Low almonds, or almond steppe: description

Recently, it has become fashionable to grow plants in our garden that are of exotic nature and have previously grown far beyond our region. Low almonds are one such example. Homeland it is considered the southern countries, and consequently, and care for the plant requires appropriate attention. Almond steppe attracts gardeners not only with their fruits, but also with beautiful appearance. When he is in the flowering stage, it looks simply irresistible.

general description

Many beginner gardeners are interested in the question: almond low - is it a tree or a bush? We will immediately dispel all doubts. This kind of almond is a shrub. He refers to the family pink-flowered and with proper care grows for many years. The bush can reach one and a half meters in height. The leaflets are of medium size with an oblong form of dark green color. When the flowering period begins in the beginning of spring, the bush is covered with small pink flowers. Despite the fact that this plant came to us from the south, it perfectly tolerates frosts and therefore immediately became a favorite among local flora lovers. Due to the fact that this southern plant, it also tolerates arid periods well, 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 basic strong roots, which go far to the ground and from there take moisture to feed the plant. There are also small branches of roots, but the main function is still the main roots. Fruit bush appear in the middle of autumn in the form of nuts. The walnut is about six centimeters long, the nucleolus has a delicate aroma and a pleasant taste.

Varieties and types

Almond low (beaver) has many different names, but they all refer to the same species: low, steppe, dwarfish, beaver. But there are other types of almonds, which I want to recall:

• Georgian,
• ordinary,
• Petunic,
• Three-bladed.

These species differ in that they grow not only in the form of bushes, but also grow full-fledged trees, sometimes reaching three meters in height. Further, the shape and tone of the leaves differ, as well as the color of the buds. Today we are interested in low almonds, and we want to tell about it in detail. After all, in order that this shrub properly grow and develop, you need to know all about how to plant it, how to care for and fight against possible problems.

Landing

Almonds are low, the description of which is given here, prefers a place located in direct sunlight or, in extreme cases, where there is a slight shadow. Categorically, one should not plant a bush in a draft and in a place where the wind constantly moves.

Having chosen the right place for planting, take care of preparing the soil. The acidity level should be around 7.5. If you want to create the most favorable conditions for a bush, make a mixture of such components as leaf land (three parts), humus (two parts) and sand (one part). Next, you need to add lime or dolomite flour in the calculation of 300 grams per bush. When planting several bushes you need to leave a distance of about one and a half meters to ensure that then the plants do not interfere with each other. In each hole you need to create a good drainage so that there is no stagnation of water. This can be done with the help of gravel or brick fragments, as well as sand. The whole process is as follows:

1. We excavate a pit of this size so that all roots can freely fit into it.
2. First, put a drainage layer on the bottom, which should be about twenty centimeters.
3. Fill the drainage layer with five centimeters of sand.
4. Pour the prepared soil and plant the bush there, so that the root of the root is above the ground.

Secrets of care

Almond dwarf requires attention and proper care from its owner, so we recommend that you follow the following tips.

• Watering the plant should be moderate. The bush most demands moisture during budding, but one should not allow stagnation of water at the roots. If the soil where almonds grows, sandy, then watering should be more often. In order to understand when you need to water the bush, assess the condition of the soil and the degree of its dryness. After watering, you must 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 in the form of mineral and organic fertilizers. This is recommended in early spring. Good for this purpose is suitable mullein. Then, in the summer, you can add superphosphate. It has a good effect on the quality of wood and crops. It is enough to take thirty grams for one bush. In autumn you can feed fertilizers with potassium content.
• In early spring, you must cut the bush to maintain the correct shape. This helps to strengthen the roots and make the bush more lush. You need to remove all unnecessary branches, including those that grow toward the center of the bush.

Reproduction of a plant

Low almonds can be propagated in ways:

• seminal,
• Cuttings,
• Inoculation,
• With the help of a brush.

The first method is that the seeds are planted in the ground at the beginning of spring, before that the area is loosened and fertilizers added there. This should be done when the weather is warm. In this case, you will quickly get sturdy seedlings.

With the cuttings method in the middle of the summer, it is necessary to cut the stalk with several knots, place for several hours in a solution that stimulates the growth of the roots. Next, you need to plant it in the soil, leaving a couple of nodes above the ground. With approach of colds it is necessary to hide the stalk from the cold.

The last two methods are also quite simple. Escape from the root should be excavated and transferred to a prepared place with the right soil. And for the vaccination, it is necessary to take the branches that are already well ripened, and plant them to trees such as peach or plum.

Pest Control

Shrub has an average immunity to attacks of different insects, so he needs help. To do this, carefully monitor the condition of the almond and at the first signs of the problem immediately begin to fight the pest.

• Leaves began to roll into a tube? So, a leaf-teller visited you. In this case, you need to spray the bush with a 2.5% solution of nitrophene, if the process started before the appearance of the kidneys, and to destroy the caterpillars will help chlorophos with a concentration of not more than 0.3 percent.
• Aphis is a frequent visitor on the almond bush. Fight it with a standard way, spraying the plant with a solution of laundry soap, making a mixture of 200 grams of soap per ten liters of water.
• From the bark beetle rescues the application of the calcareous layer on the tree trunk. It is recommended to add glue to the mixture in order to prolong the life of the protective agent.

Possible diseases

Low almonds can also suffer from the disease. Gray rot leads to the removal of all damaged branches. Rust leaves after processing the bush with preparations containing sulfur. A Bordeaux liquid will save from a burn if it is applied once a fortnight. All the manipulations are reduced to seeing the problem in time and immediately begin treatment, otherwise there is a chance to lose the whole bush.

Methods of application

Almond steppe is attractive not only for culinary specialists with its fruits, but also for landscape designers, as well as for cosmetologists. Nuts themselves are used for food in different dishes. Nut contains a large number of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Moreover, it's just delicious. Also, various drugs are made from it in folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, asthma, anemia and other diseases. Almond oil is widely used in cosmetology as 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 shrubs and flowers.