Macadamia Problems

[Ms.Laila]

Dear Community,

I am working in Nepal for a nut research project. There are plenty of macadamia trees that grow well, however, in some communities, they dont seem to florish at all.

1. Problem: 3 years after plantation, the seedlings (from seeds) are all less than half a meter. I post some photos of different trees and am curious about your suggestion what could be advised to the farmers (there is no macadamia expert I know of in Nepal so far that has experienced the different conditions).

2. Question: why are some macadamia trees give small nuts, other nearly double size nuts? they all taste same.

3. Any ideas how to "get rid of" squirrls?

thank you very much, the farmers will appreciate your answers/suggestions.

Laila.

[starling1]

Dear Community,

I am working in Nepal for a nut research project. There are plenty of macadamia trees that grow well, however, in some communities, they dont seem to florish at all.

1. Problem: 3 years after plantation, the seedlings (from seeds) are all less than half a meter. I post some photos of different trees and am curious about your suggestion what could be advised to the farmers (there is no macadamia expert I know of in Nepal so far that has experienced the different conditions).

2. Question: why are some macadamia trees give small nuts, other nearly double size nuts? they all taste same.

3. Any ideas how to "get rid of" squirrls?

thank you very much, the farmers will appreciate your answers/suggestions.

Laila.

I can only answer your first question: Macadamia are extremely slow growing. A tree that size from seed is about right considering how old it is.

[Ms.Andrea]

Dear Starling1,

you might be right, however, the posted photo of another 3 year old sapling close by shows a very different size.



And having seen other young trees they all look much more promising than the one from the first post.

Thank you,

Laila

[EvilFruit]

I'm not an expert, But I suggest to graft the fast growing Macadamia  into  the slow growing plants.

[MangoFang]

Hi Ms. Andrea - this is MangoFang - myamberdog from that other forum....
By the way, it's a great project you're involved in over there in Nepal!

I had told Andrea I thought that maybe the slow growth on
those Mac's was because of competition from the plants/weeds
growing right up next to them.   I also mentioned maybe fertilizing
a bit more to kick start them.  What does anyone else think?

And as far as squirrels - there was a whole topic discussing them recently here.
You might want to click on the "Search" header and see what comes up when
you put that in there to check out what's already been discussed here.
I know off hand from reading that post that there are traps, poisons, deterrents
and out right shooting of them critters that people have tried...

GOOD LUCK!


Gary

[Ms.Laila]

Dear Gary,

I did think so too, that they were in too much shade and too much competition. However, as I am a growing expert, I like to get second opinions.

And yes, i do like the idea too and we think it is a great opportunity to have nut trees for small holder farmers.

Thank you for your comment,

Laila.

[Ms.Laila]

and thanks on the squirl hint. I m just checking.

Laila.

[Don]

Not sure if it helps but all the macadamia farms around Queensland and new south Wales keep the ground bare underneath the trees maybe for the purpose of collecting the nuts off the ground. In regards to nut size they do vary between varieties or strains, some are only about 1 inch in diameter but i have seen some that were maybe 1 1/2" or more. The large one was on a quite small bushy tree and small ones seem to be a bit more like a wild type and trees can be quite large and straggly. Hope it helps.

[Jen]

Hi Laila this link may be useful for you, there is a lot of info on macadamias:

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/75740/Macadamia-culture-in-NSW-Primefact-5---final.pdf

[fruitlovers]

You don't say what part of Nepal? Is it possible it's simply getting too cold for them? Some parts of Nepal get very cold.

[Ms.Laila]

Don: I agree, having it barren around would certainly help collecting nuts. Are you saying that nut sizes varies on the same tree? Or do you mean strain in the meaning if one tree has "problems" he will have smaller nuts?

Jen: Thank you for pdf. Just reading it.

Fruitlovers: modelling the climatic requirements rain and temperature (according to different sources in literature), macadamia can be grown in the whole terai area in Nepal and up to the hills. Field visits have so far confirmed the mapping, there are even trees up to 1500m (planted about 15-20 years ago) that are giving nuts. The trees having problems are within the zone, where other trees blossoms happily.

Thank you for your time and comments.

Laila.

[Don]

Different varieties as in select types produce very large nuts and kernels above 1 1/2" compared to wild types producing sparse crops of smallish nuts.

[Ms.Laila]

Ok. Thanks. The varieties we have in Nepal are not known (not by farmers or nurseries).

[Don]

Might pay to source some varietal seeds as if you are going to plant them the locals may as well get the most of the trees with maximum crop and kernel size. Some types may produce more than twice the crop than wilder types so a bit of homework might pay off. Some varieties may be more cold or heat resistant than others so there are a few variables.

[Ms.Laila]

Appreciating your reply, Don. Currently the nursery are run by private and government institutions. But I will have your valuable comment in mind, especially if we decide to support/promote private farmers starting a nursery.

Laila.