WARM CLIMATE NUTS BHT308

Learn to Grow, Harvest, and Manage a Nut Farm -Small or Large

For most people, a nut is a type of food and a delightful food at that! Strictly speaking, not all nuts are edible; but this course is only concerned with edible nuts and in particular, the ones that are grown more extensively around the world in warm climates.
The tropical nut trees are dependent on your locality and conditions can vary quite considerably even in tropical areas, for example certain tropical areas may experience frosts. However there are so many varieites worth trying that it is worth learning about them all!

There are eight lessons including a special project in this course. This course is designed as a detailed look at identification and culture of nuts in warmer climates. Emphasis is placed on the species that are of horticultural value.

WHAT IS A NUT?

If you do not quite understand this description:

Indehiscent simply means that the fruit does not break open readily and release the seed
(Note: Legumes such as wattles or peas in contrast are dehiscent fruits -they dry, and then drop seeds while the dry fruits are still attached to the plant).

An Achene is a simple, thin walled fruit and contains only one seed. A strawberry in fact is a large number of individual tiny achenes which cover a fleshy receptacle (Note. The fleshy receptacle is what we eat as a strawberry; while the fruits and seeds are tiny gritty bits covering the surface).

Many types of plants have nuts as fruits; some are grown commercially as edible food products, and others are not.

Nuts are produced by the following trees; Quercus (oaks), Pecan, Filbert, Hickory, Macadamia, Hazelnut and others.

Commercial Growers and Home Gardeners may be less rigid in the way they define a nut. Generally nuts are edible fruits or parts of fruits which are hard, relatively dry (unlike fleshy fruits), and are able to be roasted for eating, or in many cases, may be eaten fresh.

In some cases, the roasting may destroy undesirable chemicals in the nut, or may enhance the flavour.

In the strict botanical sense, a peanut would not be a nut, because there can be more than one seed inside a fruit; however peanuts are perhaps the most widely grown commercial nut in the world.

Nuts above all have a distinct advantage over other fruits in their keeping quality. Being a dry product, they are less susceptible to spoilage, and will generally store well without any sophisticated or expensive storage treatments. This characteristic alone extends their marketing life, and can eliminate many problems associated with other types of crops.
(Note: They may need protection from pests though (eg. rodents and other vermin).

There are many nuts which are grown and eaten in one region, but not commonly heard of in other parts of the world. This is particularly the case in many tropical areas, where nuts which are eaten by local people may offer significant potential for future commercial cropping.

Duration: 100 hours

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • What is a Nut
   • Review of the system of plant identification
   • Main family groups of nuts
   • Family Juglandaceae
   • Family Corylaceae
   • Family Characteristics
   • Family Fagaceae
   • Family Proteaceae
   • Family Burseraceae
   • Family Lecthidaceae
   • Family Sterculiaceae
   • Family Anacardiaceae
   • Family Rosaceae
   • Family Leguminosae
   • Family Asteraceae
   • Family Cucurbitaceae
   • Family Palmaceae
   • Family Pinaceae
   • Information contacts (i.e. nurseries, seed, clubs etc.)
   • Potential for Nut Growing
2. Nut Plant Culture
   • Terminology
   • Soil and Nutrition Management
   • Planting,water management, plant health, pruning, etc.
3. Propagation of Nut Plants
   • Seed
   • Cuttings
   • Propagating Media
   • Hardening off Young plants
   • Layering
   • Budding and grafting
4. The Macadamia
   • Magadamia growing in Australia & elsewhere
   • Cultivars
   • Macadamia recipes
5. The Pecan
   • Nutritional components of the nut
   • Culture
   • Climate
   • Propagation
   • Cultivars
   • Problems
   • Uses
6. Other Varieties which Grow in Warm Climates
   • Pistacio
   • Cashew
   • Peanut
   • Almond
   • Baobab (Andersonia)
   • Brazil Nut
   • Coconut
   • Guarana
   • Cola
   • Sunflower
   • Cocao
   • Coffee
   • Sesame Seed
   • Others are reviewd briefly, including: Pili Nut, Acacia, Hausa Ground Nut etc
7. Selecting a site and planting a plot.
   • Site Selection and management
   • Site characteristics
   • Climate
   • Biological characteristics
   • Water
   • Other factors
   • Using weedicides with nut plantings
8. Growing, harvesting and using nuts.
   • Harvest and storage of nuts
   • Sorting, Cleaning, Drying
   • Uses for nuts -food, crafts, timber etc

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• This course is for the curious grower who wants to learn more about types of warm climate nuts.In the lessons you will identify different nut crop varieties.
• Classify and identift different types of nuts
• Access sources of organisations specific to nut production
• Learn about the cultural requirements of tropical nuts, as most of the varieties we look at are for the tropics or warm climates.
• Discover the characterisitics of soils.
• Understand:
  • plant nutrition
  • plant health
  • watering techniques
  • environmental protection for your crops
  • pest and disease management techniques for pruning and maintenance
• Learn how to successfully propagate nut trees:
  • propagation from nut seeds and cuttings
  • grafting
  • layering
  • establishing rootstocks
• Discuss Macadamia nut trees in detail
• Discuss Peacan nut trees in detail.
• Discuss other varieities of nuts such as Pistachio, Cashew, Almond, Brazil and other varieties you never knew exsisted.
• Describe establishment and horticultural management of tropical nut trees is looked at.
• Explain:
  • site selection for successful cultivation
  • planting techniques
  • factors affecting the selection of a site for nut cultivation.
• Consider the harvesting and storage of nuts is reviewed.

REASONS TO STUDY WITH ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION

• Reputation:
  -teaching Horticulture since 1979
  -exceptional faculty staff (see below)
• Hands on: develop practical as well as theoretical skills
• Uniqueness:
  -successful people are always those who can offer a skill or service that others can't
  -this course is different; our graduates have different skills to set them apart.
• Relevance -curriculum developed in response to industry needs
• Lots of help: personal, prompt attention from tutors
• Holistic Courses: We teach more than just "facts"
  -success is only 20% about intelligence (and what you know)
  -you also need to build networking, problem solving & communication skills, and more!
  -this course helps you develop all of these things and more
•  Value: courses compare very favorably on a cost per study hour basis
• Up to date: courses under constant review
• Student amenities: This school is backed by over one of the most unique and comprehensive private collections of intellectual property in the horticultural industry. The principal and staff have written and published over 50 books and 150 gardening magazines, as well as 20,000 hours horticultural study programs. A team of 5 horticultural writers continue to develop and update new material continually. These resources together with web sites, an online student room, social media etc. provide a unique and comprehensive facility to support students studying with the school.

Marie Beerman  B.Sc., M.Hort.