Boy, Tony, has that tree grown since I last saw it. It is truly beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing and for having Lee and me over to meet you and the lovely St Mary Beth in person. Linda

Beautiful tree! How many nuts does it produce? Do you eat them raw?

Where did you get the tree and is it grafted? I'm looking to get one and from what I'm reading grafted is preferred.

There is a man in LaBelle that is trying to make Florida the next largest producer besides Hawaii. He says it's the perfect crop with less problems and higher dollar per yield than citrus.

Linda, yes, if you blink your eyes too quick you will miss it getting fuller, yet its a slow growing tree imo.

Ricky, Even one of them squirrel tail looking blossoms seems to hold onto about 10 nuts, never has one been totally full yet anyways.

In the bottom pic on the left side bottom seemingly in front of the car in the distance, there are a few nuts still on there we havent pulled off.

I dont think they can be eaten raw, or want to be eaten raw and every time we consider roasting em, we forget. I did pick 4 of em to see if I could get em to germinate. Its only been about 10 days or so, so I doubt there is any action yet.

The variety is called beaumont macadamia.

minibim,

I got it a couple years ago at the Leu Gardens Plant sale. I am pretty sure the seller was 'Crowleys'.

Another great thing about this tree is that its deciduous, it never loses its leaves. Good thing as they have sharp tips kinda like a holly tree and it would be murder walking barefoot.

Tony that tree is georgous!! So do you KNOW how to roast the fruit? Dennis loves macadamia nuts. Just be sure to hold on to your nutz when the high winds blow!!! (envisioning Tony, bent at the knees, kees knocked together, cupping his hands over his...well you get the idea!!!!)

Is there a fragrance to the blossoms?

I would suggest using a small artists brush to spread that pollen around if you are interested in more nuts per bloom chain.

Very nice tree.

Cindeeeeeee !

thonotorose,

I wasnt / am not sure it is a self pollinating tree so I hadnt even considered that, thanks for the reminder/tip. I will go out there and spread the goodies around on the ones I can reach.

What's up with Orlando? Pineapples, macadamias - what's next, mango, lychee?

The fruit book shows orlando as being far, far too north for macadamia. I guess the last wicked freeze was in '89, long before you planted that tree. But we can hope that GW has made a permanent zone change.......

pnbrown

YES, I do have those too as a matter of fact.

thonotorose

No fragrance that I recall but will recheck when the rains stop.

Good Grief Tony!!! What the h### kind of super-powered food have you been using on your tree? It is GORGEOUS! Wasn't it just last year you were considering ripping it out because it was so slow-growing? I remember a photo of it, when it looked about 3' tall.

I have 2 trees. I got 1 measly flower plume om my big tree (it is about 12' tall) and nada from the 4' one.

Saw a really nice mature tree in Treefrog's neighborhood that was dripping with flowers.

What the heck am I doing wrong?

Do you water yours? I don't water mine, so hopefully it is the drought that is causing them to grow so slowly. But, mine have lighter colored leaves, so I now suspect they are also starved.

They sure are nice trees, but the darn squirrels got all the nuts that my big tree produced in the last 2 years. Haven't gotten to try roasting them. (But I hear roasted squirrel stuffed with Macadamias is yummy!)

Lisa

Wow, Tony, it looks great. We had one several years ago and lost it to the cold. We even covered it. How did you get it to survive to that size? Any thing special you did to it? I would like to give it another chance.

Gabriele

Lisa,

Macadamia fed squirrel is supposed to be the BEST !

Orlando has been on a watering restriction for yrs now so it only gets watered twice a week unless it rains.

Here is a pic I found of it when it was first planted, that had already been uploaded so I cant find the date of it, but will look for the original. I am sure I have had it a couple yrs longer than I think I have. It had three main upright branches and I cut one off and then couldnt decide which of the other two looked best so I simply kinda braided em. I kinda wish I had kept all three trunks now, but its fine as it is.

When I intentionally fertilize I use orchid type food which has a bloom buster mix of like 10-45-12. Its what I used in the hydroponic system and still have some left. Other than that, nothing else.

{{gwi:841785}}

Hi Gabriele,

Nope, didnt do a thing, maybe the supposed global warming is helping move Orlando to a zone 9.5 ?

There is one in town, right outside Leu Gardens that is about 20 yrs old. Seeing that one and realizing it can survive here I chanced one.

I guess it would be a sad day if this one were to die off as I am hoping to get some shade for the house from it. Its planted on the west side and is starting to block some of the evening sun.

Tony

The massive heat-island effect from urban orlando is probably protecting you significantly.

Hey Tony,you have a beautiful tree there.
I also love eating Macadamia nuts,actually all nuts.

Nice Mac tree! I eat mine raw all the time - sweet tasting. What variety is yours? I have a Dana White and a unknown bush type. Here's some pictures.

Hey Tampart! Thanks for letting me know you can in fact eat mac nuts raw. I only knew of them to be roasted.

The one I have is beaumont .

Below is some info on various varieties

CULTIVARS

Beaumont (Dr. Beaumont) Hybrid. Originated in Australia. Discovered by Dr. J. H. Beaumont. Introduced in 1965 by the California Macadamia Society. Round, medium to large nut, 65 to 80 per pound. Shell medium-thick, kernel 40% of nut, with a high percentage of grade A kernels. Some nuts may split on the tree and be ruined. Texture and flavor very good. Tree upright, ornamental. New leaves reddish, flowers bright pink, borne on long racemes. Nuts drop over a long period. Recommended for home gardens.

Burdick M. tetraphylla. Originated in Encinitas, Calif. Large nut, averaging 40 per pound. Shell thin, about 1/16 inch thick, well-filled. Kernel averages about 34% of total nut weight, quality good. Matures in October. Tree bears annually. Not widely planted these days. Has been superseded by better cultivars. Also used as a rootstock.

Cate M. tetraphylla. Originated on the property of William R. Cate, Malibu, Calif. Nuts medium to large. Shell average thickness. Kernels 40% of nut, cream colored, crisp in texture, flavor good to very good. Ripens in late October and November continuing over a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Tree precocious, moderately hardy, shows no alternate bearing tendencies. The most widely adapted cultivar for commercial use in California.

Dorado M. integrifolia. Originated in Hawaii. Introduced by Rancho Nuez Nursery. Medium-sized, uniform nuts, 7/8 to 1 inch in diameter. Kernel averages 35% of nut, oil content 75%. Tree medium-tall, upright, attractive. Begins to bear after 5 years, self-harvesting, cold resistant. Very productive, often yielding 65 or more pounds of nuts per year.

Elimbah Originated in Australia. Imported into California by E. Westree. Thin shells. Kernel averages 45-50% of nut. Nuts tend to drop year-round.

James M. integrifolia. Originated in La Habra Heights, Calif. Medium-sized, uniform nuts, about 1 inch in diameter. Kernel averages 40 to 42% of nut, quality high, flavor very good, oil content 75%. Tree very tall, columnar, precocious, often producing after 2 or 3 years. Self-harvesting. Yields more per acre than any other California cultivar, 60 or more pounds per tree when mature.

Keaau M. integrifolia. Originated in Lawai Valley, Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii. Medium-sized nut, averaging about 80 nuts per pound; Shell smooth, medium brown, thin. Kernel 42-46% of nut, color light cream, quality good. Season August to November. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, very productive.

Keauhou M. integrifolia. Originated in Kona, Hawaii by W.B. Storey. Medium to large nut, averaging about 54 nuts per pound. Shell very slightly pebbled, medium-thick. Kernel 37 to 40% of nut, quality tends to vary in different locations. Harvest season relatively short, with most of the crop maturing within about 3 months. Tree vigorous, yields well, extremely resistant to anthracnose.

Vista Hybrid. Originated in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. by Cliff Tanner. Small to medium-sized nut, 3/4 to 7/8 inch in diameter. Kernel averages 46% of weight of nut, flavor excellent, oil content 75%. Shell very thin, can be cracked in an ordinary hand cracker. Tree medium-sized, pyramidal, begins to bear after 3 years. Self-harvesting. Flowers pink. Recommended for both home garden and commercial plantings.

Waimanalo M. integrifolia. Originated at the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Waimanalo, Hawaii. Large nuts, occasionally with twin halves. Shell relatively thick. Kernel 38-1/2% of nut, flavor good, oil content 75%. Tree medium-sized, pyramidal, productive, begins to bear after 5 years. Produces nuts in large clusters. Resistant to frost and disease. Grows well in cooler climates, particularly near the ocean. Also yields good crops inland.

Great growing and pix.

Raw mac nuts are the best! I like them far more than the roasted. The trick is to let the nuts dry out a little before you crack them. So get the husk off, then wait at least a week or so. Before that the nut is "full" within the shell and is difficult to get out, and the flavor is not as good. Once they dry out a little the taste is much improved.

Cracking is tricky of course. One workable way is to loosely hold the nut with a pair of visegrips to keep the nut from winging off like a bullet. Ray

How do you know when to pick the nuts? Do they change color? I have some on my tree now, but have no idea when to harvest. My big one is an Arkin Papershell. I think the little one is a Beaumont.

Lisa

Lisa,

I have picked mine when they seem to split on the tree OR when they come off the tree easily. I have tasted them raw and thought they were kinda okay.

i know that echo in n ft meyers is developing/collecting some smaller, better fruiting (nutting?) varieties of macademia nuts. they have several cultivars growing there and for sale in their excellent nursery.

don't miss farm day there!

I have to pick mine before the "rats-with-tails" take em. They can't break them open, but they spread them around which is a pain.

I put mine in a vise and score a side with my dremel. Then it's easy to crack them open. I personally find the raw flavor to be sweeter and moist - personal taste I guess.

Either way, enjoy - that's why we grow things!

Use PVC cutters to cut the nuts in half then simply dump out each half. I just got one from ECHO that they are calling an Aussie and say it is more bush like then tree like. We will see. It already has flowers in a 3 gallon pot, I assume because it was air layered.

I also have a mac tree that looks just like your pic - it produces two crops a year (Tampa Bay area) - HOWEVER - I have yet to eat ONE NUT!!! The fat squirrels eat them all while they are still green and throw the hulls at me - they don't even stop when I am standing there talking to them. Forget about pest owls - snakes - inflatables - they would sit on the head of my remote control owl.... LOL. They also have a huge Giant Hickory tree that they wipe out every year and bury the giant hickory nuts all over my yard... The tree is too big to put a net over and I think they would enjoy the challenge too much... Is there something I can concoct to "spray" on the small nuts - something oily that will stay on in the rain - that they will not want to eat? I will even leave the top ones for them...........any ideas??? Thanks!