السبت، 21 سبتمبر 2013

Setting Up Macadamia Nut Farms

مرسلة بواسطة Unknown في 10:22 ص
By Mia McCall


The macadamia nut has recently grown in popularity as a cash crop all over the world though it is indigenous to Australia. The first horticultural propagation are reported to have been set up in the islands of Hawaii. It is only in the 1960s when it was spreading to the north American region that macadamia nut farms were established in Australia.

The yields obtained from a macadamia orchard are highly dependent on the average temperature experienced in the respective zones of cultivation. Blossoming will be initiated only if the night temperatures get to fall below 19 degrees Celsius. Frost ridden regions are inappropriate for macadamia cultivation since the low temperatures kill off young trees and developing blossoms on older trees.

This hardwood tree is hardy enough to outdo competition from many indigenous deciduous tree species. As long as the orchard is endowed with fine textured soil with good drainage, a rooting system sufficient to support the tree in the drought season can be established. Orchards established in direct wind currents should be surrounded with windbreak trees to block destructive windstorms.

The nut trees can grow to around ten feet in height with a very wide branch canopy. To avoid space contention issues with other activities, the holes must be made in grid formation at 30 meter intervals across the farm. Many people may lack the means to sample and test their soils in the recommended manner but an auger hole dug to the hardpan level may be filled with water to note the time it takes for it to drain off.

A large farm will have to be worked over with machinery, so stony zones or stretches of land with a high gradient must be avoided. Instead of doing site selection on your own, consider hiring a landscaper to help you with the task. Choosing the wrong site may make you unpopular with your neighbors or hamper access to the farm by machines.

As much as possible, rows should be restricted to the north south direction to maximize interception of sunlight on both sides of the rows. Also important is the selection of the appropriate plant species to cultivate on your farm. While neighboring farmers may offer valuable advice on this, recall that some individuals could give you unsubstantiated opinions.

It may happen that the targeted buyer only accepts nuts of a certain variety. For those who may wish to produce mixed varieties the different species should be laid out during planting so that cross pollination is encouraged during the production period. A farm with mixed varieties may have to sort out nuts before marketing.

While windbreak trees may be a good inclusion in macadamia nut farms, the farmers must weigh the pros and cons of planting them on their property. They have the capacity to compete with the main crop for nutrients and sunshine. Planting the wrong species may also result in alternative habitats for rodents that are a nuisance to the farmer. Moreover, windbreaks are only necessary during the initial four years, after which removing them may come with a range of demerits especially if they are grown within the orchard.




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