Maintaining My Almond Trees
It’s time to prune the almond trees!
If you grow almond trees, the best time to prune them is now - in winter - when the trees are dormant. Pruning not only helps to develop proper shape and form, but also encourages new growth, promotes high fruit yield, and maintains good tree health. At my Bedford, New York farm, we spend a lot of time maintaining the many, many trees - pruning their branches, limbing them up, and improving their shape at least once a year. Last week, my outdoor grounds crew tackled the two almond trees located just outside my main greenhouse.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Here are my two almond trees. This photo was taken in July when they were full of leaves. These trees thrive in mild, wet winters, and hot, dry summers. The almond belongs to the rose family Rosaceae, making it a relative of several well-known fruit trees. There are different types, ranging from small ornamental shrubs, Prunus glandulosa, grown only for their pretty flowers to medium-sized trees, Prunus dulcis, that produce edible nuts, such as these.
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- Almond trees produce drupes. These drupes grow from fertilized flowers and mature in autumn. In previous years, we’ve harvested hundreds and hundreds of almonds. The hairy, green fruits are oblong in shape and the leaves of the almond tree are long – about three to five inches.
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- Many of the drupes fall to the ground in October. The almond fruit measures about two inches long and is not edible.
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- Some of the drupes will open on their own, exposing the shells, but most will have to be opened manually. At maturity, the flesh of the fruit becomes leathery and splits to reveal the hull.
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- Once dried, they are shelled. Shelling almonds refers to removing the hull to reveal the seed, which is what is eaten. I always have multiple crates full of these almonds ready to shell and enjoy.
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- In this late fall photo, one can see that the trees need trimming to maintain good shape and to improve air circulation through the centers.
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- And now that the trees are bare and dormant, the crew can easily maintain these handsome specimens. Here is Pasang, our resident tree expert. As with any tree, when pruning it is important to remove any damaged, dead or diseased limbs as well as those that are disruptive – branches that crisscross and impede air or light circulation.
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- He uses his handy STIHL Pruning Saw. We use a lot of STIHL tools here at my farm – they are durable, dependable, and easy to use.
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- Here’s my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, stopping for a quick photo. He was here when I first planted these almond trees, when they were just a few feet tall.
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- There are two basic types of pruning cuts, thinning cuts and heading cuts. Thinning cuts reduce the number of branches to allow more air and sunlight through the specimen. Heading cuts remove just a portion of an existing branch encouraging new side growth.
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- It is also crucial to always use sharp tools whenever pruning so that the cuts are clean. Dull tools are difficult to use and could even damage the tree. A straight, clean-cut promotes quick healing of the wound and reduces stress on the specimen.
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- Pasang uses his Okatsune bypass shears to cut thin suckers – those fast growing, vertical stems that originate from the root system. Pasang trims them cleanly as close to the tree as possible, leaving the collar, where the tree sucker meets the tree, to help speed the wound recovery.
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- Here, one can see the left side is pruned and the right side still needs work.
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- These trees did not take long to do – look how much was pruned before lunch.
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- Chhiring uses a telescoping pole pruner for harder-to-reach branches. This tool is great for trimming branches that are at least an inch thick. As I always say – the right tool for the right job.
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- During the pruning process, Pasang stops periodically to assess the shape of the tree and to see where he needs to prune next. They are looking so much better already. Well maintained almond trees can live for at least 40 to 50 years. And careful, regular pruning will encourage good shape and ensure a long productive life.
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- As a rule of thumb, 20-percent of the canopy should be pruned back each year in order to allow new wood to grow.
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- Almond trees have brown or gray bark. These trees trees also have lichens growing. Lichens are often found on tree trunks, branches and twigs as the bark provides a stable place to grow and get needed sunlight, rainwater and air. Lichens are simple slow-growing plants that form low crusty, leaflike, or branching growths on rocks, walls, and trees.
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- All the pruned branches are collected and added to our large pile for chipping.
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- When deciding to grow almond trees, keep in mind, they do not fruit the first couple of years. Almond trees do not produce a good yield until the 6th or 7th year. These mature trees produce lots and lots of almonds.
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- After a good pruning, these trees look so much better – round and full in shape. I am looking forward to seeing these bloom with white to pale pink flowers in spring and then lots of natural delicious and nutritious nuts next fall.
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