Cutting Back Almonds.

I have some nice thrifty two-year-old almond trees which I did not “top” this spring.  The limbs are from about four to seven or eight feet long.  Would it not be best to “top” them yet?

Cut them back to a shoot of this year’s growth, removing about a third of last year’s growth, perhaps.  This will give you lower and better branching.

Almond Planting.

I am contemplating the planting of about five to eight acres of almonds:  what variety is best to plant?

Before planting so many almonds, you should determine how satisfactory the almond is in bearing in your location.  Unless you can find satisfactory demonstration of this fact, it is hazardous to plant such an acreage.  On the other hand, if you find that almonds are bearing satisfactorily, the kinds which are perhaps most satisfactory to plant are Nonpareil, Texas Prolific, Ne Plus Ultra and Drake’s Seedling.  The Texas Prolific and Drake’s Seedling are abundant bearers and profitable because of the size of the crop, although the price is lower than the soft-shelled varieties, Nonpareil and Ne Plus Ultra.  These two varieties are such energetic pollinizers that they not only bear well themselves, but force the bearing of the larger varieties mentioned.  Every third row in your plantation should be either Texas Prolific or Drakes’ Seedlings, which would give you two-thirds of the larger varieties and one-third of the smaller.  There are, of course, other soft-shelled almonds which are worth planting and are being considerably planted in localities where they do well.  This you can ascertain by inquiry among local growers and nurserymen.  The planting of a good proportion of active pollinizers is the most important point.

Almond Pollination.

My almond trees look healthy but the fruit seems to be diseased.  Is it necessary to have male and female trees, and how can one distinguish them?

The almond is monoecious and has perfect blossoms, therefore, there is no such thing as male and female trees in the case of the almond, but most of the best soft-shelled almonds are self-sterile and need cross-pollination from another variety.  This is discussed elsewhere in answer to another question.

Roots for the Almond.

Which is the best root to have the almond grafted on, peach or bitter almond?  The soil is sandy.

The bitter almond and the hard-shelled sweet almond are both used and we are not aware that any particular advantage has been demonstrated for either of them.  The almond does well on peach roots also, but the almond is a better root where the soil conditions suit it.

Longevity of Almond and Peach.

What is difference in life of peach and almond in California?

The almond is the longer-lived, but we have seen both assuming the aspect of forest trees in abandoned pioneer places.  Both are apt to live longer than their planters, if soil and moisture conditions favor.