Macadamia Nut Tree

Planting Outside: Plant your Macadamia Nut Tree in a spot in your yard that receives full sun. If temperatures in your area rise above 80 degrees F, then be sure the plant your tree in a place that gets some shade from hot afternoon temperatures. Find a space that is at least 20' from any other plants. Plant to the same depth of soil as the container it came in. Make sure the soil is well drained. If you amend the soil with fertilizer, only use slow-release fertilizer tablets. Water deeply immediately after planting.

Container Planting: Choose a container that is 18-24" in diameter and more than 20" high. Make sure your container has adequate drainage holes. You can keep your plant outside in the full sun so long as temperatures are between 80 and 40 degrees F. If temperatures rise above this, place the plant in a shaded area. If temperatures rise below 40 degrees F, bring the plant inside near a sunny window.

Watering: For the first 4 years of the Macadamia Tree's life, or until it begins producing nuts, keep the soil moist, but well-drained. The Macadamia Tree's roots like water, but do not tolerate flooding. You will likely need to water your plant every other day in the summer.

Fertilization: Add a slow-release fertilizer tablet to the soil every February and September.

Pruning: In early spring, prune the Macadamia Tree as you would an apple tree. Cut off any vertical growing shoots. The ideal shape for the tree is 6-8 vertical branches that are evenly spaced on each side of the tree. This will keep the nuts from weighing down the branches and it will keep the tree healthy.

Pests and Diseases: There should be no pests or diseases on your tree. The Macadamia typically deters all pests and is therefore very disease resistant. Deer do not like Macadamia, so there is not need to fence off your young tree.

Harvesting: Your Macadamia Nuts will likely begin producing by the 4th year and will produce for six months out of the year. Harvesting the nuts will take some observation and practice. The nuts are too ripe when they have fallen from the tree, so you will want to harvest them before they fall. The skins might split open before they fall, letting you know that they are ready to pick. The leaves of prickly, so it is best to wear gloves when harvesting your nuts. When ripe, the clusters will easily detach from the tree. If it takes too much effort, the macadamia is not ready.

Post-Harvest: Remove the husks immediately after harvesting. Let the nuts dry in the sun for 3-4 weeks. When sun drying, cover the nuts at night to prevent dew and moisture from accumulating. Though Macadamia nuts are not easy to crack by hand, the shells should crack easily with a nutcracker. Properly dried nuts will have a brittle shell that cracks with a clean break. If your nuts do not crack in this manner, they are too moist and will need to continue drying. Dried nuts will survive best in the refrigerator or freezer.