Growing Macadamia in Machakos

Soil suitability analysis based on Machakos's nutrient profile

Machakos County is a solid choice for Macadamia, with a soil-match score of 65/100. At an average pH of 7.03 the soil sits above Macadamia's preferred 4.5–6.5 range, which can limit uptake of phosphorus and micronutrients. Nitrogen (0.82 g/kg), phosphorus (31.4 mg/kg) and potassium (338 mg/kg) all meet Macadamia's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Macadamia, which favours loam. Macadamia's full potential is about 1,800 kg/acre (~KES 198,000/acre at KES 110/kg), but at Machakos's 65/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 1,463 kg/acre (~KES 160,930/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.