A Step by Step Guide to Almond Farming; Top Varieties, Planting, Weeding & Harvesting

Almond, one of the most popular dry fruits, having the energy boosting properties is grown worldwide, but mostly in south and middle east part of Asia. And California almonds are very popular all over the world. In our country, Almond cultivation is mainly done in the hilly parts of colder regions, mainly in Jammu& Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala and some hilly regions of Andhra Pradesh. 

Almond tree or plant resembles the fruit tree or plant of peach, apricot, plums etc. Almond can be eaten as a dry fruit or nut and also used in preparing many delicious sweet dishes. It is also consumed with milk.  If we talk about the present scenario then almond cultivation business is gaining popularity and is very much successful in most of the Asian countries. Almonds have great market potential mainly because of its nutritional value.  Hence in this article we will tell you in detail about almond farming.

Varieties of Almonds

Dry Temperature Region Varieties- Ni Plus Ultra, Texas and Thinshald

High and Middle Mountainous Region Varieties- Nikitskai, Non Peril, ISL, Merced, and White Brandis

Let us dig little bit deeper to understand the cultivation of Almonds and what are the requirements .

Required Climatic Conditions for Almond Farming-

Colder regions climate is suitable for almond farming. Temperature ranging between 7°C to 24°C is considered appropriate. Almond plants can grow easily at an altitude of 750 to 3200 meters above sea level, and average rainfall needed is 75 to 110 cm. 

Soil for Almond Cultivation

Flat, Loamy, and deep fertile soil is suitable for almond cultivation. And along with this, also keep a check proper drainage system. 

How to Plant Almonds

Almonds are grown with Biju and Grafting techniques. Significantly, almond, peach, and plum seeds are used as grafting stalks for grafting its plants. 

For transplanting, one should have almond seed or one-year-old plant whose roots are healthy and leafless. Start from putting cow-dung and earthworm manure in the pits prepared in the field. November and December months are considered right for the planting. Prepare 1*1*1-meter pit before transplanting. And distance from plant to plant should be near to 6 meters and row to row distance should be 7 meters. 

For good pollination, 5-7 cans of bees should be kept per hectare of land.  

Irrigation and Water Requirement

In the winter season, Irrigation should be done at an interval of 20-30 days. During Summers, trees should be irrigated regularly at an interval of 10 days. One more thing to be noted is that, during summer days’ regular irrigation is needed for fruit bearing plants, as it eliminates the problem of unripe fruits falling. Along with this, straw, leaves, or other organic materials should be used on the soil around the almond trees for reducing weeds around the tree. 

Weeding

Weeding is very important for good yields. First weeding should be done in 10-15 days. This results in good growth of plants. After this, weeding must be done regularly. 

Almond Fruit Harvesting

Almond trees start bearing fruits for the third year after the transplantation. And after 6-7 years, tree starts giving more yield. After 8 months of flowering, almonds are ready to be harvested. At that time, the peel of almond pods turns green to yellow. Almonds can be harvested with the help of poles.  

After harvesting, almond nuts are sun-dried or by forced hot air until the moisture content reaches 5 to 7% to prevent from fungal infection.

Yield

Average yield of 1-2 Tonnes per hectare can be expected. 

For more Information, you can contact
Kerala horticulture Department
Address- Sunny Dell, Meds Lane Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Phone- (0471)-2330856

Kashmir Horticulture Department
Address- Raj Bagh, Srinagar, Jammu Kashmir-190008
Phone- (0194)-2311456

This is all about Almond farming. For more information about farming, stay connected…!!