Almonds are arguably one of the world’s most loved nuts in that they are highly nutritious and of course, delicious.
Most people are aware of the various forms it appears in and its health benefits but the question is — do you know what goes into growing it?
This article takes a deep dive into the world of almond cultivation.
How Many Years Does It Take To Grow An Almond Tree?
To grow an almond tree, approximately 5-12 years are required to reach maturity depending on the species of almond being grown. 1
How Many Years Does An Almond Tree Produce?
The major determinant of an almond tree’s lifespan is productivity. An almond tree typically lives for 25-30 years, of which at least 20 of those are its productive years, assuming soil type, environmental conditions, and water levels are all conducive.
Although at year 15, a developmental and/or production plateau is reached, which is followed by a period of a slow decline in production until it is removed.
How Many Pounds Of Almonds Does One Tree Produce?
A healthy and mature almond tree has the potential to yield an average of 23-30 kilograms of almonds annually. An entire orchard covering 1 hectare or 2.47 acres of good farming land typically records an annual yield of over 2000kg of shelled nuts.
However, these figures are not set in stone and can deviate based on various factors such as disease and negligence on the farmer’s part.
How Can I Increase Almond Production?
Almond trees are very picky when it comes to preferences. First and foremost in ensuring increased yield is the tree’s environment. Almond trees love sunlight and will produce bountiful harvests if exposed to full sunlight of not less than 6 hours daily.
Ensuring adjacent trees are planted at least 20 – 25 feet away from each other is a good way of eliminating unnecessary or unintended shade.
These trees also love their water. Did you know it takes one gallon of water to grow one single almond? Making sure almond trees get their recommended supply of water is key to increasing almond production.
Pruning, a process where dead or weak branches are removed to allow healthier branches to obtain sufficient nutrients and maintain the tree’s balance is also highly recommended.
Almond production can be further improved depending on the sort of pruning and the time it is carried out. It is highly beneficial to the health and longevity of the trees.
How Many Almond Trees Can You Plant Per Acre?
Usually, almond trees are planted in hexagonal patterns. Seedling almond trees are planted 18-20 feet from each other in all directions if the soil is sufficiently fertile.
If proximity to other trees is less than 18 feet, congestion and competition will occur in a few years when the trees mature, thereby reducing harvest output.
A distance of 20-by-20 feet will come to about 108 trees per acre. That number may rise to about 132 trees if an 18-by-18 feet grid is utilized.
Do Almond Trees Produce Nuts Every Year?
Almond trees do not yield almonds immediately. Rather, almond production takes about 3-5 years after planting to yield enough fruit for commercial purposes.
The almond tree will increasingly become more productive from that point on, with almond production peaking at about year 15.The tree will continue to yield a commercially viable although declining amount of almonds for another 7-12 years after its peak.
The farmer would then have to decide to uproot the tree or leave as be to save costs. 2
Do Almond Trees Stop Producing?
Not quite. While the trees do not entirely stop producing almonds, it’s average expected harvest declines over time to become commercially inconsequential. At this point, the tree is usually uprooted and converted to compost for a new tree to be planted in its place.
How Do You Rejuvenate An Almond Tree?
Almond trees, like all trees, tend to lose their production capabilities as the years go by. To rejuvenate almond trees, a type of pruning called rejuvenating pruning is used. This form of pruning is used on diseased trees that are in the senescence stage.
This type of pruning works to rid the tree of undesirable wood and useless thick branches that compete with healthier branches for nutrients.
Aged trees such as this can often be brought back into profitable output for a few extra years by removing all decayed and rotten wood.
Citations Used In This Article
- Almond Trees Planting, Spacing and Number of Almond Trees per hectare and acre. (Wikifarmer)
- The Lifecycle of an almond. ( Forbes)
