So, at the new house we ripped out 3 messy shade trees with invasive root systems, and I was searching for nice shade trees to replace.  MACADAMIA have shallow roots!  YAY!  The nuts will thrive in my climate and are delicious!  Macadamia Trees do not go dormant, so beauty all year!  They need the water of an Avocado, so that is where the water bill rocks.  Figs will save us!!

Figs can not be planted close to any structure or their roots will lift it (invasive), but we now have more than an acre for the figs, so close to the house will be nice shady, macadamias.  They are tough nuts to crack, but JD will figure it out, and can you imagine figs, coated with chocolate rolled in macadamias?  Oh my!

I think they are $45 per 6' tree on Craigslist local.  Cheap at that price..........

Suzi

Sounds great, but make sure you don't have any dogs in the area that would eat the nuts. Macadamia nuts are poisonous to dogs.

Scott, JD will not allow me to have a dog because of his need to travel.  We can't have any pets.  We had multitudes of human kids, so no need.

I am pushing for chickens, but I may lose the war on that one.  If coyotes,foxes, rats, squirrels eat them and die, it's a good thing!

Interesting point you just made.  So much flack about using organic controls for flying pests (that affect humans not at all), but this nut that is perfectly fine for humans, is poison to dogs?  So insecticides perfectly approved by the FDA for humans are somehow flagged by the organic ones, but we can grow nuts that are OK for us, but not OK for dogs?

It's a weird world we live in for sure.

Suzi

Research what it takes to process the nuts.

JD is going to be a busy guy :-)

Also, know the variety you are planting,
some make harvest easy by dropping nuts,
others you need a ladder.

My grandparents had a macadamia tree, and the nuts are indeed hard. My uncle built a really neat macadamia nut cracker but I have not seen it for years and he passed away 10 years ago


I have seen some store bought macadamia nut crackers, as well as this home-made one on ebay.

Someone with metalworking skills could make this easily  [or could barter with someone who does]



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwNsxoilXLY

I think a bench vice (which we have) does the trick too!  Nice video!

They are hard nuts to crack, but delicious when the cracking is done!

Suzi

[QUOTE=DesertDance]and can you imagine figs, coated with chocolate rolled in macadamias?  Oh my!
[/QUOTE]

Oh yea!!

hi All I used to own a Blue and Gold Macaw parrot, who could take a macadamia, and crack it in one go. Very handy to have around! Have him crack the macadamia, then before he decided to consume, I'd give him a peanut. Good deal for both of us.

I love macadamia nuts... sigh... now that makes two my favorite nuts not allowed in my house.

Does anyone know if macadamia trees root very well from cuttings?

The last time I saw the site of the farm where my dad grew up, the tree was doing pretty well. I will be out that way in a few months.

Due to the family history and still having relatives in the area, I don't think I'd have a hard time convincing the current owners of the property to let me have a few cuttings, but I'd want to know how feasible it is.

Seems like i saw a show once about how the processed macadamia nuts seemed like complicated fermentation process?

They say dogs have issues with chocolate and grapes too. Seems silly to me. I know of people who have taken their dog to the vet following a poochie chocolate binge, not due to ill affect, just out of fear of. I have never heard of a dog croaking after eating these forbidden foods.

Most dogs do seem to be smart enough to not eat things that made them violently ill previously. For example, my dog got into a bag of whole bean coffee. We got home and he was acting like a spaz who did something wrong. Later that night I found the strewn field of coffe beans in the storage room he usually doesn't go into. A couple days later while on poo duty I found several piles of chewed up coffee bean barf and few piles of chewed up coffee beans that came out the other end. He hasn't touched coffee since(but he does have a hard time getting going in the morning since he gave it up).

Wow!  I did the chocolate covered coffee bean binge one night, trying to get work done.  I popped them like candy, not realizing the damage they can do.  After that, I can't even stand any flavored coffee of any kind!  I can't even walk past a coffee store without feeling that dreaded feeling.......  I drink my coffee with a little unflavored cream. 

I can understand how your pooch has a hard time getting going without that coffee............. :-))

Chocolate covered Macadamias do not have that stigma!  Love those!!  And you can plant close to the house.  Shallow roots.......... 

Suzi

Paid more than I ever paid for any Fig tree, for one air-layered Macadamia on Ebay.  Pick up only, but convenient pick up is on our way to the new property.  Sent a message to the seller, willing to buy 2 or 3.

Ebay does not make it easy.  You must watch carefully which bullet you check, or you will owe them for the rest of your living days!  Seriously, they are selling this buy now pay later program in which they charge you interest.  Do NOT do that!  Put it on a credit card, which they fight like hell if you do that, but if you are smart enough, you can get through and win. 

I'll make friend's with the Macadamia seller, and maybe trade another for a 5 gallon dream fig.  They are local, which is neat, but Ebay is not, so just watch how you pay!  They have the bullets all filled out for you.  Un-click, and it drives them nuts.

Suzi

Suzi any update on your trees? Have u gotten any nuts yet? I have a couple of coffee plants and hopefully they will fruit in a couple years if they survive