

Excessive alkaline and saline soils also do not support its growth. Heavy clay soils with poor drainage and soils with pH more than 8.0 are not suitable for cashew cultivation. Water stagnation and flooding are not congenial for cashew. Cashew also thrives on pure sandy soils, although mineral deficiencies are more likely to occur. The best soils for cashew are deep and well-drained sandy loams without a hard pan. While Cashew can be grown in poor soils, its performance would be much better on good soils. The general notion is that “cashew is very modest in its soil requirements and can adapt itself to varying soil conditions without impairing productivity”. Technical Requirements of Cashew Cultivation Whether roasted, salted, sugared or covered in chocolate, the cashew nut, often used as a flavourful complement to appetizers, main dishes and deserts, packs a mix of nutrients and minerals not found in many common foods.

Cashew nuts, a richly sweet product of the cashew tree, have gained popularity in not only for their succulent flavour but for health benefits, too. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications from lubricants to paints, and other parts of the tree have traditionally been used for snake-bites and other folk remedies. The cashew apple is light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liquor. It is eaten on its own, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The cashew seed, often simply called a cashew, is widely consumed. It can grow as high as 14 metres (46 ft), but the dwarf cashew, growing up to 6 metres (20 ft), has proved more profitable, with earlier maturity and higher yields. Sometimes called “nature’s vitamin pill,” cashew nuts, which now rank #1 among nut crops in the world with 4.1 billion pounds produced in 2002, have been used to promote wellness for centuries. Among various nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds, etc., cashew nut enjoys an unenviable position and it is an unavoidable snack in all important social functions especially in the western countries. Cashew nut is one of the important nuts grown in the world and ranked first. From its humble beginning as a crop intended to check soil erosion, cashew has emerged as a major foreign exchange earner next only to tea and coffee. It was introduced in India during the later half of the Sixteenth Century for the purpose of afforestation and soil conservation. The tree is now widely cultivated in Vietnam, Nigeria and India as major production countries. Originally native to northeastern Brazil, it was first introduced on a worldwide scale by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century, but international trade didn’t take off until the 1920s. Also known by the botanical name Anacardium occidentale, the cashew is a close relative of mangos, pistachios, poison ivy and poison oak. Cashew nuts are actually seeds, found growing on the end of the cashew apple. Please handle with care.The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple.
PRUNING CASHEW TREES SKIN
Coming into contact with urushiol can cause itching, blisters, and skin rashes.

Please Note: Cashews themselves aren’t toxic, but they are surrounded by a shell that consists of the toxic oil urushiol.
PRUNING CASHEW TREES FULL
They are self-fertile, prefer full to partial sun, and are fast growing. Mature Cashew Trees will reach a height of 12 feet, and a width of about 15 feet. You can also grow a Cashew Tree in a container if you are limited on space, or live in Zones 4 to 11. With care you can also harvest your own Cashew Nuts from the Cashew Tree.Ĭashew Trees can be grown in the ground in USDA Zones 9 to 11. The bright red, juicy Cashew Apples are sweet and edible. The Cashew Apple, which appears above each Cashew Nut, is actually the swollen stem end of the branch where each nut grows. Most nuts are simply tree seeds, but Cashew Nuts are the seed and the fruit. The Cashew, more than any other widely consumed nut, is far more than it appears.
