When to Plant Pine Nut in Cairns, Tropical Guide
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Pine Nut guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Jun to Aug
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.5
The stone pine, an umbrella shaped evergreen from Spain and Portugal that grows 12 to 20 m and gives the pine nuts of pesto (HortFlora, Daleys).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun P
- Jul P
- Aug P
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
P = Planting window
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. Daleys lists stone pine for warm temperate and arid climates, and Good Organic Gardening says it does not like hot humid weather, yet Daleys customers at Ingham and Aeroglen in north Queensland report trees growing. None reports cones, so no harvest months are listed. No Australian source read gives a planting month, so none is listed; Daleys and Diggers sell potted trees.
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How to Grow Pine Nut in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Light well drained sandy loam, even rocky or chalky ground; never waterlogged (Daleys, Plants For A Future).
- Salt
- Sensitive. Struggles with salty bore water or salty soil. Give it rainwater if you can.
- pH Range
- 5.5-6.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun; tolerates part shade when young (Daleys, Good Organic Gardening).
- Keep away from
- Bushland edges, it self seeds, Waterlogged ground, Humid coastal sites in the north
Tropical Growing Tips for Pine Nut
Recommended Varieties
- Seedling stone pine
Key Challenges
- Humidity
- No reported crops
Pro Tips
- Dry, raised, perfectly drained site
Harvesting Pine Nut
When ready: Ripe cones, 10 to 14 cm, fall from the tree in their third year (HortFlora, Good Organic Gardening).
How to harvest: Collect fallen cones, keep them in a warm dry place until they open, shake out the seeds and crack off the brown shell (Good Organic Gardening).
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Pine Nut
When do you plant pine nut in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Jun to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jun to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jun to Aug
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jun to Aug
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jun to Aug
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jun to Aug
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jun to Aug
When should I plant Pine Nut in Cairns?
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. Daleys lists stone pine for warm temperate and arid climates, and Good Organic Gardening says it does not like hot humid weather, yet Daleys customers at Ingham and Aeroglen in north Queensland report trees growing. None reports cones, so no harvest months are listed. No Australian source read gives a planting month, so none is listed; Daleys and Diggers sell potted trees.
How do I know when Pine Nut are ready to harvest?
Ripe cones, 10 to 14 cm, fall from the tree in their third year (HortFlora, Good Organic Gardening).
What are the best Pine Nut varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Seedling stone pine.
Are pine nut salt tolerant?
No. Pine nut are salt-sensitive, one of the more sensitive veggies. Use rainwater if your bore water is salty, or grow them in a raised bed of fresh mix if your soil is.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.