Before there’s a shell, before there’s a kernel, there’s a flower — and right now, that’s exactly what’s happening in the macadamia orchards of Bundaberg, Australia.
Spring is one of our favourite times of year on the farm. The trees come alive with long strands of delicate flowers, their sweet scent fills the orchard, and there’s a constant buzz as bees move from tree to tree.
Our agronomist, Chris Searle, recently took us into the orchard for a closer look at where the next macadamia crop begins.
It all starts with the raceme
Those long strands of flowers hanging from the trees are called racemes.
A single raceme can contain 100 or more individual flowers, while a mature macadamia tree can produce thousands of racemes during flowering.
But here’s the remarkable part: only a small percentage of those flowers will eventually develop into mature macadamia nuts.
That’s what makes this stage of the growing season so fascinating. When you look across an orchard covered in flowers, you’re looking at thousands upon thousands of possibilities — the very beginning of what could become next season’s crop.
A busy time in the orchard
Flowering generally takes place through early spring, with the trees around Bundaberg often beginning to bloom from late August.
Conditions during this period matter. Sunshine, temperature and favourable weather all play a role as the trees move through flowering and towards nut development.
And then there are the bees.
Once the flowers are ready for pollination, the orchard becomes an incredibly busy place. Bees and other insects move from flower to flower and tree to tree, helping set the foundations for the crop to come.
It’s easy to forget just how much happens before a macadamia ever reaches your pantry.
But every nut in a bag of Golden Crunch started right here in Australia — as one tiny flower among thousands.
One that made it.
