Recently it has become fashionable to grow plants in the garden that are exotic in nature and previously grew far beyond the borders of our region. Low almonds are one such example. Southern countries are considered his homeland, and, therefore, caring for a plant requires appropriate attention. Almond steppe attracts gardeners not only for its fruits, but also for its beautiful appearance. When it is in the flowering stage, it looks simply irresistible.
general description
Many beginning gardeners are interested in the question: is almond low - is it a tree or a bush? Immediately dispel all doubts. This type of almond is a shrub. It belongs to the pink-blooming family and, with proper care, has been growing for many years. The bush can reach one and a half meters in height. Leaflets are medium in size with an elongated shape of dark green. When the flowering period begins in early spring, the bush is covered with small pink flowers. Despite the fact that this plant came to us from the south, it tolerates frosts and therefore immediately became a favorite among local flora lovers. Due to the fact that it is a southern plant, it also tolerates dry periods when there is no rain for a long time. This is mainly due to the special structure of the root system. The bush has the main strong roots that go far into the ground and from there take moisture to nourish the plant. There are also small branches of the roots, but the main function is still carried out by the main roots. The fruits of the bush appear in the middle of autumn in the form of nuts. The nut is about six centimeters long, the nucleolus has a delicate aroma and a pleasant taste.
Varieties and types
Low almonds (bobovnik) have many different names, but they all refer to the same species: low, steppe, dwarf, bobovnik. But there are other types of almonds that I want to recall:
- Georgian,
- ordinary,
- petunikovy,
- three-bladed.
These species differ in that they grow not only in the form of bushes, but also grow in full-fledged trees, sometimes reaching three meters in height. Further, the shape and tone of the leaves, as well as the color of the buds, differ. Today, we are interested in low almonds, and it is about him that we want to tell in detail. Indeed, in order for this shrub to grow and develop correctly, you need to know everything about how to plant it, how to care for and deal with possible problems.
Landing
Low almonds, the description of which is given here, prefers a place located in direct sunlight or, in extreme cases, where there is a slight shadow. It is strictly forbidden to plant a bush in a draft and in a place where the wind constantly walks.
Choosing the right place to land, take care of the preparation of the soil. The acidity level should be around the figure of 7.5. If you want to create the most favorable conditions for the bush, then make a mixture of such components as sheet soil (three parts), humus (two parts) and sand (one part). Next, you need to add lime or dolomite flour per 300 grams per bush. When planting several bushes, you need to leave a distance of about one and a half meters so that then the plants do not interfere with each other. In each hole, you need to create good drainage so that there is no stagnation of water. This can be done using gravel or brick fragments, as well as sand. The whole process is as follows:
- We dig a hole of such a size that all the roots fit freely into it.
- First, we put a drainage layer at the bottom, which should be about twenty centimeters.
- Pour five centimeters of sand onto the drainage layer.
- We pour the prepared soil and plant a bush there so that the neck of the root is above the ground.
Care Secrets
Dwarf almonds require attention and proper care from their host, so we recommend that you follow these tips.
- Watering the plant should be moderate. The bush requires the most moisture during budding, but water stagnation at the roots cannot be allowed. If the soil where the almonds grow is sandy, then you need to water more often. In order to understand when you need to water the bush, evaluate the condition of the soil and the degree of its dryness. After watering, be sure to loosen the ground to allow air to reach the root system of the plant.
- Do not forget that the plant needs strength for growth, which means that it needs to be fed with mineral and organic fertilizers. This is recommended in early spring. Mullein is good for this purpose. Then, in the summer, superphosphate can be added. It has a good effect on the quality of wood and yield. It is enough to take thirty grams for one bush. In the fall you can be fed with fertilizers containing potassium.
- At the beginning of spring, it is necessary to prune the shrub to maintain the correct shape. This helps to strengthen the roots and make the bush more magnificent. It is necessary to remove all unnecessary branches, including those that grow towards the center of the bush.
Plant propagation
Low almonds can be propagated in the following ways:
- seminal,
- cuttings
- vaccination
- using the shoots.
The first way is that the seeds are planted in the ground at the beginning of spring, before that, loosening the area and adding fertilizer there. This should be done when the weather is warm. In this case, you will quickly get strong seedlings.
With the Cherenkov method, in the middle of summer you need to cut the stalk with several nodules, place for several hours in a solution that stimulates root growth. Next, you need to plant it in the soil, leaving a couple of nodes above the ground. With the onset of cold weather, the stalk needs to be protected from the cold.
The last two methods are also quite simple. The root shoot needs to be dug up and transferred to a prepared place with the right soil. And for vaccination, you need to take branches that are already well ripe, and plant them on trees such as peach or plum.
Pest control
The shrub has medium immunity to attacks of various insects, so it needs help. To do this, you must carefully monitor the condition of the almonds and at the first sign of a problem immediately begin to fight the pest.
- Leaves began to curl into a straw? So, a leaflet visited you. In this case, you need to spray the bush with a 2.5% nitrophene solution if the process started before the buds appeared, and chlorophos with a concentration of not more than 0.3 percent will help to destroy the caterpillars.
- Aphids are a frequent visitor to the almond bush. You need to deal with it in the standard way, spraying the plant with a solution of laundry soap, making a mixture of 200 grams of soap per ten liters of water.
- The application of the calcareous layer on the tree trunk rescues from the bark beetle. It is recommended to add glue to the mixture to extend the life of the protective agent.
Possible diseases
Low almonds can also suffer from the disease. Gray rot removes all damaged branches. Rust leaves after processing the bush with sulfur-containing preparations. A Bordeaux liquid will save from a burn if applied once every half a month. All manipulations boil down to seeing the problem in time and immediately starting treatment, otherwise there is a chance to lose the entire bush.
Application methods
Almond steppe is attractive not only for cooks with its fruits, but also for landscape designers, as well as for cosmetologists. Nuts themselves are used in food in different dishes. Walnut contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances. Moreover, it is simply delicious. Also, various drugs are made from it in traditional medicine in the treatment of diabetes, asthma, anemia and other diseases.
Almond oil is widely used in cosmetology as a part of masks, creams, shampoos and gels. And in itself, a beautiful bush is used in the design of private plots and public areas in combination with other bushes and flowers.