Cashews are known as nutritious nuts, favored by many people all over the world. To get a quality cashew nut, it has to go through many stages from planting to harvesting and processing. Whether how are cashews grown? Growing cashews is really difficult? Maybe many people are curious about it. Therefore, Vihaba would like to give you the useful information below:
What Do Cashew Plants Look Like?
Cashew trees are attractive trees with large leaves and pretty, pink flowers. Cashews, as you know them, are nuts. But the cashew nut is not the only fruit of the cashew trees. Or rather, the cashew nut is only a part of the cashew fruit.
The other part is called the cashew apple. (Although pear would suit it much better.) And if I wanted to be super accurate then I’d have to point out that the cashew apple is actually the swollen stem of the fruit.
The cashew apple looks very attractive with its red cheeks. It’s high in Vitamin C, refreshing, very juicy, but a bit acidic. And it leaves a furry feeling in your mouth.
I use it together with other fruit in juices or blended into fruit yogurt etc. It’s also very nice when dried. In fact, I grow cashew trees more for the apples than for the nuts.
The cashew nut is inside the funny-looking, kidney-shaped shell that is attached to the bottom of the cashew apple. Also inside that shell is a very nasty, caustic liquid that causes severe burns, so be careful when handling it. More on processing and shelling cashews later.
Where Can You Grow Cashew Trees?
You can grow cashew trees anywhere in the wet/dry tropics. The main producers of cashew nuts are Brazil, India, Vietnam, Africa (Tanzania and Mozambique), and South East Asia.
Day temperatures for growing cashews should not drop below 10°C (50°F), and cashew trees handle temperatures above 40°C (105°F) well. An average day temperature of around 25°C (77°F) is ideal.
As long as they have some water cashew trees grow like weeds. They are fairly drought-resistant and grow well even on marginal soils where other fruit trees would fail. The best soils for growing cashews are sandy soils.
How To Plant Cashew Trees
Plant your fresh cashew seed in sandy soil. Sandy soil ensures a lack of waterlogging. Avoid clay-based soil and whatever type of soil you use, ensure that it allows for free-flowing irrigation as water-logging can lead to damaging the tree.
Plant your seeds 10 centimeters (3.9 in) deep to make room for the expansion of roots. If you plant multiple trees, plant them 30 feet (9.1 m) away from each to ensure adequate room for growth.
Using the freshest seed possible will provide the best results so plant as soon as you get hold of it.
Use an area with moderate rainfall. Cashews cannot survive in places with heavy rainfall or high winds but can thrive in extremely hot temperatures of up to 50 °C (122 °F). [4] Therefore, tropical areas that are very warm and receive moderate rainfall are ideal. If it rains too much, the roots will drown and the tree will die.
Ensure your tree has access to at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Cashew trees thrive in warm, sunny climates and if the tree doesn’t receive this much sunlight then it will grow slowly and eventually may not even flower
How are cashews grown?
To know “how are cashews grown”, you need to read carefully some note below:
- Water the tree once a week while it is still young. This is to ensure that the root system develops adequately. Once it has matured, water the tree once a week during the summer and withhold from watering in the winter as too much water can result in the tree dying
- Fertilize your tree once or twice a year. Cashew trees don’t need a whole lot of fertilization but if you do decide to use a fertilizer, it should contain the following ingredients: nitrogen, zinc, phosphorus
- Support the tree with a stake. This is particularly important while the tree is young and if you live in a windy climate. Without doing this, it’s possible that the tree will be blown over and die. Staking up your tree is easily done with the right supplies.
- Prune the tree often. This will ensure that you remove any dead or infected branches which, if left untouched, can spread to the rest of the tree. Pay special attention to overcrowded branching areas as pruning generously here will encourage high levels of growth. If diseased branches contaminate other parts of the tree, you risk having fruit infected and possibly the entire tree.
How are cashews grown in different requirements?
– Climatic requirements
- Cashew trees are genuinely tropical and very frost-sensitive.
- The trees grow in a wide spectrum of climatic regions between the 25 °N and S latitudes.
- Although the cashew can withstand high temperatures, a monthly mean of 25 °C is regarded as optimal.
- Yearly rainfall of 1 000 mm is sufficient for production but 1 500 to 2 000 mm can be regarded as optimal.
- The cashew tree has a well-developed root system and can tolerate drought conditions. Rain during the flowering season causes flower abortion due to anthracnose and mildew.
- During harvesting, while nuts are on the ground, rain and overcast weather cause the nuts to rot or start germinating.
- Nuts germinate within 4 days when lying on wet soil.
– Soil requirements
The cashew is a strong plant that is renowned for growing in soils, especially sandy soils, that are generally unsuitable for other fruit trees. For the best production deep, well-drained sandy or sandy-loam soil is recommended. Cashew trees will not grow in poorly-drained soils.
With this useful information, Vihaba hopes that you can find the answer to the question “How are cashews grown?”. Besides, if you want to know more detailed information about cashew products, do not hesitate to check out our catalog on the website at vihaba.global