How to plant a macadamia tree in your garden
**Please note that the planting guide below is a recommendation intended for garden and small-scale use only.
- Choose a sunny spot with good drainage
- Ensure the macadamia tree is well-watered in the plant bag before planting
- Make sure the soil is moist and not dry or hard.
- Dig a square planting hole 40cm x 40cm x 40cm (or bigger depending on the size of the tree pot)
- Remove any large stones from the soil you have dug out
- In Zambia we mix 1 shovel of charcoal chips and 100g of gypsum into the same soil to make a blend.
- Inspect the sides of the planting hole. Avoid “glazed” sides. Ideally roots should be allowed to penetrate into the soil with ease.
- Re-fill the bottom of the planting hole then place the tree into the hole to achieve the correct depth so that the stem base is not planted too low or too high. It should be half and inch above ground-level.
- Cut the bottom of the plastic plant bag off and remove completely
- Set the tree (with bottomless bag and stake) into the hole and make sure it is upright and not leaning.
- Carefully start to fill the hole around the bag with the soil blend (avoid over-compaction of soil)
- Once the tree is standing stably in the hole, slowly shuffle the plastic plant bag up and over the top of the tree.
- Finish filling the remainder of the hole.
- It is a good idea to use a mulch (pinebark chips or dry grass / hay bales) around the base of the tree.
- A 1 year old tree requires 20-40L per week depending on the time of year. This can be done in 2 applications (10 – 20L twice a week).
- General rule of thumb to avoid stress is 20L per week per age of tree. So for a 1 year old tree 20L per week, a 5 year old tree 100L per week and a 10 year plus tree 200L per week.
Good
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Gentle fertilizers (low salt)
-
Worm tea
-
Iron, Zinc
Not Good
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Over-watering & water-logging
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High salt fertilizers
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Livestock and chicken manure
