How should you prune an old almond tree

The almond tree, like all fruit trees, require two types of pruning: formation pruning and production pruning. In this case we are going to talk about pruning adult or old almond trees, so we will only focus on production pruning.

Do you want to know how you should prune the oldest almond trees to produce their maximum and keep them healthy?

The almond tree is a fruit tree that grows quite fast, and has proven to be very adaptable. In fact, it has been cultivated without problems for about a thousand years in the entire Mediterranean region, where temperatures in summer become high (35-40ºC maximum, sometimes somewhat higher) with dry periods or droughts that can last for months (in my area, for example, we can go up to six months without seeing rain). Although it is never left without watering, it is true that, unlike others such as citrus, it tolerates dehydration better.

In addition, it must be said that it is one of the ones that needs the least cold hours to be able to bear fruit; Specifically, between 250 and 300 hours will be enough for him, especially if it is of varieties originating from the Balearic Islands, or from the south and/ or east of the Iberian Peninsula, such as ‘Marcona’ for example.

Its fruits are very important, since having a pleasant taste and being nutritious, they are incorporated into recipes for desserts, ice cream, drinks… Even personal hygiene products are made, such as hand soap or shampoos. It is not surprising then, that more than one ends up with a specimen in their orchard, garden… or patio. And it is that its flowering in spring is spectacular, as the branches are covered with magnificent flowers that, depending on the variety, are white or pink.

But for everything to go smoothly, it is important to ask yourself…

When is the almond tree pruned?

Good. 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 from when it is a 1.5 meter specimen and has a very thin trunk, until it is It becomes a full-fledged tree whose trunk thickness goes from a mere 1-3 centimeters to 10 centimeters or more when it is older.

This is a type of pruning that should be done when you are young, as they are pruning that can be drastic, since it often involves removing and/ or reducing several branches at once, and you can only bear it in your youth. Likewise, it is necessary to do it during the season of less activity, that is, at the end of winter to avoid excessive loss of sap.

On the other hand, the other type of pruning that must be done is production. This has a single objective: to ensure that the almond tree produces the largest quantity of almonds possible, and of the highest quality. It is also done at the end of winter, although it can be done in autumn when the leaves fall – and as long as there is no frost until after about 3 months.

How to prune an old almond tree?

Image – Wikimedia/ Thomas Bjørkan

Let’s start from the fact that the almond tree was already formed in its day. When you do the production pruning, the first thing to keep in mind is that most of the fruit (the almond) is produced in essential elements of the branches called darts or fruit centers. These elements usually last for five years and their annual growth is low.

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 every year those branches that are between 4 or 5 years old, having a diameter of between 2 and 3 cm on which the darts of that age are.

If we are continuously doing this annual renewal, it will not be necessary to cut the branches that are too thick. This way we will avoid a decrease in the production of almonds. In general, the almond tree usually produces quite a few suckers in the center of the tree, so it is convenient to leave some. These suckers can be replacement wood for a branch that needs to be renewed.

In any case, as a large part of them must normally be removed, it is convenient to do so early in the summer, when they are still succulent. This is done in the summer pruning.

In addition to removing a fifth of the branches with darts, which will allow the renewal of these fruit centers, diseased and damaged branches must also be removed to keep the almond tree continuously healthy.

With this information you can prune the oldest almond trees.