If your closest cashew encounters pass around stadium of interracial nuts , run across one still on the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree may amount as a shock . Cashews are really the come of a amazingly toxic yield . Even more amazingly , the stalks attaching them to trees are a universally overlook superfood . We district in on the cashew nut , their stalks and the trees they grow on .
Where Cashew Trees Grow
Cashew tree ( Anacardium occidentale ) are aboriginal to a stretch of northeastern Brazil lying between the Atlantic and Amazonian rainforests . In the former sixteenth one C , the Portuguese imported them to eastern Africa and western India . While they ’re rated suitable for USDA plant hardiness ones 10b through 12 , only south Florida has the overall climate they need . To flourish , cashew tree diagram need :
Cashew Fruit Development
cashew develop in branching clump at the end of their tree ’s young shoot . Beginning as wan - green buds , they open into tiny , fragrant yellowish - pinkflowersless than ½ inches long . Each pollenate flower becomes a small , kidney - shaped fruit . Inside it is the edible cashew source .
A Cashew Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
As the fruit ripen , they alter from pink to grayish - green . But the most remarkable variety take place when their stalks swell into glossy , Madagascar pepper - shaped cashew orchard apple tree . The 2- to 4 - inch , red or yellow-bellied apples are pile with nutrients including phosphorous , carotene , calcium and iron . They also have five times the Vitamin C of oranges their size .
Cashew apple hole ( Dulce de Cajuil ) is a preferent sweet from Dominican Republic ’s northwestern La Linea neighborhood . Peeled cashew nut apples are blanched in piddle and cool three times , then candied in sirup of sugar , cinnamon , cloves and prunes . The afters keeps for a calendar week when refrigerated .
In Jamaica , cashew apples are washed , dice and blended with water to make a puree . Afterthe fiber is puree out , the succus is consumed as is or mixed with vanilla extract and a small amount of edulcorate condensed Milk River for a refreshfully tangy - sweet treat .
Some Brazilian and Indian growers ferment fresh cashew apple succus in the sun and distill it into tasty strong drink .
Cashew Fruits: Handle with Care
Inside the two-fold husks protect cashew seeds are 12 substance capable of set off resistant system responses . Two of them , anacardic dot and cardol , may cause spartan peel rashes . A third is the phenolic resin found in varnish and insecticide . Always wear glove and protective clothing when handle unprocessed cashew .
Growing Cashew Trees
Do you dream ofgrowingyour own Anacardium occidentale ? give the ripe mood and caution , cashew trees can bring on their first harvest in as little as 18 months from constitute .
Where to Plant
The healthiest , most fat Anacardium occidentale tree grow on sites with :
Expert gardener ’s tip : Cashew trees need respectable drain their tooth root from drowning .
Choose Your Trees
Tempted grow cashew tree from seeds ? Just do n’t expect them to grow into replicas of their parents . What youcanexpect is to look three years for your first harvesting . To secure the form of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree you ’ll get — and to enjoy your first cashews in as picayune as 18 month — plant life greenhouse - grafted cashew trees .
How to Plant Cashew Trees
Things you ’ll need :
Step 1 : Till the planting web site well to loosen the soil . Step 2 : move out weeds and debris .
Step 2 : Dig hole twice as wide and the same depth as the trees ’ nursery containers .
dance step 3 : Slide a tree from its pot , taking care not to disturbing its roots .
footprint 4 : Spread the tooth root gently , center the tree in a hole and begin replacing the grease .
Step 5 : Tamp the land lightly to remove tune pockets when the hole is half full .
Step 6 : Finish filling the gob and tamp it again .
Step 7 : piddle thoroughly to settle the soil .
Step 8 : asseverate a 2- to 4 - inch bed of shredded leave or other organic mulch around the trees for moisture retention and weed restraint . Keep it at least 8 inches away from the tree diagram trunks .
Caring for Young Cashew Trees
A Anacardium occidentale tree need the most TLC during the first three old age after planting . Water it day by day for two weeks , then once hebdomadary for the next two months . After that , water each week only if there ’s been no rainwater for five days . After it ’s producing fruit , urine only during very long dry period .
Expert gardener ’s tip : Always water slowly and deeply to protect the roots from waterlogging . Using a downpour hose or drip organisation is best .
Feeding
Once each year , give your tree a dense , logical stream of organic victuals with well - mature moo-cow or chicken manure . After pelting has wet the grunge , grasp a 5 feet from the groundwork of each tree . It should be 6 inches deep and 10 inch wide . occupy each trench with the manure ; you do n’t call for to water it in .
Anacardium occidentale trees plant in calcareous soils gain from a annual practical app of foliar atomizer contain zinc , boron , manganese and fuzz . Apply the spraying — uncommitted at most garden center — at the manufacturer ’s recommended rate .
Pruning Older Trees
To maximize your cashew yield , prune the trees lightly each yr after harvest . skip back just a few of the upper limb so sunlight can penetrate the lower canopy . crop the limbs back to their trunk genital organ . Caution : Pruning a enceinte Anacardium occidentale tree is best forget to a professional .
