growing
The carob tree
The carob tree is an evergreen which bears fruit in the form of beans with seeds inside.Bean size vary but usually 100-200 mm long and 20-30mm wide and 5-10mm thick.The varieties selected for Australia are fleshy and contain about 45-55% sugar.
The carob male and female flowers which are usually on separate trees,they therefore need to be grafted because they only require 10% of trees to be male to fertilise the flowers of the remaining 90% female trees (only females have fruit except some varieties which are hermaphrodites).Carobs will grow in most well drained soil types,they do not like being water logged.They are susceptible to frost when young.carobs will grow well in rainfall areas of 400mm + a year.Yield can be improved by supplementary irrigation.
uses
The fleshy part of the bean can either be milled to use in confectionery of the soluble solids can be extracted to make Macarob syrup.The seeds can be processed to extract the gum which is used as a food thickener.About 90% of the pod is flesh and 10% seed.
markets
the market research for Macarob indicates a ready market.The unique characteristics of macarob syrup make it an ideal food flavouring.There is a wide market for the gum derived from the seeds.
crop potential
If trees are irrigated and planted on a 8m x 6m grid basis there are about 200 trees per hectare.Trees start to bear fruit at the 5-7 year stage yielding about 10kg a tree.At maturity they will yield 250-500kg a tree.
getting started
as the carob needs to be grafted it is easier to buy grafted trees of a superior variety and strain.They can be grafted in the field once the trees are 2-3 years old.This requires a professional grafter and the use of superior variety and strain bud wood.Advice and careful consideration should be given to the variety and strain to grow in your area to ensure a good yield of a quality crop which can be sold easily at the best prices.
selection of trees and certification
To grow the best available trees Mackerode has a certification process which states the mother trees or group which have been specially selected for yield and processing quality.
planting of trees
Trees must be planted near the irrigation source and watered so as not to dry out when young.A grown cone or box guard must be placed around the tree to protect it from vermin,frost,weeds and wind.Shelter is essential for young trees ,any orchard should have established sheletrbelts especially from the prevailing winds.
water requirements
Established trees require infrequent but deep watering.This means 100-200L per tree once every 7 days from the end of October to the end of February.Soil type,water quality,heat,rain and wind will determine the actual frequency and watering days.
fertiliser
carob trees respond to fertiliser.If basic elements including P are not missing,the response to nitrogen is excellent.Fertigating of young treess produces good results.Some fertiliser programs may effect organic classification.There is an excellent potential for organic carobs.
pruning
Trees need to be pruned in the first 5 years to "shape"for mechanical harvesting.Mechanical shakers harvest the trees with ease leaving few or no beans behind if harvested at the correct time.From a cost point of view mechanical harvesting is a must for australian conditions.Trees also need pruning in early years to allow light in and for maximum fruit set.
mature trees
There is very little maintenance of older trees.Once they have been shaped for their life long production normally all that is required is monitoring of their nutrient level and watering program.A mulching regime is recommended to ensure recycling of nutrients and conservation of water.there is a market for organically grown carob beans.