How to grow macadamia nuts at home

Exotic macadamia fruits are included in the list of the most expensive products in the world. Australian nuts have a sweet taste with a vanilla aroma and a rich biochemical composition - they contain fatty acids and other beneficial elements. But this tree is attractive not only for its fruits: it is beautiful during flowering, and its leaves secrete phytoncides that activate the immune system.

The exotic tree grows in countries with a tropical climate. However, it is possible to grow macadamia nuts in our country as a houseplant. The main thing is to provide her with suitable conditions and regular proper care. How to do this - read on.

Is it possible to grow macadamia at home?

Macadamia nut can be grown at home. And although the appearance of the plant will differ from its natural one, with proper care it will delight you with beautiful flowering and even delicious fruits.

In nature, the height of a tree reaches 15 m, and at home - no more than 2-3 m. This is due to the fact that the growth of a plant depends on the volume of the container in which it is located and the method of formation. If necessary, it is made even lower.

For the first 8-10 years after planting, the walnut tree will not bloom or bear fruit. It will delight its owner with beautiful elongated dark green leaves with a glossy waxy coating. The green mass of macadamia produces essential oils, which contain phytoncides that enhance immunity.It is believed that people who inhale them get sick less.

With proper care, the tree will bloom in 8-10 years. During flowering, it is covered with long spike-shaped inflorescences, on which there are a large number of small pink, cream or white flowers.

In place of the inflorescences, round fruits are formed, with a dense, leathery green shell and a hard brown skin. An adult tree under natural conditions produces up to 100 kg of nuts per year, and at home - 3 kg.

Necessary conditions for cultivation

Growing a walnut tree at home is not difficult. The main thing is to create optimal conditions for it:

1. Temperature. Macadamias do well at room temperature. Optimal indicators for its cultivation are +20…+25°С. The plant tolerates higher temperatures well, as well as cold temperatures down to +3°C.
2. Humidity. The tropics, where the Australian walnut grows, are characterized by high humidity levels. To ensure such conditions in the apartment during the heating season, air humidifiers are used. If there is no such device, place containers of water near the pot with the plant, and lay a damp cloth on the battery. At the same time, you should not place the tree close to heating devices.
3. Lighting. Under natural growing conditions, macadamia receives a lot of sunlight for nine months a year, which is necessary for flowering and fruiting. To provide the plant with suitable conditions, it is placed on a south or southwest windowsill. In spring and autumn, phytolamps are used for additional illumination. In winter, lighting devices are used if the tree is not removed to a room with lower temperatures.

It is recommended to display Australian walnut in the garden or on the balcony in summer.The plant does not tolerate sudden temperature changes. Before moving it to new conditions, it is hardened. To do this, they take him outside first for an hour, then for two, etc. So, gradually increasing the time, the duration of hardening is increased to a day. Do the same before bringing the pot back into the house.

Drafts are detrimental to macadamia. It is especially dangerous to open the window near which she is standing during the cold season. The tree will begin to shed its leaves literally after the first such impact. In summer, it is recommended to choose areas in the garden that are protected from the wind.

Advice! To prevent the tree leaves from getting scorched, it is important to ensure that they do not touch the glass. To ensure that the plant develops evenly, the pot with it is periodically turned.

Planting macadamia

Planting is done at any time, but it is better to plant a nut in February so that it germinates by spring, when there is enough natural light.

To get healthy sprouts, it is important to follow the planting technology. Particular attention is paid to preparation.

Selection and preparation of nuts

Before planting macadamia, you need to select suitable planting material. Nuts that are sold in food stores will not work. Before being sent for sale, they are treated with high temperatures so that they do not germinate during transportation.

Walnut pits for planting are sold in specialized stores, ordered on Chinese websites or directly from the manufacturer. Nuts suitable for planting have a regular round shape and a uniform brown color. They should not have stains, holes or other signs of damage.

Important! Australian walnut seeds have low germination rate. Some seedlings die during cultivation.It is required to plant 3-4 times more seeds than the number of plants needed.

Before germination, seeds need to be prepared. Otherwise, the sprouts will take a long time to hatch and will not sprout. Preparation consists of the following steps:

1. Nuts in shell soak for one hour in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. This is done in order to destroy infections that may be on the shell.
2. After this, the nut is soaked directly in the shell for a day in warm water at a temperature of 35-40°C. It is important that the water does not cool down throughout the soaking.
3. To help the nut germinate, lovers of exotic plants recommend cutting off the hard shell. It is important to handle the core carefully so as not to damage it. It is not necessary to completely remove the shell; just one cut is enough.

Some gardeners soak planting material in a growth stimulator. It is added to warm water in which nuts are soaked after disinfection. They use such products as “Epin”, “Solution”, etc.

Preparing containers and soil

The preparation of the soil and container determines whether the seedlings will survive and whether they will not become infected.

Usually several nuts are planted in a common container. They use plastic trays, wooden boxes, and packages of semi-finished products.

Containers are disinfected before use. They are soaked for 60 minutes in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or treated with boiling water.

To grow macadamia, you need slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6-6.5. There are several options for preparing it:

1. Universal purchased primer. It needs to be improved. To do this, 3 parts of universal soil are mixed with 1 part clay, 1 part sand, 2 parts high-moor peat and 1 part perlite.
2. Homemade soil. To prepare it, take 3 parts of garden soil, 2 parts of sand, 3 parts of lowland peat and 2 parts of humus.
3. A simple mixture for germination. Mix equal parts of perlite and peat.

The soil is disinfected. It is calcined in the oven (for half an hour at 70-90°C), poured over with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or boiling water.

Also, to grow nuts you will need drainage: expanded clay, broken bricks, crushed ceramics or special drainage for pots. It is also disinfected.

Advice! Crushed concrete is not suitable for drainage. They negatively affect the composition of the soil. It is also recommended to use white or gray sand, as red sand contains too much iron.

Landing instructions

It is not necessary to germinate macadamia nuts in advance. It must be planted in the ground immediately. The list provides step-by-step instructions:

1. A 5 cm layer of drainage is poured onto the bottom of the pot. The rest of the volume is filled with soil mixture.
2. The seeds are planted in a common container to a depth of 2-3 cm. The distance between the nuts should be at least 5 cm.
3. The soil is watered with warm water with the addition of a growth stimulator. Then cover with film and put in a bright, warm place.

The soil is moistened as it dries. The containers are ventilated daily by opening them slightly for 10-15 minutes. It is important to ensure that mold does not form on the soil. If such a problem occurs, then the top layer of soil is removed and replaced with a new one. After this, the crops are watered with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Growing macadamia is not easy. In most cases, this takes from one and a half to two months. Experienced flower growers say that out of 10 nuts, no more than five germinate.

As a rule, several stems grow from one nut. They leave one of the strongest of them.The rest are pinched so that they do not impede development.

After germination, the duration of ventilation is gradually increased. Then the greenhouse is dismantled. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, they must be in a well-lit place.

Seedlings are planted in individual containers when six true leaves appear on them.. It is better to use a ceramic pot, the walls of which absorb moisture and allow air to pass through. This will protect the plant from stagnation of liquid.

The seedlings are carefully planted in containers, trying to cause minimal damage to the root system. The root collar is not buried during transplantation.

Further care

Macadamia is demanding care. In uncomfortable conditions, the tree will begin to dry out, become sick and die. It is precisely because of the high care requirements that Australian walnut fruits have such a high price.

Caring for macadamia nuts at home is easy. The main thing is to do this regularly.

How to care for macadamia nuts:

1. Watering. Macadamia is watered as the soil dries. On the one hand, the liquid should not be allowed to stagnate, on the other hand, the soil should not dry out. In summer, the plant is watered every other day, and in winter – twice a week. Use warm, settled water. The soil is moistened in the morning or evening, when the sun is inactive.
2. Spraying. The plant is sprayed in the morning or evening daily using warm, settled water.
3. Garter. Young macadamia is tied to a support, otherwise the stem may break. They begin to grow a tree without support a year after the first shoots appear.
4. Feeding. The first fertilizing is applied after the first shoots appear (the soil is sprinkled with “Kornevin”). After the sixth leaf has formed, a urea solution is added to the soil.A six-month-old tree is fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. Next, complex organic or mineral fertilizer is applied every three months.
5. Formation. When the central trunk reaches the optimal size, it is pinched. This will stimulate the formation of lateral branches. The side branches are also pinched. Weak shoots are removed. The cut areas are treated with garden varnish.
6. Bloom. When the tree blooms, it begins to be pollinated. To do this, pollen is transferred between flowers using a soft brush. During flowering, the tree is watered daily. The temperature is reduced to +15°C.
7. Cleaning. Once a month, wash the plant in the shower with water at room temperature.
8. Transfer. The plant is repotted as its roots fill the pot. They use the transfer method, in which the plant is removed from the pot along with a lump of earth and simply rearranged into a new container. In this case, the old drainage is replaced with a new one. The missing volume is filled with new soil mixture. After transplantation, the tree is watered with a root formation stimulator.

Diseases and pests

Macadamia has low resistance to diseases and pests. To prevent its infection, at the end of winter, preventive treatment is carried out annually with a solution prepared from 1 tsp. copper sulfate and 3 liters of water.

To protect plant roots from diseases and pests, macadamia is watered with a Fitosporin solution twice a year.

Plant propagation

Macadamia nuts are best propagated by seeds. However, on an industrial scale, a vegetative method of growing crops is also used.

Macadamia nut cuttings do not root well in soil. Therefore, they are grafted onto the rootstock.It is problematic to carry out such a procedure at home, but it is possible to get the first harvest in six years.

Planting in open ground

It is not recommended to plant macadamia in open ground in Russian conditions. In the conditions of the central (Moscow region) zone of the country, the tree will die, unable to withstand winter frosts.

In southern regions, such as the Krasnodar Territory, an adult tree is sometimes planted in open ground. It is moved into a hole equal in size to the volume of the pot, along with a lump of earth. The root collar is not buried.

Important! Even in the southern regions, you will have to build a shelter around the tree in winter.

When does the first nut harvest ripen?

Macadamia grown at home does not always bear fruit. However, there is still a chance that the nuts will begin to ripen on the tree. This usually happens 10-12 years after planting. Less often, fruits appear earlier.

This is interesting:

How and in what quantity do you consume macadamia nuts?

Beneficial properties of macadamia nut for men and rules for its use

What are the health benefits of macadamia nuts?

Conclusion

Growing macadamia from seeds is difficult, but quite possible. In this case, lovers of exotic plants face a difficult task. After all, getting material suitable for planting in our country is problematic. The fruits of the Australian walnut have low germination and are expensive.

To ensure that the tree does not die and enjoys bright leaves, beautiful flowering and fruiting, it is important to provide it with optimal conditions for growth. It is especially important to maintain a comfortable temperature and not allow the soil to dry out.