Scions for grafting are harvested from select mother plants. Grafting is done 3-4 weeks after transplanting into potting bags. Seedlings are ready for grafting when they attain more than two functional leaves and the cotyledons are still attached to the young stem. This composition can sustain the plant for an average of three months after transplanting the pre-germinated seeds in them. The seedlings are transplanted in potting bags (6" x 9"). The recommended soil media for cashew nut seedlings is in the ratio of 2:1:150 where: 2 is two buckets of soil, 1 is one bucket of well-decomposed farmyard manure, and 150gms of DAP. The pre-germinated seeds are transplanted into potting bags when the radicals (tap root) are 2.5 –3cm after 7-10 days. Seeds that sink are planted in pre-germination beds. The selected seeds are taken through a flotation test in water. The first step is a visual selection of seeds to remove diseased or deformed seeds. Propagation through grafting starts by raising rootstock propagated from local cashew nut varieties. Do not interplant young trees with pasture because of the high competition for water during the dry season.
Most annual crops can be used apart from cotton and sweet potatoes, which are host plants for Helopeltis bugs, major pests of cashew. Intercropping can be done before the canopies close. Do not plant seeds that are more than one year old.Sundry seeds for planting for several weeks to prevent mold and rotting.Those that float have poor germination and growth potential. Place the seeds in a bucket of seawater (100 g salt per 5 liters of water) and select the seeds that sink for planting.Proper seed selection from healthy, high-yielding trees is important, and it can be done by sorting out seeds by the water density method: High-density planting of cashew at a closer spacing of 4 m X 4 m (625 plants/ ha) in the beginning and thinning out in stages to maintain a final spacing of 8 m X 8 m in the tenth year is also recommended. The holes should be 60 cm by 60cm so that they can be able to collect water during the rainy season which will be used during the dry season.Ĭashew trees are generally planted with a spacing of 7.5 m X 7.5 m (175 plants/ ha) or 8 m X 8 m (156 plants/ ha) is recommended. In propagation by direct seeding 3 seeds are planted in the planting hole and two months after germination the weak seedlings are uprooted leaving the strong ones to grow. In the Coastal lowlands, the best time for planting is between April to June.Ĭashew nuts are usually propagated through seed or grafted seedlings. The Portuguese introduced cashew to Mozambique in the 16th century where it flourished, forming extensive forests eventually, it also became dispersed in East Africa along the coastal plains of Kenya and Tanzania.Ĭashew nuts should be planted at the beginning of the rainy season. The cashew apple is pear-shaped and red to yellow.Ĭashew trees can reach a height of 12 m (39.4 ft) and have an economic lifespan of 25 years after which time they are replaced in commercial plantations.Ĭashew originates from Brazil. The tree produces numerous pinkish-white flowers on drooping panicles and a kidney-shaped true fruit (nut) which is approximately 3 cm (1.2 in) long with a grey-brown shell and develops from a fleshy accessory fruit, sometimes referred to as the 'cashew apple'. The leaves are smooth with pronounced veins and midrib and possess petioles that are swollen at their base. The thin foliage of the tree is limited to the ends of the branches and is made up of oval-oblong leathery, shiny dark green leaves. The cashew tree has a branching main trunk and characteristic domed crown. Cashew is an evergreen tree with deep tap roots, grown for its edible fruits (nuts).
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