Macadamia · Mianyang, Sichuan, China
When to plant macadamias in Mianyang
Main outdoor window
11 Mar - 8 Apr
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
25 February
In Mianyang, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Mar - 30 Jun
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Mianyang
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant the tree
11 Mar - 8 Apr
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Mar - 30 Jun
Macadamias through the year
Against the frost risk in Mianyang
Why these dates
Young trees are damaged at around -2C. Even a mature macadamia will not tolerate a hard frost, which confines it to genuinely frost-free climates.
Macadamias are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Mianyang has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Mianyang sits in zone 9a, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 5, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Also in Mianyang
Other nuts to time
Growing macadamias in Mianyang
When should I plant macadamias in Mianyang?
Aim for 11 Mar - 8 Apr in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 28 Mar - 25 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will macadamias be ready to harvest in Mianyang?
Expect to start picking around 1 Mar - 30 Jun, based on 210 to 240 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will macadamias tolerate?
Young trees are damaged at around -2C. Even a mature macadamia will not tolerate a hard frost, which confines it to genuinely frost-free climates.