting from plants that provide shade, but you don’t have to remove stones - almonds in nature grow mainly on rocky slopes. Dig holes at least 30 cm deep at a distance of 3-5 m from each other in the row, maintaining a distance of about 5 m between rows. Place a layer at the bottom of each hole broken bricks or crushed stone for drainage, place a layer of sand on top and drive a long pole into the center of the bottom to support the seedling - the support should rise above the surface of the area by at least half a meter.

Almond bushes are planted early in the morning or after 16:00. Before planting, one-year-old almond seedlings are lowered with their roots into a clay mash, then placed in holes so that the root collar is several centimeters above the surface of the site, and the hole is filled with a mixture of topsoil with leaf soil, humus and sand. If the soil in the area is acidic, add a little lime or dolomite flour to the soil mixture.

After planting, compact the soil around the seedling and pour one to one and a half buckets of water under it. When the water is absorbed and the soil settles slightly, tie the seedling to a support and mulch the tree trunk circle with dry soil or peat so that the mulch does not come into contact with the root collar, which after watering should be at surface level.

Almond bush - care

How to grow almonds? Planting and caring for decorative almonds is not difficult. You already know how to plant almonds, and caring for almonds is the same as any other decorative tree or bushes: watering, loosening the soil, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, treating insects and pests.

Watering is carried out without allowing the soil in the tree trunk to dry out, but waterlogging of the soil threatens to rot the root collar of the plant. It is enough to pour a bucket of water under the almond tree or bush once a week if the soil has dried to a depth of 1.5–2 cm. After watering, it is convenient to loosen the soil to a depth of 5–7 cm around young plants and 8–10 cm around mature ones. Keep the tree trunk area clean, remove weeds, as soon as she appears.

Planting and caring for almond shrubs involves fertilizing. In the spring, you can mulch the tree trunk circle not with peat, but with manure or mullein, and a little later, each bush is fed with 10 g of urea and 20 g of ammonium nitrate, diluted in a bucket of water. In autumn, 20 g of potassium sulfate and double superphosphate are added to each m² of plot.

Almond trimming

Almonds in the garden need pruning. In the spring, before the sap begins to flow, the bushes are sanitary pruned, removing broken, frostbitten, diseased, dry shoots and branches that thicken the crown. Sometimes one almond branch interferes with the growth of another - they are called competing. The branch that is located more successfully is left to grow, and the other is cut out. Formative pruning is carried out when the almond flowering ends. Almonds tolerate pruning well; moreover, removing faded shoots stimulates abundant flowering next year.

After seven years of growth, it becomes necessary to remove aged branches. They will be replaced by root shoots that appear after three years of life of the decorative almond.

How almond blossoms

According to some sources, the name of the plant comes from the ancient Greek word amygdalos, meaning “ beautiful tree" This version is similar to the truth, because during flowering, decorative almonds look stunning: almond flowers are white, red, purple or Pink colour located on the branches in such abundance that the tree itself is not visible. Art lovers are familiar with Vincent van Gogh's painting " Blooming branches almonds,” but a real gardener would prefer to admire this spectacle not in an Amsterdam gallery, but in his own garden.

In areas with a warm climate, flowering begins at the end of January and lasts until March. In the middle zone, almond color appears at the end of April or beginning of May and lasts about 2 weeks. During this period, it is very important to regularly water the almonds, since flowering may end prematurely due to lack of moisture.

Almond pests and diseases

Among the diseases, almonds can suffer from clasterosporia blight, moniliosis, gray rot, scab and rust. Among the pests that are dangerous for it are spider mites, aphids, leaf rollers and almond seed eaters. You can read in detail about the symptoms of almond diseases and pest damage in the article that we have already mentioned. Let us briefly recall here that you can get rid of fungal diseases by treating almonds with fungicides such as Topaz, Skor, Fundazol, Kuproxat, and the insecticides Actellik, Calypso, Fufanon, Zolon can control insects.

Spider mites are destroyed by treating the plant with Kleschevit, Akarin or Agravertin.

But much more important than timely processing plants with chemicals, performing agricultural practices, and understanding that planting and caring for an almond bush in accordance with the rules will preserve not only its health, but also the health of your entire garden.

Almonds in winter

You need to prepare almonds for winter in the summer: pinching the tops of almond shoots accelerates their lignification, which allows the plant to safely survive the winter without freezing. Young seedlings need to be covered for the winter with straw, dry leaves or lutrasil to a height of 15 cm from the ground. Make sure that the root collar does not dry out under the layer of snow. Adult plants overwinter normally without shelter, but even if frost damages some of the shoots, the almonds will recover fairly quickly.

Almonds in the Moscow region and in Moscow

For growing in climatic conditions Such types of almonds as steppe or low almonds, three-lobed almonds, Georgian almonds and Ledebur almonds are suitable for Moscow and the Moscow region. Plants of these species, even if slightly damaged by frost during winter, can quickly regain their strength and delight you lush flowering. Planting almonds and caring for them in the conditions of the Moscow region are no different from those described in our article.

Almond propagation

How to propagate almonds

Species almonds can be propagated by seeds, but varietal almonds can only be propagated by vegetative means– grafting, layering and shoots. Gardeners, accustomed to relying on themselves in everything, prefer to grow rootstocks from seeds themselves in order to plant varietal cuttings on them.

Growing almonds from seed

Almond seeds can be sown in the ground in the fall, or in the spring, but before spring planting The seeds must undergo stratification in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for 4 months. Sow almond kernels in grooves 8-10 cm deep, placing them at a distance of 10-12 cm from each other. The interval between furrows is left within half a meter. When the seeds sprout, care for the almond seedlings as you would any other: water, loosen the soil around them, remove weeds.

In summer, on seedlings stretching up to 50 cm with a stem thickness of about 1 cm, all branches growing at a height of up to 10 cm from the root collar are cut into a ring. Seedlings are transplanted to permanent place, and as soon as they take root, you can graft varietal cuttings onto them.

Almond grafting

For grafting, you can take rootstocks of any type of almond, but it is better to use the most winter-hardy species. Almonds grow well on the rootstocks of sloe, cherry plum, plum and bird cherry. For the scion, you need to find a straight, well-developed almond shoot with formed eyes. Leaves from the cuttings are cut off with pruning shears, leaving only short petioles no more than 1 cm long.

Almond propagation by grafting is carried out during the period of sap flow - in spring or August. The rootstock growing in the soil is wiped with a damp cloth to remove dust and dirt, a T-shaped cut is made with a budding knife on its bark just above the root collar, and the cut bark is carefully turned to the sides.

A shield is cut from the scion cutting - a strip of bark with a bud and the thinnest layer wood. The shield should be of such length that it fits completely under the bark of the T-shaped cut. After you insert the shield, press the edges of the folded bark against it and secure the grafting site with tape, budding tape or adhesive tape, making several turns around the stem. The bud itself with the remainder of the petiole should remain uncovered.

After two weeks, if the bud remains green and the petiole falls off on its own, slightly loosen the fixing tape, but if you carried out budding not in the spring, but at the end of summer, leave the tape on the rootstock until next spring and cover the grafted seedling with soil for the winter , hiding the vaccination site under it. In spring, free the root collar from the soil and remove the tape securing the grafting site.

Propagation of almonds by cuttings

To cut almonds, in the second half of June you need to cut off the apical semi-lignified cuttings from 15 to 20 cm long with two nodes and place them in a growth stimulator for 16 hours. Root the cuttings in a cold greenhouse, planting them in a substrate consisting of one part sand and two parts peat. Rooting occurs in 3-4 weeks. From 85 to 100% of cuttings take root. After the roots have formed, the cuttings are transplanted to a training bed for growing.

Almond propagation by shoots

Overgrowth begins to form around the almond bushes after heavy pruning. The offspring are separated in the second year, when their root system has already formed. The dug up shoots are transplanted to a permanent place and cared for like an annual seedling.

Almond propagation by layering

Flexible almond shoots are bent to the ground, secured with metal pins and sprinkled with soil. Until the cuttings grow roots, they are watered, the soil around them is loosened and weeds are removed. No earlier than a year later, when the cuttings have a root system, they are separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a new place.

Types and varieties of almonds

Common almond

In culture as fruit plant ordinary almonds are grown, which are divided into bitter almonds - wild almonds containing hydrocyanic acid in the kernels, and sweet almonds, which are grown in cultivation and do not contain hydrocyanic acid. It is the numerous varieties of sweet almonds that are in demand both in amateur and industrial gardening. Ordinary almonds may not have high decorative qualities, but its nuts have high nutritional and medicinal value.

You can read more about this species and its varieties in the article that we have already mentioned.

Low almond, or steppe almond, or bean

Deciduous shrub up to 1.5 m high with a dense crown in the shape of a ball, erect branches with reddish-gray bark, narrow lanceolate leathery leaves up to 6 cm long, dark green above and lighter below. The flowers of this species are bright pink, solitary. Flowering lasts 7-10 days. The bean fruit is edible. Almonds are the lowest popular look in the gardens of the middle zone. It comes in two forms - white-flowered and Hesslerian, which is smaller in size than the original species but has larger flowers of bright pink color. Of the steppe almond varieties cultivated in the middle zone, the most famous are:

• White sail– as the name implies, this is a white almond with flowers up to 10 mm in diameter, abundantly covering the branches of the bush;
• Anyuta– a variety with bright pink flowers with a diameter of up to 25 mm;
• Dream– almonds with soft pink flowers reaching 25 mm in diameter;
• Pink flamingo– variety with double flowers pink, up to 10 mm in diameter;
• Pink fog– almonds with bright pink large flowers, reaching a diameter of 25 mm;
• Mediator– the variety was created by Michurin. This tree is usually taller than 2 m with large flowers pale pink with high frost resistance.

Georgian almonds

Caucasian endemic, growing on slopes, forest edges and in hollows. This plant is about 1 m high, similar in appearance to the low almond, but with more large leaves, reaching a length of 8 cm, and larger bristly flowers of bright pink color. The species has good prospects for selection and is frost-resistant enough for cultivation in the Moscow region.

Ledebour almond

In nature it grows in the foothills of Altai, forming entire thickets. The leaves of this species are large, dark green. Pink flowers open earlier than other species and bloom within 2-3 weeks. The most famous variety:

• Fire Hill– almond with red-pink flowers up to 3 cm in diameter.

Almond Petunnikova

It is endemic to Central Asia. It is a shrub up to 1 m high with erect or spreading branches with gray-brown bark and light yellow shoots. The leaves of plants of this species are linear or lanceolate, with a pointed apex, and bluntly serrated at the edges. Single pink flowers.

Trilobed almond

Shrub up to 3 m tall with a spreading crown, coarsely toothed three-lobed leaves along the edges, densely fleecy with bottom side. Flowers up to 1.5 cm in diameter of various colors grow on shoots in pairs. The species has two decorative forms:

• Captivity– double almond with flowers 3-4 cm in diameter. Pink almond petals of this shape open after the leaves appear, which reduces the decorativeness of the plant;
• Kyiv– pink almond up to 3.5 m high, blooming extremely profusely with double flowers with a diameter of 2.5-3.5 cm. The variety is highly decorative due to the fact that the flowers appear on the bush before the leaves.

Trilobed almond

It has many varieties and hybrids, differing not only appearance and the color of the flowers, but also the flowering period. The varieties that seem most interesting to us are:

• Svitlana– a variety of Ukrainian selection with very light flowers;
• Tanyusha– almonds with densely double flowers with a diameter of 2.5-3.5 cm with curled petals;

I really like to eat almonds. I also like to add it to baked goods and decorate cakes with it. You can always find it in stores, but I didn’t even think about how it grows, much less blooms, until I saw it with my own eyes. Now I’ll tell you about it.

Almonds - what are they?

In general, almond is a bush, very branched, up to 4–6 meters high. And the fruits are those same nuts that everyone loves; they are covered with a leathery pericarp, which dries out when the fruit ripens. The nuts are extracted from this dried shell. Almonds grow mainly in Asia, in the Mediterranean, where they have grown since ancient times. Now it is successfully grown in large quantities in the USA, in the state of California.

almond blossom

Almonds begin to bloom in early spring. Soft pink, fluffy flowers bloom very densely on bare branches. Looking at the tree, you might think that someone threw a fluffy, airy, pink blanket over it. And what a scent is in the air! Simply marvelous! During flowering, many people come to almond orchards to admire, rejoice at the coming spring, and take pictures against the backdrop of blooming almonds. By the way, its flowering is similar to cherry blossoms. The beauty of almond blossoms is sung in songs, depicted in artists’ paintings, and all photographers in the world capture this beauty in their works.

Uses of almonds

The nuts of this plant are extremely healthy; they are rich in proteins, B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and potassium. Almonds are used:

• In cooking, probably everyone knows praline sweets, macaroons, almond milk and many more things can be listed. In Chinese and Indonesian cuisine it is added to main dishes.
• In medicine, almond oil is widely used for bronchitis, pneumonia, flatulence, as a laxative, etc. And they make it from shells Activated carbon.
• The cosmetics industry also uses almond oil, adding it to creams, lotions, and emulsions. And bitter varieties of almonds, because of their bright, rich aroma, are used in perfumery.

These almonds are so interesting and healthy.

The almond genus includes about forty species. It is actively grown in Mediterranean countries, China and America. Within the genus, three varieties are distinguished: sweet, bitter and thin-walled.

Of the variety of almond species in our country, only a few varieties can be grown:

1. "Nikitinsky 62"- the most unpretentious and frost-resistant variety. Grows up to five meters. The foliage is large and hanging. The fruits are large, flattened, wrinkled, dark brown in color and sweet in taste. This variety can be grown in all regions and brings high yield, and blooms in mid-spring.
2. "Papershell"- withstands spring frosts. The height reaches five meters. Pleases with its flowering in March-April. The flowers are white with crimson edges. The fruits are quite large, the shell is fragile. The kernel is creamy, rough, sweet.
3. "Seaside"- also tolerates frosts calmly. Grows up to three meters. The crown has a fan shape and a flattened top. The foliage is large and shiny. Blooms pink and white in mid-April. The core is elongated, pointed at the end. Ripens in November. Brings high yields.
4. "Dessert"- its flower buds are resistant to frost. The crown is dense, spherical. Distinctive feature blooming is that the flowers resemble roses. Blooms in April. The fruits are oval-shaped, slightly pointed, with a soft shell. The kernel is oval, beige, with a thin skin and a sweet taste. The fruits ripen in September.

The most stable and hardy species include the pedunculated almond. It has small fruits with pleasant taste and high fertility.

This is a low shrub, characterized by branching, with shortened shoots, reaching only two meters in height. Leaves are wedge-shaped. The fruits are pointed at the top, with a slight edge and a stone with a rough plane.

Features of planting decorative almonds

This plant loves light and warmth, so it should not be planted in the shade. It is better to do this in an open, illuminated sun rays terrain. But at the same time, the shrub is quite hardy; cases of freezing are very rare. If there is a need to replant the bush, it is better to wait until the leaves fall.

The ideal time for planting is September or October. First you need to dig a hole and add two or three buckets of manure and two hundred grams of mineral fertilizer. Almonds are placed at a distance of five by seven meters, but not more than ten meters.

Before boarding root system it is necessary to treat it with a clay mash, and compact the ground and cover it with mulch. It is not recommended to place the seedling very deep. After it has been sprinkled with soil, it is necessary to firmly fix the seedling to the stakes. He doesn't require high level

soil fertility. Of course, on fertile soils it will grow more luxurious and have strong leaves, but also on poor sandy or clay soils

he is developing well. Almonds are pollinated exclusively by insects, and the main carriers of pollen are bees. Therefore, for effective dusting of shrubs and obtaining good harvest

It is recommended to place several beehives in the garden.

How to properly care for a plant

Almonds spend a lot of useful substances on the formation and filling of fruits. Therefore, it must be fed regularly to achieve abundant flowering.

To fertilize mature trees in the spring, you can dilute manure and ammonium nitrate in water. In autumn, the plant is supported with double superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Twenty grams of each per square meter.

1. Preparation for wintering

You can protect the bush from this by removing the buds from the tops in late July - early August. The shoots will harden and will not succumb to frost.

2. Watering

Almonds require moderate watering in loamy soils and abundant watering on sandstones. The main condition is to prevent water from accumulating near the root collar. This can lead to its rotting.

If there is not enough moisture, the shrub shortens the flowering time. Therefore, you need to pay attention to watering.

You can determine whether a plant needs moisture by examining upper layer soil. If it has dried out a couple of centimeters, then it is necessary to water the plant. A bucket of water will be enough. Almonds love the sun and do not tolerate wind and drafts.

Pruning helps to improve the health of the bush and give the crown a neat appearance. spherical shape. This procedure helps abundant flowering. Prune the bush after it has completely bloomed. To do this, annual shoots are pruned.

Almonds respond well to pruning. Dried and pest-infested shoots must be removed.

Reproduction

1. Root shoots. It usually happens after heavy pruning bush. It is recommended to separate it after a year, when powerful roots have formed on the sprout. You can strengthen the roots by exposing a shoot of growth located in the ground and making an incision at the base. On next year the root will strengthen.
2. By layering. Take elastic shoots that can be leaned against the ground. They are sprinkled with soil and left in this form until the roots grow. The shoots take a long time to take root - a year, maybe two. But if you want to get a strong bush, you need to wait until the root system strengthens.
3. Green cuttings. They need to be prepared in July, then rooted in a seedling box. In the first winter, the cuttings must be insulated.
4. Vaccination. For this they use plum, bird cherry, and cherry plum.
5. Seeds. They are sown in spring or autumn. Annual seedlings differ rapid growth. When they reach thirty centimeters, they can be planted in a permanent place.

Disease and pest control

Most dangerous insect pests almonds:

1. Leaf rollers are small butterflies that roll up leaves. Spraying them with chlorophos will help destroy them.
2. Plum moth – the most dangerous pest fruit trees. The fight is similar to the leaf roller.
3. Aphids - very voracious insects, which are characterized by a high reproduction rate. A tincture of tobacco, yarrow, potato tops, and a concentrated solution of laundry soap will come to the rescue.
4. Sapwood bark beetle. You can destroy it by whitewashing the trunk of the bush with lime with the addition of wood glue or bustilate.

Almonds are also susceptible to spoilage by gray rot, moniliosis and rust fungi. gray rot can be defeated by removing damaged branches.

To cure moniliosis, plants are sprayed with a solution copper sulfate V lime milk. The procedure is repeated every ten to twenty days. To combat rust fungi, the bush must be treated with sulfur powder.

All plants in bloom are beautiful, and when they produce tasty fruits, you just want to grow them. Almonds produce nuts that are very healthy and tasty. The flowering is abundant and beautiful, the bush seems to be enveloped in a pink haze, this is definitely an exotic garden. Flowering occurs no earlier than the end of April, subject to a warm spring. Looks impressive when planted alone on a lawn or against a background.

Few people plant almonds, believing that it is all in vain - they will freeze in the first winter. However, now breeders have already bred quite a lot frost-resistant varieties, which take root well and grow in mid-latitudes.

Why don't almonds bear fruit? Because in the spring, flower buds, falling under return frosts, die. Therefore, when buying a seedling, always check where it was bred and whether it is adapted to your area.

In the middle zone, the following varieties of almonds are grown: Nikitinsky, Primorsky, Chereshchaty, Dessert, and among the decorative varieties, three-lobed almond and Georgian. All of them are frost-resistant, prolific and very beautiful during the flowering period. In addition to its decorative appearance, they also plant “Chufu”.

Landing place

Almonds are planted in a sunny, elevated area, always protected from the wind. South side best suited for this. Feels good in light partial shade. Loves liming and loams. Does not grow in acidic, waterlogged or drought-resistant soil.

Planting almonds - early March or November!

For high-quality cross-pollination, always plant at least 2 trees different varieties, since one seedling will not bear fruit. Distance between planting pits 2-4 m. The holes are 60 cm deep, 50x70 cm in diameter. When planting an almond orchard, the distance between the rows is 7 m.

Stacked drainage layer(20 cm) from broken brick or crushed stone, sprinkle a 5-10 cm layer of sand on top, install a seedling and cover it with a mixture of: manure (5-6 kg), superphosphate (0.5 kg), lime (300 g). Lime can be replaced dolomite flour. After planting, water abundantly and mulch with peat to retain moisture. Please note that the root collar or grafting point must remain on the surface. After planting, the fragile seedling is temporarily tied to stakes.

Almond care

In the first year after planting, water once every 2 weeks, loosen the tree trunk, ridding the tree of weeds. When watering, make sure that the root collar is not in water, it may rot. With a lack of moisture, the flowering period is reduced. Because of this “capriciousness,” it is better to check the soil moisture level (the top layer of soil is 1-1.5 cm dry, which means you can pour 10 liters of water into the tree trunk circle).

Almond fruits ripen in August-September. It is better to eat it raw, since after heat treatment everything useful material are lost.

Form an almond bush I start 1 year after landing. In the spring, trim the side shoots to a height of 80-100 cm, and the side shoots to a length of 40 cm, leaving only 4-5 of the strongest ones, from which the crown of the tree will be formed. By pruning annual shoots, it will be possible to form a compact crown. After 4-5 years, you can start making sanitary pruning. They are carried out after flowering, removing thickening, diseased, dry branches.

Feeding is important for fruiting. All growths are shortened to 60 cm. If the almonds are not trimmed, the fruit ovary weakens.

Every 2 weeks, from spring to summer, apply nitrogen-potassium fertilizer. Copper-containing fertilizer is added once in the spring.

In almonds, the ends of the shoots are susceptible to freezing; if they quickly become woody before frost, then frost resistance will appear. To do this, the apical shoots are pinched at the beginning of August. Standard forms are covered with lutrasil.

Almonds suffer from rust, leaf curl and gray rot; they are used in the fight against Bordeaux mixture and removal of damaged parts. And the annoying pests (which can be combated in different ways) are the leaf roller and the leaf roller, which feed on the sticky substance secreted by aphids. The appearance of caterpillars must be monitored during the flowering period.

In the 7th year of life, the shoots begin to die off; they need to be removed so that new, young ones can appear.

Almonds are propagated different ways :

- root shoots (the easiest method of propagation). Separated from the mother bush in the second year, when roots have formed;

- root layering. Also nothing complicated, but long. Select the lowest shoots and pin them to the ground with staples and hill them up. You can wait a long time for new roots to appear, for 2 years, but when they appear, do not rush to dig them up, give them another 1 year of rooting to form a strong root system;

- green cuttings. In July, cuttings of 15-20 cm are cut so that each has 2-3 nodes, dipped in a growth stimulator for 12-15 hours, after which they are planted in seedling boxes with a sand-peat mixture (1:1). There should be one node left on the soil surface. After 3 weeks, roots appear;

— vaccination is carried out at the end of July.