Three-lobed almonds: all about the beauty and benefits of the plant

This beautiful plant was discovered in China, then it came to England in the middle of the last century. Three-lobed almonds were delivered to the territory of the former USSR directly from China and England.

This plant has other names, such as "Chinese double plum", "Louisiana" and "Japanese cherry". The last option is completely incorrect, since this plant has nothing to do with sakura, but got its name because of its pink inflorescences.

Content:

External characteristics
Location
Diseases and pests
Main varieties

External characteristics

Trilobed almond It looks like a small tree, no more than 3 meters high. The branches of the plant are very spreading and stick out to the sides. Leaves grow on fruiting branches, which are localized in bunches. They have a vague three-lobed shape. More obvious lobes are expressed on growth shoots.

Almond flowers grow in twos, and they differ in various shades - from dark pink to crimson. The flowers are simple in shape and no more than 2 cm in size. In the first half of May, the shrub blooms and continues to bloom for 2.5 weeks. When the leaves bloom, the plant stops blooming.

The three-lobed almond fruit has a round shape, no more than a centimeter in diameter. The stone is difficult to separate from the fruit and is characterized by a slightly textured surface.Basically, this beautiful plant is grown only in botanical gardens, and it is almost impossible to find it among amateur gardeners.

Location

Louisiana loves the sun's rays, so you should choose a fairly sunny place for planting, and you should pay attention that the future planting site is not exposed to all the winds, since this plant really does not like drafts.

To the soils almonds are quite unpretentious, but still, it is worth giving preference to fresh, fertile soil.

Louisiana is a plant that can withstand frost, but is very susceptible to variable weather. The plant will survive even frosty winters much better than, for example, an unstable winter with regular thaws. Drizzle or late frosts.

Three-lobed almonds are quite simple and unpretentious in care, tolerate replanting well, are not afraid of dry weather, are resistant to various pests and are not susceptible to diseases.

Features of care

Regular feeding is very important for this shrub. In the spring, Louisiana is usually fertilized with a solution of mullein, ammonium nitrate and urea (1 kg of mullein, 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 10 g of urea per 10 liters of water). In the autumn, 20 grams of potassium sulfate and double superphosphate are released for each square meter of soil.

On sandy soil, especially in spring, watering should be quite abundant, and on soils with clay – moderate. When watering abundantly, it is worth remembering that you cannot soak the root collar. However, with a lack of moisture, the shrub blooms much less. When the top layer of soil dries out, 10 liters per bush can be considered a sufficient amount of water for irrigation. And we must not forget to regularly loosen the soil.

Plant not afraid of pruningTherefore, beautiful shoots are often used in bouquets. A prerequisite is regular pruning of dry shoots and those affected by disease.

In severe and snowy winters in Louisiana, the ends of the shoots and buds may freeze, and the root collar may also damp out.

You can propagate almonds using shoots. But it is worth paying attention to the fact that green shoots take root much better and easier than lignified shoots, which are more demanding of care and soil. Reproduction is also possible using grafting, root shoots or layering.

Diseases and pests

The main enemy of Louisiana is the aphid. Much less often there are cases of almonds being damaged by plum stalk and leaf roller. The plum bark beetle is dangerous for old plants. It itself does not cause harm, as such, but the tunnels created by insects in the bark can cause fungal diseases to damage the plant.

Therefore, it is worth protecting the plant trunk from this pest in advance by treating it with a lime-clay solution.

At the very end of winter, when buds swell on Louisiana shoots, they can become food for blue tits. Before spring, the bird may partially or completely peck off all the buds from the plant. Therefore, it is worth thinking about feeding the birds, thereby preventing great harm to the plant.

The most common disease of three-lobed almonds is gray rot. It is imperative to get rid of damaged shoots and under no circumstances allow the formation of sporulation pads.

Plants that are in the shade or have very dense, spreading branches may be susceptible to hole spot and plum rust.” Under the same conditions, Louisiana can get a monilial burn. In order to avoid these diseases, you should maintain a distance between planted plants so that the branches can be freely ventilated.

Main varieties

Three-lobed almonds – “Plena”. It is a small spreading bush that reaches a height of two meters. The flowers of the plant are pink and have a diameter of 40 mm. The flowers also have 40-42 petals and 10 sepals. The length of the peduncle is 8-10 mm. The plant blooms in early May and blooms for two weeks. After the leaves bloom, the plant blooms. At the same time, the spectacular appearance of the plant is significantly reduced, since the color of the leaves creates a pale, inexpressive background. The fruit is a drupe, has a round shape, is slightly flattened on the sides, and is characterized by a deep burgundy color. The fruits completely fall off.
Three-lobed almonds – “Kyiv”. This Louisiana variety characterized by the large size of the shrub. The tree reaches a height of 3.5 meters. The flowers are slightly darker, unlike the previous type, but also have a pink tint. Flowers with a diameter of 35 mm have about 10-12 petals and 10 sepals. The peduncle reaches a length of 7 mm. At the end of April - beginning of May, this plant begins to bloom. It is very colorful and abundant, and lasts for 7 days. At this time, an incredibly pleasant almond aroma spreads near the bush.The opening of flowers on the shoots occurs before the leaves bloom, therefore “Kyiv” looks more impressive and brighter than “Plena”.

Decorative varieties

Three-lobed almond “In Memory of Makhmet” (This variety received its name in honor of the teacher of the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy B.M. Makhmet, a characteristic feature of this variety are pale pink flowers)
Almond three-lobed "Chinese"
Three-lobed almonds "Ruslana"
Three-lobed almond "Vesnyanka"

The subtleties of trimming almonds in the video: