{"id":2367,"date":"2020-03-27T05:46:39","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T05:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2367"},"modified":"2020-03-27T05:58:51","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T05:58:51","slug":"almond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/27\/almond\/","title":{"rendered":"Almond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prunus dulcis<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almonds are quite spectacular\nwhen blooming in spring and in the right conditions they can be very\nproductive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrients: Protein<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Almond
Hours of winter chill: 400-700
Size
Standard \u201320-30ft tall x 20ft wide
Semi-dwarf 10-20ft x 15ft wide
Dwarf \u2013 8-10ft
Zones 6-9
Blooming period: Early spring
Life expectancy: 50 years
Bearing age: 3 years
Spacing: Standard tree 25ft apart <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing: In a\nsuitable climate the almond is quite easy to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate: Almond likes hot dry summers and doesn\u2019t do well in areas with high\nhumidity. It is quite hardy, but flowers very early (February in my garden) and\nso is vulnerable to late frosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 5.5 – 8.0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almonds\nwill grow in a variety of soils, so long as they are well drained (and not\nsaline).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Site: Almond needs full sun and does best in a warm climate. It can only be\ngrown in cooler climates if it is given a warm microclimate, such as a south or\nwest facing wall. The flowers and immature nuts are vulnerable to late frosts,\nso trees should be placed well away from low lying frost pockets or frost dams.\nIf your soil isn\u2019t very well drained you might consider planting on a hillside,\nor on a mound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heeling in: When you get your plants home it is a good idea to\nget them in the ground as soon as possible, but if this isn\u2019t possible you\nshould heel them in, which means placing them in a trench (this trench has one\nvertical side and one at 45 degrees, the trees being laid in at 45 degrees and\nsoil is firmed over them to fill the trench). If you buy plants mail order you\nshould unwrap them immediately and soak the roots in water overnight before\nplanting or heeling in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In mild climates Almond trees\ncan be planted at any time from late fall to early spring. In colder climates\nthey are usually planted in spring. As with most other plants a small tree transplants\nbetter than a large tree and will do better in the long run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plants in containers can be\nplanted at any time of year (though spring is best), but are more expensive and\ndon\u2019t usually do as well (make sure they aren\u2019t left over bare root stock that\nhas been potted up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How:\nDig the planting hole 2\u20113 times as wide as the root ball, to give the roots\nplenty of loose soil to grow into. You want the hole to be the same depth as\nthe root ball (or roots if bare root), so it can be set into the ground at the\nsame depth it was growing in the nursery. This is most easily measured by\nlaying a stick across the hole to get the right height. The graft union should\nbe 3-6\u201d above the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In poorly drained soils you\nmay have to plant on a mound, to keep the collar of the tree from staying wet\nfor long periods (too much water could cause it to rot). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start planting by throwing a\ncouple of shovels of soil (possibly mixed with some organic matter if the soil\nis poor \u2013 to help it hold moisture) into the bottom of the hole. Make this into\na slight mound and then spread the roots out evenly over it. You then put some\nsoil in the hole to anchor the tree in place and firm it down. Then re-fill the\nhole with the rest of the soil (make sure the tree remains vertical). You may\nalso want to add some rock phosphate to the soil as you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have finished\nplanting the tree should be on a slight mound, so as the soil settles it\nbecomes flat. If it starts out flat it may end up as a slight depression where\nwater can collect (which can be a problem on poorly drained soils).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You then water the tree\nthoroughly, not only to supply water to the plant, but also to settle the soil\nand establish contact between roots and soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final step is to spread\nout a mulch to conserve water, and keep down weed competition (keep this six\ninches away from the trunk). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also a very good idea\nto put a permanent label on the tree saying the variety and rootstock (and\nwrite it down in your garden journal).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support: Newly planted trees were once routinely supplied with a stake to\nsupport them, but it is now thought that trees become stronger more rapidly if\nnot staked. Staking is only usually necessary on very windy sites (especially\nfor dwarf trees which grow on weak rootstocks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protection: If gophers live in your area you will have to plant\nyour trees in gopher wire baskets (I make my own to whatever size I need). If\nother rodents are a problem (they may chew on the bark, stunting or even\nkilling the tree) you may have to use various kinds of metal or plastic mouse\nguards. These should go several inches into the ground and should have gravel\naround them to deter digging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenance: The almond is a fairly low maintenance tree, though\nit is vulnerable to some pests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing: Almond is a fairly light feeder and if it is growing\nwell (producing 9\u201d or more of growth in a year) it doesn\u2019t need fertilization. If not you could give it a feed with?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering: I found out how drought tolerant the almond is a few\nsummers back when I went away after forgetting to tell the house sitter to\nwater the Almond tree sitting in a pot out in the garden. When I came back two\nmonths later it was just a dry stick, but when I gave it water it leafed out\nlike nothing had happened. It is now 20 feet tall and none the worse for the\nexperience. Of course this doesn\u2019t mean you should neglect the trees, they will\nproduce a lot more nuts if occasionally watered deeply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch: A mulch of compost is the best way to fertilize and also helps to\nconserve water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollination: This small tree differs from most nuts in\nthat it is related to the Peach and Plum and is pollinated by bees. Generally\nyou need two compatible varieties for cross-pollination, though a few are\nself-fertile (though even these do better if cross-pollinated).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning; Almonds don\u2019t need much pruning once they have their\nbasic shape (which is an open center or vase shape). Just remove diseased or\ndead wood. Prune like peach?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propagation:\nSelected varieties are budded or grafted\non to desired rootstock. If you have a small garden it is possible to have two\nor more varieties on one tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests: Almonds may be affected by most of the same pests and\ndiseases that affect its cousin the peach, but not usually as badly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Squirrels: Like the nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birds: Some birds will eat the nuts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Containers: In colder climates dwarf almond trees can be grown in\ncontainers and brought inside for the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvest: Harvest the nuts when the dried up fruits start to split open. If you\nleave them too long the nuts will fall, or Squirrels may get them. Remove the\nnuts from inside the husk and dry them until fully dry (a dry kernel rattles in\nthe shell and will snap if broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage: Thoroughly dried almonds can be stored for up to a\nyear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landscape\nuses: With its large pink flowers the\nalmond is one of the most spectacular food producing trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas: Almonds are so closely related to peaches they use the same\nrootstocks (they can even be grafted on to the same tree).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rootstocks:     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citation: 15 feet Tolerates wet soil, reduces\ncanopy more than height, needs irrigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lovell: Produces a standard sized tree but longer\nlived and hardy <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myrobalan 22 feet <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pixy 12 feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Julian A: 15 feet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prunus dulcis Introduction Almonds are quite spectacular when blooming in spring and in the right conditions they can be very productive. Nutrients: Protein About Almond Hours of winter chill: 400-700 … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nuts","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Almond.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2367"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2370,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2367\/revisions\/2370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}