Marco Banks wrote:I'm looking to plant some trees on the west side of my house for afternoon shade. I'd like to plant some sort of nut tree that gets quite tall, thus giving me both shade and food.. I was thinking pecan, but the folks at the nursery are telling me that they don't do that well in this area. So after some time on-line tonight doing research, I'm curious if macadamia nut trees might work here.
I'm in Zone 10b, in Los Angeles county (about 10 minutes north of Disneyland). The spot would be in the full-sun with a block wall nearby that would radiate a lot of heat, as it gets baked all afternoon in the sun. The varieties I'm considering are Beaumont, James or Cate.
Has anyone grown macadamias from a nut? What was your experience? What was the germination rate? Any insight you could offer someone attempting to grow from seed?
Will they do OK in a hot, dry environment? I know they are native to Australia, so I assume that they'd do OK here once established.
I live in a 9B zone., my mother lives in a 10A zone in Santa Barbara County , we both have macadamia nut trees started from seeds. Both trees are in full sun. My mother has a big beautiful tree, does not require much care. My tree is still very small, I started growing a year ago. My tree took 3 weeks to finally germinate. I first cracked the shell slightly with a hammer prior to planting in soil. After several months of caring for my tree indoors, it was ready to be planted out doors. I purchased a water monitor to make sure it had adequate water. It took several weeks to finally get my tree comfortable being outdoors. I adjusted the PH level of the soil by adding sulfur. I also used miracle grow for citrus avocado and mango. I also noticed my plant did a lot better after watering with magnesium water.
I am in a hot, dry windy environment. I use a tomato wire covered with a trash bag to protect my small tree from the wind.
I am hoping you have already had the opportunity to grow one.
