Almond Self polinating
Almond self- pollinating
Prunus dulcis
Growing guide
- Deciduous fruit bearing tree
- Height to 3 meters
- Width to 3 meters
- Over hanging canopy of approximately 3 meter diameter with bare trunk of about 30 cm diameter
- Position in full sun
- Harvest in Feb-April
- Prefers areas with warm dry summers and mild wet winters. Best temperatures for growth are between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius and require temperature drops of under 7.2 degrees for 300-600 hours to break dormancy like in a Mediterranean climate.
Suitable for growing
- Against a wall : Yes
- As a hedge : Possible
- In containers : Difficult
Problems
- Birds, bryobia mites, shothole, prune rust, spring frosts can kill flowers.
Advantages
- Earliest and one of most beautiful flowering deciduous fruit trees.
- The self pollinated variety bears high yields of sweet nuts that are easily harvested.
- Shells also crack easily.
- It’s moderate size means it fits well in a home garden.
- The hulls have been used as animal feed. The shells have been used as animal bedding and the kernel is used as a food source or for it’s oil.
Origin
- Mediterranean climate regions of the Middle east is where the almond is native to. This is a fairly dry climate with almost no rain during summer. The average annual rainfall is about 20 inches.
Productivity
- In most cases an almond takes between 2-4 years to start fruiting.
- Maximum production happens between 6-10 years. With average production lasting 25 years although some cases have been noted of fruiting lasting 50 years.
- The tree it’s self has been known to live up to 100 years.
References:
- Diggers.com.au
- Fruit for Australian gardens Paul Baxter
- Fruit crops.com
- Wikipedia
- https://sites.google.com/site/climatetypes/mediterranean
- Garden guids.com
- www.europeantrees.com/almond.html
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