In countries where winters are warm and summers are long, almonds are considered to be far from picky crops. It is more difficult to grow it in the middle latitudes, but I still decided to do it. It is very beautiful and unusual for our region, it blooms. Each bush is like a white or pink cloud. Yes, and home-grown almonds are nice to nibble.

Sweet almonds or bitter?

The culture belongs to the genus plum, to the pink family. Represents trees or bushes 1-8 m high, on which not nuts, as they say, grow, but stone fruits.

The kernels of the bones are eaten. But only with sweet almonds. Bitter almonds are grown mainly for decorative and industrial purposes.

Lush flowering plants lasts 1.5-3 weeks. Then oblong pointed leaves and rounded fruits covered with fluff appear. At the end of summer, pericarp dry up, open slightly, and inside them you can see large bones (up to 4 cm in length and weighing up to 5 g). Culture is growing in one place without transplanting up to 130 years!

Almonds - both tasty and healthy!

The kernels of edible almond seeds taste sweetish, with spicy bitterness and a peculiar aroma. They are eaten dried, fried, used to make sweets, cakes, drinks and as a seasoning for various dishes.

Almond nuts are believed to be beneficial for bones, hair, and nails. They improve vision, mental activity, relieve migraines and insomnia. Almond oil is taken orally for cardiovascular diseases, flatulence. They lubricate their throat with angina and shallow wounds, apply for cosmetic purposes.

Almonds: varieties and types

For central Russian latitudes, get frost-resistant almond seedlings. it decorative varieties almonds (pictured below): Snezhana, Assol, Joy, Pink fog, Dream, Annie.

As well as varieties of almonds with edible fruits: Dessert, Seaside, Paper Shell, Nikitsky.

Almonds - planting and care

To plant almonds is best late in the fall. Soil culture likes sandy loamy or loamy. Choose a place under it dry, bright, protected from the winds. Place at least 2 plants of inter-pollinated varieties nearby at a distance of 2-3 m from each other. At the bottom of the planting pits, lay drainage of gravel or broken brick, sprinkle it with a layer of sand up to 10 cm. Pipette half a bucket of manure and 50 g of superphosphate. Mulch circles mulch peat.

Reproduction of almonds - offspring or seeds?

The easiest way to propagate the culture by root offspring. But it is possible and seeds. Bones are planted in the garden before winter. For spring planting they are stratified - placed in moist sawdust and kept for 3-4 months in the refrigerator. Growing up to 30 cm seedlings are planted in permanent places. They begin to bloom in 2-8 years.

Green cuttings 15-20 cm long are also used for propagation. They must be held for 15-16 hours in a root-forming solution, and then placed in a substrate of sand and peat (1: 1), covered with a plastic bag. They take root within 1-3 months, after which the plants are planted in open ground. Almonds are also grafted on bird cherry, plum, plum and thorn stocks.

We warm almonds for the winter

Water the crop sparingly. Fertilize the plants in spring with a solution: 20 g of saltpeter, 10 g of urea and 1 kg of mullein per 10-liter bucket of water. And in the fall, close 20 g of potassium sulfate and superphosphate into the soil beneath them.

Before flowering, sanitary pruning is carried out with the removal of branches older than 7 years. After flowering, formative pruning is made with 1/3 of the annual shoots shortened. (In our climate, I try to form crowns in the form of bushes.) At the end of summer, apical buds are cut to stimulate the lignification of shoots and to prevent their freezing in winter cold.

I am warming almonds by winter, tying bushes and wrapping them non woven fabric in 2 layers. Since it blooms early, I use smoke, spraying or covering material to protect flowers from frost.

Belongs to the genus Plum. It is often called a nut, but in the biological sense it is a stone fruit, a close relative of the apricot, whose seeds are also edible. Almonds come from the Middle East and South Asia, therefore, it is a heat-loving plant.

Many almond varieties can only be cultivated in regions where winter weather is characterized by a short-term drop in temperature to 17-22 degrees, but frosts of 25 degrees and above can destroy flower buds.

is a shrub or small tree with developed roots. The aerial part of the plant can grow up to 11 meters, and the underground part can deepen by five meters. The crown can have a round, pyramidal, spreading shape, and sometimes - the appearance of a weeping willow.

During flowering, the almond tree is densely dotted with white or pinkish flowers, in some varieties the petals are painted in bright pink and bordered with a white stripe.

Each flower is represented by five petals surrounding numerous stamens with a pestle. Almond blossoms occur in mid-spring and are ahead of leaf blooms. Blooming trees endowed with a pronounced pleasant aroma, for which they are valued as early honey carriers, capable of producing up to 38 kg of honey per hectare. Green leaves have an elongated shape and resemble the leaves of an olive tree, but are superior in size. To get a crop, almost all varieties need pollinators, so several trees should be planted on the site.

Unlike and, the flesh surrounding the ossicle is a coarse green pubescent peel and unsuitable for food. Darkening and cracking of this peel indicates maturity edible seedswhich have an elongated shape and are covered with grooves and furrows. But the inner part of the seeds is not edible in all varieties. Wild almonds - they have a bitter taste and contain toxic substances. From such bones, valuable almond oil and milk are obtained, which are actively used in cosmetology.

The collection of sweet almond "nuts" falls at the end of summer - the beginning of autumn, when the pericarp crack. They are removed from the fruit and dried, after which they are tightly packed and sent for storage in a dry place. Almond trees enter the fruiting season in the third or fourth year of life and yield crops for 40-50 years, and the tree itself can live up to 85 years. The nutritional value of the almond kernel is equivalent to bread, milk and meat. "Nuts" contain 55-63% fatty oils, 23-35% proteins, up to 8% sugars, as well as B vitamins. Almonds can persist for a long time without losing their qualities, and almond oil does not burn at all.

To obtain a crop of edible nuts cultivate ordinary almonds and varietal varieties thereof. The choice of variety is influenced by the climatic conditions of the region and the possibility of self-pollination, which is inherent in very few varieties, for example, Nikitsky 62.

Varietal features also affect the shape and size of trees, as well as their resistance to cold, diseases and harmful insects. The size of the seeds, the thickness of the pericarp and the amount of the crop depend on the variety.

Almond varieties resistant to frost:

• Seaside - has good immunity to diseases, needs pollinators and is able to produce up to 15 kg of "nuts" from one tree.
• Nikitsky 62 - is capable of self-pollination and gives up to 13 kg of crop.
• Dessert - blooms in mid-spring and needs pollinators.

Varieties with moderate frost resistance:

• Milos - has an average immunity to diseases and gives about six kilograms of "nuts".
• Alushta - ripens early and gives large nuts, but needs pollinators.
• Steppe - is characterized by average productivity and good taste.

Varieties of heat-loving and drought-resistant almonds:

• Anniversary - late ripening, with yields above average
• Sevastopol - late ripening with high productivity, needs pollinators.
• Foros is a medium-ripe large-fruited variety, resistant to pests and diseases, needs pollinators.

Almond trees feel good in a lighted place, do not put forward special requirements for the soil, like liming, tolerate urban conditions and grow very quickly.

Almond trees can be propagated in several ways: seeds, seedlings, cuttings and cuttings. The first method is the most time-consuming, but allows you to feel the whole process. When growing almond tree from seed, it should be remembered that the culture does not always maintain the varietal quality of the fruit.

The place for planting seeds must be protected from strong winds, soil needs fertile and well-drained. In arid climates, irrigation is required:

• sowing seeds is carried out in the spring, with autumn planting, the risk of killing of the bones by rodents increases
• the earth should be deeply dug or plowed
• the bones are deepened by 11-16 cm

Before planting, seed material is necessary. For this, the bones are placed in sand and kept for about a month, maintaining the temperature at a level of 1 to 10 degrees. Optimal time for this event is the first half of winter. But it must be carried out 20-25 days before sowing. If the roots of the seeds have sprouted heavily, then they should be pinched to stimulate the development of lateral roots. When the seedlings reach 15 cm, they should be shortened with a sharp shovel. After which the plants are abundantly watered.

About six nuts are placed on one meter, and if a place is chosen constant and budding is carried out without subsequent transplantation, then two nuts must be placed in one hole.

Stumping is carried out in late summer to prevent premature germination of the eyes.

The procedure is carried out near the root neck. In winter, occult seedlings are spudded, which helps to avoid early germination of plant death from the cold. When the oculant grows 12-15 cm, it is earthed up with a view to fixation. As the oculant grows, the procedure is repeated, and the stock itself is freed from new shoots. In the first year, the shape of the crown is not formed. Young trees are dug up and transplanted on permanent placeif necessary.

The most common almond propagation method is to plant grafted seedlings. But to acquire planting material should be with a trusted seller or in a nursery to get a tree of the desired variety.

It is also worth considering that for most varieties pollinators are needed, so several different varieties should be planted.

Planting seedlings is carried out according to a certain scheme, observing simple rules:

1. Prepare planting holes, the size of which should be twice as large as the root. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom using crushed stone, broken brick and sand.
2. Pits are dug at intervals of at least three meters so that future plants do not interfere with each other's development.
3. The soil for planting seedlings should be fertilized using superphosphate (about 500 grams per tree), overripe manure (4-5 kg), and also add lime.
4. The roots are evenly distributed along the bottom of the landing pit and a support is installed in the center.
5. The vaccination site should not be immersed in the soil.
6. After planting, each seedling should be well nourished with water. As it grows, clean the soil around the trees from weeds in a timely manner and loosen.

In the first year of life, seedlings will grow slowly, because the plant directs all forces to the development of the root system. But in the following years, almonds will actively grow and in four years will please the first flowering.

Almonds require special care immediately after planting, but in subsequent years they will need regular watering, timely pruning and fertilizing:

• In the absence of rainfall, water the trees at least once a week. More mature individuals are able to dispense with rarer irrigation. It is necessary to ensure that the root neck does not get wet, because it can quickly rot and the plant will die. It is wise to water using drip irrigationthat will save you from many problems.
• Almonds need to be fed regularly. During the period of active growth, fertilizers enriched with nitrogen and potassium are applied under young trees. For adult trees, manure and ammonium nitrate are suitable in the form of solutions (a kilogram of manure and 0.2 kg of nitrate per bucket of water). At the beginning of spring, they once make copper-containing fertilizers. Any fertilizer must be poured with water to avoid burns to the plant and to ensure uniform distribution of fertilizing.
• It is necessary to conduct shaping and wellness almonds. They are carried out after flowering. First you need to thin out the crown and remove damaged and dried branches.
• Also grafted almonds need shelter for the winter, to avoid freezing of the crop.

On the fourth to fifth life buzz almond trees give the first crop. After flowering, medium-sized hard fruits are formed, sour in taste. In some countries they are used as food. As they mature, the fruits begin to harden, become dark and crack. Drying the shell serves as a signal to collect "nuts".

Like all plants, almonds can get sick and be attacked by insects. The plant is most susceptible to gray rot, rust, moniliosis, cercosporosis and klyasteriosis. All these diseases, including scab and orange spotting, are fungal diseases, so they need to be treated. Treatments are carried out twice a week.

As a preventive measure, almonds are treated with a one percent solution of Bordeaux fluid, and they also destroy fallen leaves by burning.

Almond trees can be affected by leafworms, plum moth, almond leaf sawfly and Samoyeds, as well as spider mites. Against all insects, in addition to the latter, systemic insecticides are used, and spider mites are expelled with acaricidal drugs. Treated trees in the spring, before flowering several times. As a prophylaxis, lure natural enemies insects - birds setting feeders in the garden. You should also burn fallen leaves and dig the soil for the winter.

If you follow all the rules, you can grow a healthy fruit-bearing almond tree and enjoy healthy and tasty "nuts", which are very nutritious, but allergenic and not recommended for overweight people. And wild almonds can be used as a stock for peach and apricot, which increase the drought tolerance of these crops.

More information can be found in the video:

Almonds are a subgenus of shrubs or trees from the Plum genus, 2–6 m high, and its “nuts” are actually seed kernels - the same are edible in many apricot varieties - close relative almonds.

These plants are heat-loving, most varieties in Ukraine grow only in the Crimea, Transcarpathia and in an area up to 80 km from the sea. In winter, they can withstand a short-term drop in temperature to -18 - -20 0 С, but with a sharp cooling to -24 0 С flower buds die in most varieties.

Leaves are lanceolate, long, green; they resemble olive in shape, but much larger.

The flowers are white or pink, sometimes with white edges and a deep pink center, have 5 petals, many stamens and 1 pistil, up to 2.5 cm in diameter. They bloom before the leaves - in March - May, depending on the region - simultaneously with plums. They emit a rather strong pleasant aroma.

Most varieties need cross-pollination for the formation of fruits, so at least 2 to 3 plants are planted on the site to obtain them.

The pericarp is inedible - the part that makes up the plum or apricot pulp in the almonds is represented by a dense, green, pubescent peel, which turns brown and crackes along the “seam” as the seed ripens. The stone in shape follows the fetus, is covered with dimples, less often - grooves.

The kernel of the bone is edible only in some varieties - in the bitter, it is poisonous and is used only to obtain almond oil and milk. Bones of sweet varieties are collected in July - September, when the pericarp begins to crack; they are well dried and stored tightly packed.

Fruiting begins at 3 - 4 years of plant life and lasts 30 - 50 years, with the tree itself living on average 50 - 80 years, sometimes up to 130 years.

Growing conditions and care

Almonds are a fairly hardy plant, and problems usually arise from inappropriate climate, especially if you want to get fruits: from spring frost during the flowering period, the crop can be much smaller or not tied at all, and the plant will simply not survive in harsh winters. His general wishes are as follows:

• Watering - not a vital necessity, the plant will survive completely without it, but to increase the flowering period and plentiful fruiting, you need to pour 10-15 liters of water under each plant when the soil dries up by 3-5 cm. With a lack of moisture in the hot summer months, you can lose not only the current crop, but also the future, because the flower buds of almonds are laid precisely in the summer. Young seedlings are watered every 10 to 15 days.
• Top dressing make in the spring and autumn, digging the soil in the tree circle. This can be rotted manure, superphosphate and potassium sulfide. Young plants need nitrogen fertilizers to accelerate growth.
• The soil it should be light, native to almonds - rocky, sandy loam or light chernozem is also suitable. Soil acidity is needed at a pH of 7.7 - alkaline, neutral; acidic soils must be liming. Heavy clay or saline (especially with bleach) earth and areas with high level groundwater.
• Sveta Almonds love a lot - do not plant it close to buildings and do not let the crown become too thick, otherwise the fruits will form only at the ends of the branches.
• However, too windy enom this tree’s place will also be uncomfortable - especially in the north, cold winds.
• It is advisable to loosen the trunk circle 4 to 5 times per season to a depth of 10 cm, the first time - even before flowering.
• Pruning - An obligatory annual event to ensure plant health and to prevent crown thickening. To form a tree (usually in the 2nd year after planting, after flowering is completed), on average 4 skeletal branches are selected at a distance of 10 to 20 cm in height from each other, which together form a cross, or 3 tiers of branches at a slightly greater distance. In this case, all other branches are cut with secateurs up to the trunk, and the top is cut off 50-60 cm above the upper branch of the skeleton.

In spring, before flowering, they carry out a sanitary haircut, removing dry, broken, damaged branches and frost-bitten tips.

• For prophylaxis diseases and pests in the autumn, remove all fruits that have not fallen from the tree, collect and burn foliage outside the garden, dig the soil in the near-stem circle and treat the entire plant with a 1% solution of Bordeaux fluid.
• To protect the roots from frost, you can mulch peat, sawdust or spruce branches. In more northern regions Almonds are grown like a bush and completely covered for the winter with purchased material or spruce branches, on top with sawdust and on top with a film.

Breeding

Most often, varietal almonds are bought in the form of seedlings - just like any fruit trees. Almonds better tolerate "relocation" in the fall, it is possible even in winter - during dormancy. A pit 60 cm deep and of the same width is prepared under it, the bottom of the pit is covered with gravel and sand or broken brick, and the ground, which will be filled in the pit, is lime and, if necessary, drained with sand or gravel. If there are several plants, 4-6 m recede between them. Additionally, 5-6 kg of rotted manure and 500 g of superphosphate are mixed into the soil. If you still postpone the landing in the spring, you still need to prepare the pit in the fall. A tree is planted along with an earthen lump, a support is dug nearby - so that it is at least half a meter above ground level. The root neck should remain just above ground level; all free place they fill it with soil and water the seedling, only after that it can be attached to the support. If necessary, land can be added, but do not fall asleep on the root neck!

Almonds grow from seeds for quite some time - will begin to bear fruit in about the 4th year. Seeds (unpeeled, not fried) are best sown in the fall in a container on the street or in a room with a temperature not exceeding +3 0 C. When sown in open ground, they are most likely to be eaten. You can also hold the seeds until spring (4 months) in the lower drawer in the refrigerator, and sow in the spring. Sowing pattern - in rows, at a distance of 45 - 60cm with intervals in a row of about 10cm. Seeding depth - 10cm. At first, seedlings require particularly careful care - watering, loosening, removing weeds and protection against frost. AT good conditions by July, the seedling will reach 50 - 60 cm in height and about 1 cm in diameter of the stem - then it is time to remove all branches from the base of the stem to a height of 12 cm so that the tree forms and all the forces go into 1 stem.

Often varietal almonds are grafted onto the wild (bitter), as well as on thorns, plums or thorns - this way it develops faster and partially maintains the stock's endurance. They do this in mid-April or late August, when the movement of juice through the plant is as active as possible, preferably in the evening cool, so that the slices do not dry out too quickly. There are several ways of vaccination - a kidney on the scutellum (eye), escape into the cleft or into the overlay, and others. The essence of each of them is that all shoots are removed from the rooted plant (except for one, a small one for nutrition, the leaves are shortened, leaving 1 cm each), a cut is made on it (only the bark is removed or the entire branch is cut under sharp angle) and cover this slice with a part of varietal almonds with at least the 1st kidney. All sections should be clean, even, made with one movement of a special very sharp, sterile knife; You can’t touch them with your fingers. The junction is tightly fixed, leaving the kidneys free, all shoots below the vaccination site are removed, and they wait for 3–4 weeks to grow together. If after this time the kidney is green - then everything went well. Do not forget to remove the last branch from the plant, the stock that was left for food, in the coming spring.

Basal shoots - usually appear after cutting the plant. They need to be given 1.5–2 years to grow stronger and take root, and only after that they should be removed from the maternal almonds.

Propagation by layering is the artificial rooting of the lower flexible branches - for example, when growing in the form of a bush, or if the shoots and root shoots appeared close to the trunk, on its base or on the stump. Such shoots bend to the ground, fix for the middle with several hairpins and fill this place with a layer of soil about 20 cm (you can dig a hole beforehand). Layers will take root 1 - 1.5 years, subject to regular watering and cultivation, and only after that young plant can be jailed.

Diseases, pests and ways to combat them

Most almond varieties can be susceptible to these diseases:

• Gray rot (botritis) - initially manifests itself as brown spots on the leaves, which grow rapidly, later a gray coating appears - spores of the fungus. It is important to catch infected parts before spores form. Particularly high risk of infection with thickened landings or hit nitrogen fertilizer on the leaves.
• Rust - brown spots on the leaves, from the back of the toron - pads with red, "rusty" powder - spores.
• Moniliosis enters the plant through flowers and affects the flowers, leaves and young shoots themselves.
• Cercosporosis - most often occurs in April, is expressed by red-brown spots with a diameter of about 3 mm.
• Kleasteriosis, also known as hole spotting, also leaves spots on the leaves, but with a characteristic dark border. Over time, the middle of the spot falls out.

Treatment and prevention

All these diseases, as well as scab and orange spotting, are fungal, and therefore are treated with fugicidal preparations, with repeated treatment after 3 to 5 days. Before processing, try to remove all damaged parts of the plant. Moniliosis in the early stages is treated with Bordeaux fluid, and rust is treated with sulfur powder or colloidal sulfur, suspended (shaken) in water.

Disease prevention is the autumn (and, if necessary, spring) treatment with a 1% solution of Bordeaux fluid, as well as the burning of fallen leaves outside the garden.

Of the pests, aphids, leafworms, plum moths, almond leaf sawflies, almond seed beetles or spider mites can be seen.

They expel everyone except the last with insecticides, and spider mite - acaricides. Processing is carried out in early spring, before blooming flower buds, 2 - 3 times with an interval of 3 - 5 days. You can get rid of aphids with soapy water (300g laundry soap 10l) or tincture of tobacco. Almond seed-eater hibernates in damaged fruits that do not fall, so pluck all the nuts, and in the fall carry out preventive treatment with Bordeaux liquid. The leafworm disappears from 0.2% karbofos, but in spring it is better to hedge with nitrafen, insecticides or Bordeaux liquid (before flowering, but at a temperature above +4 0 C)

Pest prevention is the most natural and uncomplicated task: attract birds (make birdhouses and feeders) - and you will be pleased, and not a single bug will survive on the tree. Aphids also feed on aphids, which can be attracted to dill or fennel sown in a near-trunk circle. Many pests hibernate in fallen leaves, damaged parts of a tree or in the ground, so in the autumn, burn all plant waste outside the garden, and dig the land around the trunk.

The use of different parts of almonds, its useful and not so properties

Almond kernels are the most nutritious product of all the fruits and vegetables of the CIS countries, they even have more protein than meat or milk. The only negative is an allergen and is not recommended for obese people. But the use of seeds in food is far from the only use of the almond tree:

1. Grow like ornamental plant for the sake of early, plentiful and fragrant flowering.
2. In gardening, wild almonds are used as a stock for peaches and apricots - it increases their drought tolerance.
3. Almond oil is used in medicine as an emollient, anti-inflammatory and laxative, as well as in cosmetology and for expensive varieties of soap.
4. The cake remaining after the production of oil is the raw material for essential oils - for perfume perfume.
5. Almond kernels are eaten raw, fried, salted, added to chocolate, liqueurs (for example, amaretto), and baked goods. They are very popular as spices for second courses in China and Indonesia. Desserts are popular marzipan (ground almonds in sugar syrup) and pralines (ground kernels fried in sugar).
6. Almond milk is a substitute for cow vegans.
7. The shell of the almond bone gives flavor and color to alcoholic drinks, and also makes activated carbon from it.

Types and varieties for garden cultivation

In gardening, only 1 type is used to produce “nuts” - ordinary almonds (and its varieties), and shrub steppe almonds - “bean birch” (and its varieties), which is much more winter-hardy, are grown as decorative.

Almonds must be selected first of all according to the climatic conditions, and also take into account the ability to self-pollination (very rarely, for example, in Nikitsky 62).

Also, the height and shape of the crown of the plant, resistance to frost, disease and pests, the size of the seed and the thickness of its shell, as well as the yield, also depend on the variety.

Keep in mind that not every almond is edible!

1. Winter-hardy varieties:
   • Steppe almonds and varieties based on it - Anyuta, Dream, Pink Fog, White Sail, Pink Flamingo. The bones of these plants are not edible, they are grown only for the sake of abundant flowering - white or pink. Due to the relative compactness (up to 1.5 - 2m) they can grow in tubs, for example - on a balcony or loggia.
   • Three-bladed almonds (also known as three-bladed louisiana) - a tree of about 3 m, grows even in the Moscow region, but its bones are also not suitable for food. It blooms very profusely, with pink terry flowers.
   • Edible - Seaside (resistant to diseases, up to 14 kg of a clean crop from 1 tree) and Nikitsky 62 (self-pollinated, up to 12 kg of crop).
2. Varieties resistant to frost - Milos (not very susceptible to disease, gives up to 6 kg of crop) and Dessert Almonds (fruiting regularly, up to 9 kg per season).
3. Heat-loving, heat-resistant varietiesalmonds - Yalta (regular crop up to 14 kg, sweet), Sevastopol (late ripe, with high productivity), Aromatic (very tasty and fragrant seeds, blooms late) and Mangup (late ripe, drought tolerant, not susceptible to diseases and pests).

For a long period, louisania triloba was called triflac almonds. The second name was terry plum. And only then, scientists isolated this plant to a separate genus of Luisania. Before today continue to import this plant from nurseries located in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. So, louisania terry almonds in the Moscow region are three-lobed - care, reproduction, shelter, photo - we are considering today.

Terry almonds, in Moscow suburbs whether shelter is necessary for the winter

You should not pay attention to the fact that the plant is of southern origin. Almonds, not requiring additional insulation. Its flowering begins in the first half of May, before the leaves dissolve. Admire beautiful flowers pink, dark pink or raspberry color can be no more than two weeks - just as much plant blooms with roses in miniature shapes. It happens that return frosts damage them, but it's not scary. Flowering almonds look good in a section, stand for a long time in a bouquet.

Planting Rules: Three-bladed Terry Almonds

The plant does not have special requirements for. But you should not take risks, trying to grow almonds on heavy clay areas or places where groundwater come very close to the surface. Before planting in the soil, it is recommended to make a dig.

The plant likes well-lit places, light partial shade is allowed. Planted almonds must be protected from the winds. Twenty centimeter drainage of gravel or broken brick is obligatory arranged on the bed, a five-centimeter layer of sand is poured on top.

It is carried out with an interval from half a meter to one and a half. The root neck should be located slightly above the soil level. The mixture for planting is made up of three parts of leafy soil, two - humus and one - sand. A gram of three hundred lime is added to each landing hole. Landing is completed by mulching with land or peat.

Louiseania Essential Care Photo

• The plant loves regular feeding. a kilo of mullein, ten grams of urea, twenty grams of saltpeter are added to a bucket of water. In the fall, twenty grams of superphosphate double are added to each square of the plot.
• Watering is recommended in moderate volumes. On sandy areas it can be carried out more often. Important condition - do not soak the root neck. It is recommended to pour from seven to ten liters of water on one plant.
• It is useful to perform cultivation by weeding out weeds. Excellent almonds tolerate pruning, quickly recovering due to young shoots.

Plant propagation

It happens seed way or . It is allowed to plant almonds on plums, thorns, and even bird cherry. Subsequently, it is necessary to cut out all the wild germs that form below the vaccination site.

Louiseania is damaged by leafworm caterpillars. They are advised to spray with chlorophos. The plum moth is etched with karbofos, processing them several times. Aphid attacks are prevented by a solution of laundry soap, infusion of tobacco, and potato tops. To, it is advised to whitewash the standard with a solution of lime and clay, adding a little wood glue to it.

In diseases with gray rot, damaged branches are cut. The procedure is performed twice - after flowering or in winter. The appeared rust is treated with preparations based on colloidal or ground sulfur.

Almonds and. It helps with asthma, ulcers and pleurisy, improves vision. With its help, the stomach is treated. Great for growing. Plant almonds on the site, and you will not regret it at all.

Louiseania blooms very luxuriantly for two weeks, before the leaves bloom. According to the directory, this is a shrub about 3 m high, but its redistribution usually depends on the climatic zone. When growing in the suburbs, three-bladed almonds good care reaches 2 m. In gardens, forms with terry flowers - their thin branches in May are literally strewn with “roses”. The flowers of three-lobed almonds can have a hue from dark pink to raspberry and grow in pairs. Flowering begins in the first half of May and lasts about 2.5 weeks. At that time flowering bush very reminiscent of sakura. In the climate of the middle band of fruits, very little is tied (these are dry, pubescent drupes). In October, the graceful leaves of louisania become yellow-red-orange, and the bush again becomes decorative.

Is it possible to grow three-bladed almonds in the suburbs?

Despite its heat loving nature, louisania tolerates smooth, moderately frosty winters, especially with large quantity snow. The situation is worse with regular temperature differences, when frosts give way to wet thaws: louisania can wake up ahead of time and get damaged by frost. In very severe and snowy winters with long severe frosts the ends of shoots and buds may freeze in her, possibly rooting out of the root neck. Therefore when growing louisania in middle lane It is recommended to cover it for the winter.

What to plant louisania with?

Louiseania will look good in a group of shrubs. You can plant varieties in front of her, which against her background will bloom all summer. Landing nearby flowering perennials, especially with wide-linear leaves, such as, will also be appropriate. The contrast in the shape of the foliage will make the composition spectacular even after the plants have faded.

Planting almond three-bladed

Three-bladed almonds prefer sunny places covered by the wind. It is not very picky about soils, but prefers light, fertile, well-drained and with a sufficient amount of lime. Landing in shaded and damp places is strictly contraindicated for him.

For planting louisania, a soil mixture of 3 parts of leaf soil, 2 parts and 1 part of sand is well suited. It is advisable to add 200-300 grams or lime. At the bottom of the landing pit, drainage is laid out: 15-20 cm of crushed stone or broken brick and 5-7 cm of sand. It is impossible to deepen the root neck of a seedling during planting: it should be located above ground level. The optimal distance between the bushes is 1 - 1.5 meters. After landing trunk circles mulch with earth or, the thickness of the mulch layer is 5-7 cm.

Louisiana care

Watering. The plant is drought tolerant, but during flowering it needs abundant watering, especially on sandy soils. On loamy soils, watering should be more moderate. Three-bladed almonds do not tolerate waterlogging and stagnation of water - this leads to rotting of the root neck, therefore it is recommended to water it only when the earth dries to a depth of 1.5 cm.

Top dressing. Louiseania needs regular fertilization. In the spring it is fed with a mixture of 1 kg of mullein, 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 10 g of urea. The mixture is diluted in 10 l of water. In the fall mineral fertilizers: double superphosphate and potassium sulfate 20 g per square meter. m of soil.

Pruningthree-lobed almonds are necessary for crown formation and plant healing. After flowering, all flowering branches are shortened by 2/3 of the length - this stimulates the growth of new shoots, especially in young plants. All branches growing inside the crown are also removed. Louiseania is prone to thickening, so a bush that has grown too much needs to be thinned out: this will protect the plant from disease and preserve its decorative effect.

Transferlouisania, if necessary, is done in August. The plant usually tolerates the transplant.

In the Moscow Region, good results are obtained by the reproduction of louisania by horizontal layering. To do this, longitudinal cuts are applied to the bark along the branch from the bottom side, the branch is pressed tightly with cuts to the ground and filled up from above. The free end is tied up vertically so that it does not lie on the ground. Watered infrequently. Separate layering from maternal plant not necessary. Roots usually appear only after a year.

It is somewhat more difficult to propagate almonds with three-lobed green cuttings: they are difficult to take root and in most cases fall in the first winter.

Diseases and Pests

Three-lobed almonds are susceptible, especially when grown under inappropriate conditions and inadequate care. For prevention, before the flowers bloom in the buds, the bush is treated with “Horus”. It is advisable to do this with low temperatures (+3 ... + 10 ° С). When signs of a monilial burn appear (leaf wilting on part of the branches), the affected branches are cut to the lower healthy leaf or to the ring. Be sure to sterilize the pruner before and after pruning the diseased plant! After flowering, the bushes are sprayed with the drug "Skor".

Louiseania is often affected by gray rot. Prevention of the disease consists in good care and mandatory trimming of the affected parts of the plant at the first sign of the disease.

Three-bladed Almond Varieties

The most common varieties grown in the middle lane are Captivity and Kiev.

Louisania captivity - a rather sprawling low bush with terry pink flowers 4–4.5 cm in size, with about 40 petals. It blooms in early May, after the leaves bloom, blooms for about 2 weeks.

Louiseania Kiev - taller, the bush can reach a height of 3 - 3, 5 m. Flowers from pink to dark pink, with a diameter of about 3.5 cm, with 10-12 petals. They have a strong, pleasant almond flavor. The flowering is plentiful, before the leaves bloom, which makes Kiev more effective in comparison with the previous grade. Flowering time is about 7 days.

Heat-loving plant, needs shelter for the winter.

Prefers sunny, sheltered from the wind places.

It grows well on light, fertile, drained soils.

It does not tolerate moisture and stagnation of moisture.

It responds well to the application of organic and mineral fertilizers.

Propagated by grafting and layering.