Macadamia trees for south Florida

[horseshoe_bayou]

what are my choices and what variety performs best in South Florida? only varieties I have seen around me are Arkin Papershell, Beaumont, and Dana white. is that all that is recommended for this area? any dwarf varieties?

[bsbullie]

what are my choices and what variety performs best in South Florida? only varieties I have seen around me are Arkin Papershell, Beaumont, and Dana white. is that all that is recommended for this area? any dwarf varieties?

Those are the commonly available varieties.   Main differences are flower color and leaf margins.  Paper Shell are no easier to "process".  Dont know of any dwarfs here (in existence?).  How small are you looking for?  Mine is a beautiful tree but totally ornamental  as the squirrels strip the tree long before the nuts are ready to harvest.  I can post a picture if anyone is interested.

[starch]

Mine is a beautiful tree but totally ornamental  as the squirrels strip the tree long before the nuts are ready to harvest.  I can post a picture if anyone is interested.

Dude, that is too bad! Is there any way to protect the nut clusters with organza bags or something to keep them from getting eaten? I would definitely like to see a picture.

[gnappi]

Have shotgun... will travel :-)

[horseshoe_bayou]

what are my choices and what variety performs best in South Florida? only varieties I have seen around me are Arkin Papershell, Beaumont, and Dana white. is that all that is recommended for this area? any dwarf varieties?

Those are the commonly available varieties.   Main differences are flower color and leaf margins.  Paper Shell are no easier to "process".  Dont know of any dwarfs here (in existence?).  How small are you looking for?  Mine is a beautiful tree but totally ornamental  as the squirrels strip the tree long before the nuts are ready to harvest.  I can post a picture if anyone is interested.

i was thinking 15' max height but 8' would be preferred. So none of the three varieties stand out in flavor or reliable production etc. ?

[achetadomestica]

Contact George Anderson
Anderson Macadamia Arboretum Nursery & Grove

LaBelle, FL

(727) 643 1424

He has a huge variety of Macadamia trees including Hawaiian and Australian types.

[bsbullie]

Contact George Anderson
Anderson Macadamia Arboretum Nursery & Grove

LaBelle, FL

(727) 643 1424

He has a huge variety of Macadamia trees including Hawaiian and Australian types.

Have you been there?  Are the growing protected or unprotected?   Any info on any doing better than others?

[achetadomestica]

I use to live next door to the macadamia orchard. George has 20 acres planted. Some of the older trees are 25' tall and 15' wide. He has 20 or 30 types of trees. He has been around for 20 years or so. I am not sure what he's up to now but if you google his name he has several older ads. At one point he was trying to offer an alternative to the ailing citrus industry by offering select cultivars of australian macadamia that you had to sign a non-propagate agreement to obtain. I did get a couple Hawaiian cultivars and I accidently added allot of peat in a raised bed and one tree grew great with no attention. Later I got a couple more trees and they died fast. My soil and water are high ph and the trees are very sensitive to ph like blueberries. The original tree did fine in peat. George liked to brag about his Australian cultivars that no one can get but he wouldn't sell me one tree. I had to buy 1200 trees and sign the non-propagate? Like I said I don't know what he's up to these days, but at one point he would
have sold a few Hawaiian trees to a collector and showed you his orchard. His older trees are really impressive!
Mike

[druss]

There is a cutting grown dwarf one in aus that grows half size. Not sure if you have it there though.

[horseshoe_bayou]

Contact George Anderson
Anderson Macadamia Arboretum Nursery & Grove

LaBelle, FL

(727) 643 1424

He has a huge variety of Macadamia trees including Hawaiian and Australian types.

thanks, I will follow up on your lead.

are there any other nut trees that will  produce in South Florida that I have overlooked besides:

tropical almond: too tall, too much work to get at the nut.
cashew: dont enjoy the fruit, and too much work to process the cashews.
and coconut.

any others?

[murahilin]

thanks, I will follow up on your lead.

are there any other nut trees that will  produce in South Florida that I have overlooked besides:

tropical almond: too tall, too much work to get at the nut.
cashew: dont enjoy the fruit, and too much work to process the cashews.
and coconut.

any others?

Tropical almond & coconut are drupes, not nuts.

The cashew seed is not a nut either.