Growing pecan, walnut, trees and other nut trees

Chjozie Member

2POSTS

5 years ago

I want to know if it possible to grow pecans, walnuts and other nut trees here on the coast in Canoa, Ecuador.

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lebowski888 Serial expat

318POSTS

5 years ago

I don't know, per se, but I can give you some clues and leads that may answer your questions.

some expats on another Ecuador forum were posing similar questions about if particular crops and trees might grow in certain climates in Ecuador.

A summary of the suggestions of where to get expertise for Canoa (or any place in Ecuador):

+ consult with an analogue forestry expert who can help "Red Ecuatoriana de Forestería Análoga"
+ ask the agro engineers at the agro supply stores near you. Most will come out for free to check the grade of the land, sun exposure, irrigation matters, do soil tests.
+ Another source one could contact, for leads to experts on your area, might be Agrocalidad, which is a government agency in Ecuador
+ Contact professors at technical colleges and universities which have agricultural programs. Some are solely for agriculture like INIAP.

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

5 years ago

I'd start slowly on this project .. and plant only for personal use at first, not purchasing new land or putting up out-buildings.

Any Expat bold enough to attempt commercial growing will probably have to deal with myriad challenges, including hirings, government regulations, drought periods, marketing and security. That's a partial list.

Anyone who hasn't considered security for a commercial agricultural operation should consider this question... What if an armed gang shows up at 2 a.m. some night with the objective of harvesting the crop and hauling it away?

cccmedia

OsageArcher Colombia Expert

1657POSTS

5 years ago

cccmedia wrote:
What if an armed gang shows up at 2 a.m. some night with the objective of harvesting the crop and hauling it away?

You might be able to stop them, if you're lucky. Another very big factor usually even harder to stop is insect and other pests - borers, leaf eaters, leaf miners, fungi and wilt diseases, etc. etc. There's probably at least a few good reasons why someone isn't already doing this.

Do you have a background as a farmer growing crops for market, or is your project strictly as a "gentleman farmer"? You might want to investigate and visit places in Ecuador where macadamia nuts are grown and harvested to get an idea of what might be involved - consider also the costs of labor, transportation and distribution to markets, wholesale or retail, the list goes on and on.

http://ecuadorrealestate.org/macadamia- … n-ecuador/

user159 Contributor

165POSTS

5 years ago

In Canoa? Basically no (for walnut / pecan). There is an Andea walnut tree, but it doesn't grow on the coast, needs to be much higher.

You will be able to grow tropical almond (also called indian almond I believe). Probably you have seen it on the beaches. It isn't actually an almond, but does taste very similar.

Tagua will grow, although it is not edible (to my knowledge) and am not sure if is even technically a nut.

For edible nuts, you are very very limited on the ecuatorial coast. If you can even get a more temperate tree to grow and not die, then it is very unlikely to fruit (nut) and if you do get lucky, yields will be pathetic.

Stick to tropical fruits in all honesty

2 members reacted to this post

Chjozie Member

2POSTS

5 years ago

Thank you, for all of your respons.

1 member reacted to this post

user159 Contributor

165POSTS

5 years ago

CASHEW! I don't see why you couldn't grow cashew on the coast. Although I have never seen any, nor the watery fleshy fruit for sale, I don't see why it couldn't.

And of course, the best nut of call coco-nut