When is the almond tree pruned?
All right. As we said before, there are basically two prunings that must be done to our beloved tree: one is the formation pruning, which is done regularly since it is a 1,5-meter specimen and has a very thin trunk, until it becomes a full-fledged tree whose trunk thickness goes from a mere 1-3 centimeters to a few inches. 10 centimeters or more when it is older.
This is a type of pruning that is best done when the tree is young, as it can be drastic, often involving the removal and/or reduction of several branches at once, and it will only be able to tolerate this when it is young. It is also necessary to do it during the period of least activity, that is, at the end of winter, to avoid excessive sap loss. Also remember that in when to prune almond trees You can expand information about the right time to perform this task.
Moreover, the other type of pruning that needs to be done is productionThis has a single objective: to ensure that the almond tree produces the largest possible quantity of almonds, and of the highest quality. It is also done in late winter, although it can be done in autumn when the leaves are falling—as long as there is no frost for about three months. To learn more about the specific techniques, we recommend visiting pruning the almond tree.
How to prune an old almond tree?
Image - Wikimedia / Thomas Bjørkan
Let's start from the point where the almond tree has already formed. When pruning for production, the first thing to keep in mind is that most of the fruit (the almond) is produced in the essential elements of the branches called darts or fruit centers. These elements typically last five years and show little annual growth. For more in-depth information on the correct techniques, visit the art of pruning.
For this reason, production pruning must be done by maintaining at least one fifth of these darts, replacing them with the others that are no longer productive. When we want to achieve the renewal of the darts, we must prune those branches every year who are between 4 or 5 years old, having a diameter of between 2 and 3cm on which are the darts of that age.
If we are continuously carrying out this annual renewal, it will not be necessary to cut the branches that are too thick. This will prevent the production of almonds from decreasing. In general, the almond tree usually produces enough suckers in the center of the tree, so it is advisable to leave some. These suckers can be replacement wood for a branch that needs to be renewed.
Anyway, as usual a large part of them must be eliminated, it is best to do this early in the summer when they are still succulent. This is done in the pruning in summerIn addition to the removal of a fifth of the branches with darts, which will allow the renewal of these fruit centers, also diseased and damaged branches should be removed to keep the almond tree continuously healthy.