If you visit our orchards between September and October, you'll see something beautiful: the trees covered in long, dangling clusters of delicate pink and white flowers called racemes. This is the flowering and nut set season, and it's one of the most critical periods in the macadamia growing calendar.
Nut set is the process where flowers, hopefully having been pollinated by bees and other insects, begin to develop into baby nuts. The success of this process largely determines how productive the harvest will be six months later. It's a time of careful observation — we're checking tree health, watching for pests and mould, and monitoring nutrition and hydration levels.
Sometimes nature throws challenges our way. High winds can come and fell older trees. When this happens, we quickly raise them and provide support in the hope that they can recover. Strong wind during flowering can also reduce pollination success by making it harder for bees to work the racemes.
After nut set, the developing nuts spend around six months growing, filling with oil, and hardening their shells. By March to May, they'll be ready for harvest. The entire process — from flower to finished nut — is a remarkable journey that demands patience, attention, and a deep respect for the rhythms of nature.
It's this connection to the seasons and the land that makes macadamia farming so rewarding. Every harvest is the result of a year's worth of care, and every nut tells the story of sun, rain, bees, and patient stewardship.