Image Up Advertising & Design

26 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2015 Anxious gardeners, and most are, scour their plantings for the first blooms of spring. Often they are on fruit and nut trees. One of these suited for a small garden is the almond tree. These nut trees grow 15-30 tall and in diameter and seem to do well here in Four Seasons. They are related to the peach, and almonds develop inside small fruits (much like the pit in a peach). Though technically a fruit, the almond fruit (outer skin) is very leathery and usually just referred to as the hull or husk. It is the seed or pit that is edible. There are two different kinds of trees, bitter and sweet. There are also some varieties of almond that have been bred for their flowers and won't really produce any fruit) at all. They are called ornamental or flowering almonds at most nurseries. Often, sweet almond buds are grafted onto bitter almond root stock. This has no impact on nut harvest as these trees will only produce sweet almonds. Some varieties of almond are not self-pollinating, meaning at least two or three trees are needed to get almonds. A nearby peach tree can serve as a second almond tree for some varieties. There are some dwarf varieties of almond, though many are just ornamental and it can be difficult to determine at a nursery if any will actually produce edible almonds. Trees require a thorough soaking once a week through summer. In spring, trees need a feeding of standard fertilizer or aged manure. Watch trees for the usual tree pests, like aphids and leaf-eating caterpillars. Standard insecticidal soaps help keep the insect population down. Almonds produce very sweet blossoms in the spring, to attract the bees for pollination. Don't be alarmed if trees are crawling with bees. That's a key part of Mother Nature's grand design. Peach leaf curl can attack almonds as well as peaches. It's a fungus infection that will start to brown tree leaves, and then they will curl up tightly. If this happens, remove infected leaves right away and dispose of them. It may be necessary to spray with Bordeaux spray, a commonly used fungicide treatment for fruit and nut trees. Once the small green fruits (or hulls) have started to dry, they will split open and reveal the almond nut inside. Many of them will drop from the tree on their own, but some may have to be picked by hand. After the fresh almond is out of its husk, let them dry in a well-ventilated place for several days. The nuts should rattle a little inside their shells when they are done. ~ Len Tavernetti Beaumont Blooms Top: An almond tree in full bloom Bottom: Almonds almost ready for harvesting Our Savior's Lutheran — ELCA • Food Pantry Mon., 9 - 11 am • 16 Self Help Groups • Synagogue 3rd Friday, 7 pm • Toddler Nite Wed., 6 pm • Worship 8 & 10:30 am • Hmong Christian Alliance: Sundays 1-4, Wed Nights 7 pm (951) 849-3343 1320 W. Williams, Banning oursaviorsbanningca.com

• Cover