Re: Germinating Macadamia seeds
- To: "Richard Starkeson" , "m*@ucdavis.edu"
- Subject: Re: Germinating Macadamia seeds
- From: W* G*
- Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 13:45:11 -0500
Richard Starkeson wrote on 12/6/99 9:58 AM:
>I recently received some Macadamia nuts in the shells, and was wondering
>how to germinate them. The shell is very hard. I assume it has to be
>cracked or abraded in some way. Any ideas? Length of time to
>germinate?
That hard shell is the drawback of macadamias. With gentle pressure and
pliers you may be able to crack the shell and extract the seed without
injury. Or use a small triangular file - carefully - and file through the
shell to expose the seed and allow moisture to enter. Soak in tepid water
for a few days, then plant in any well-drained potting mix such as
peatlite, planting the seed to its depth below the surface.
Keep the mix moist and *warm*, at a minimum temperature of 80F/18C. If
the seeds are ripe and viable, germination should occur within a month.
William Glover
New York/Nevis, W.I.
