From the
Tropical Fruit News, Rare Fruit Council International Miami RFCI
by Gene Joyner
Macadamia Nut
Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia)
is one of few nut trees well adapted for Florida and is relatively new,
since it was only discovered in the last century in Australia and
introduced into Hawaii and then on to other areas. Here in Florida,
trees grow quite well, but unfortunately we don't have at present high
yielding cuItivars which would make a good commercial industry feasible.
Trees are very attractive, growing to a height of 40 feet and have
a holly-like appearance with stiff lanceolate leaves, from 4-10 inches
in length. They have beautiful racemes of white or pinkish white
flowers from late January or early February all the way into the late
spring. Trees prefer well-drained locations and in areas that are
subject to flooding, will often develop root rot or grow poorly. In
areas that have high soil pH, they do require regular applications of
minor elements, particularly iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc.
Most
macadamias are propagated by seed; however, superior cultivars should
be grafted and generally young rootstock - 12 to 18 months old - are
recommended. Grafts that are most successful include the side veneer or
sometimes cleft grafting on older trees which are being top-worked. Of
the 40 or more cuItivars that are presently available, only a few are
well adapted for Florida. Probably for Florida, the best thing is to
take selected seedlings which have been grown here rather than try and
bring introduced cultivars from other areas.
Having started
trees from seed, normally you will have to wait at least 4 to 6 years
before trees reach an age where flowering will begin. Grafted or
air-layered individuals often will flower within 1 or 2 years. After
flowering in the spring, trees will ripen their nuts during the
following fall and early winter. Mature nuts drop to the ground, so you
don't have to worry about harvesting from the tree.
In
commercial practices, nuts are air dried and then roasted; either dry
roasted or in a refined coconut oil and 275 degrees F. for 12 to 15
minutes. Many people also enjoy eating macadamias raw as they corne
from the tree. Certainly, if you have one, you'll notice squirrels love
them raw.
The nuts themselves are one of the better quality nuts
available and are used in a variety of ways; when buying these you will
notice that they can be quite expensive. This further stimulates
interest in a commercial industry here in South Florida.
When
planting trees, allow plenty of space since they can reach quite a
large height at maturity. Fertilize on a regular basis with a complete
fruit tree fertilizer at 3 to 4 times a year when small, then 2 or 3
times yearly as they begin bearing. Watering after the first year or
two is usually not required since the root system is quite aggressive
and will go down seeking the water table. Young trees may be damaged by
frosts or freezes; however, large trees have taken temperatures down to
22 degree F, at least in Palm Beach County, without significant damage.
About
the only major pest of the tree, at least in South Florida, are various
types of animals such as rats and squirrels that cause substantial
losses of the nuts. Some nut borers in a few local areas are becoming a
problem and a few fungus problems such as anthracnose are showing up in
some areas. At the present time, most trees have to sprayed very
little, if at all, for pests and diseases.
Macadamia
nuts, so the legend goes are named after "macadam" pavement due their
tough shells, and the difficulty that goes along with opening them.
RFCI pioneer Morris Arkin developed an easier to crack "papershell"
macadamia which is available in some South Florida nurseries. Ed.
Back to
Smooth Shell Macadamia Page
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