How Do Pistachios Grow? Planting Guide and Care Tips For This Ancient Nut

As someone who has grown up eating nuts like pistachios, their nutritious benefits are best availed by planting them first-hand in your garden. There is no greater feeling than harvesting your home grown pista nuts and relishing their flavour for many years. 

The most fascinating bit is that the pistachio tree can live up to 100 years, making the planting worthwhile and everlasting. Learning to grow through this drought-tolerant plant has been one of a one-of-a-kind journey, and if you also want to savour the taste of these drupes, come along and explore how do pistachios grow, along with many fun facts. 

What is Pistachio? A nut or a Drupe? 

Popularly referred to as a nut, the pistachio is a drupe belonging to the  

Anacardiaceae family. Native to the regions of Central Asia and Iran, these drupes are grown on trees in warm and arid climates that can live up to at least 100 years. 

A perennial tree like the kiwi tree, the pistachio tree is extremely beneficial due to their less water needs and ability to thrive in poor soil conditions as well. Globally, 26 February is celebrated as World Pistachio Day to honour this ancient nut. 

Pistachio is also popularly referred to as the ‘smiling nut’, due to its open shell-shaped covering, which resembles a smiling face. 

Before exploring how do pistachios grow, make sure the taxonomic specifications of the plant are clear: 

Botanical name	Pistacia vera
Kingdom	Plantae
Division	Magnoliophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Order	Sapindales
Family	Anacardiaceae R. Br.
Genus	Pistacia L.
Species	Pistacia vera L.

What are the Different Types of Pistachios?

With Iran and America being the top producers of the Pistachios, the most famous varieties are also classified under these two categories. Just like the type of lettuce, pistachio varieties are also differentiated on the basis of colour and taste profile. 

Take a look at these 4 pistachio varieties: 

Image	Description
	Fandoghi Pistachio    Origin: Iran  Colour: Light green  Shape: Round  Taste: Sweet buttery
	Akbari Pistachio  Origin: Iran  Colour: Brownish and Purple  Shape: Almond shape  Taste: Slightly sweet
	Kerman Pistachio  Origin: America  Colour: Brown  Shape: Round  Taste: Creamy and slightly sweet
	Golden Hills Pistachio  Origin: America  Colour: Greenish yellow  Shape: Oval  Taste: Mildly sweet

What are the Ideal Growing Conditions for Pistachios?

Before learning how do pista grow, understand that the pistachio tree is dioecious and you need to plant both the male and female varieties to bear the fruit. 

If you are a new gardener, take a look at the ideal growing conditions of the pistachio tree: 

Soil type	Sandy, loamy well-draining soil
Sunlight	8 hours of direct sunlight
Water	Every 7- 10 days during summers
Fertiliser	Balanced, all-purpose fertiliser ( 10-10-10 NPK)
Planting season	Early spring

How Do Pistachios Grow on Trees? 

Pistachio trees are best planted in early spring using transplants purchased from the local plant nurseries. The pistachio plant is drought-tolerant and thrives in warm climates like the barrel cactus; hence, planting would not be a hassle. 

Here is my 7-step easy planting guide that helps me yield the best results ever!

1. Take 2 pistachio trees, one male and one female, respectively, as the cross-pollination will lead to the pistachio fruit. 

2. Loosen up the soil in the selected spot and add compost to make the soil more fertile. 

3. Now dig 2 holes and make sure they are twice as large as the roots of the transplants. 

4. Now carefully place the plants in the holes without damaging the roots and fill back the hole with soil. Make sure the soil is placed 20 feet apart from each other. 

5. Remove the air pockets and add a layer of mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. 

6. Water the pistachio plant once a week during the growing stage and once a month in winter. 

7. Feed the plant with an all-purpose balanced fertiliser in late winter to early spring to promote growth. 

Also read: How to Grow Basil? Learn How to Plant This Culinary Herb in Your Garden

How Can I Care for the Pistachio Plant? 

Pistachios are warm-weather crops and thrive in arid conditions. Although drought-tolerant, they should not be left unattended for a long time. 

These are the 5-step care guide for your pistachio trees: 

Image	Care Step
	Sunlight  The pistachio plant thrives in warm and arid climates, hence they need 8 hours of direct sunlight. Ideally, they need a temperature above 38°C in summer and below 7°C in winter.
	Watering Although drought-tolerant, they need deep watering to survive. Water once a week in summer and reduce it to once a month in autumn and winter.
	Pruning  The best time to prune the pistachio plant is either during late winter or early spring. Remove the young and damaged branches to promote new and healthy growth. Minimal pruning of infected leaves can happen anytime during the year.
	Pests Infestation and Solutions The pistachio plant is most susceptible to the stink bugs, which are small green insects( shown in the image). Stink bugs affect the nut directly and cause premature falling. Treat them with an insecticidal soap. Going over the board with the pest treatment might kill the natural enemies of the pests; hence, target the infected area only.
	Fertilising Pistachio Plant Feed the growing pistachio twice with a balanced all-purpose fertiliser. Once in early spring and later in mid-summer to encourage fruit development.

When and How Can I Harvest the Pista? 

September is the best time to harvest the pistachios, and surprisingly, harvesting the pistachio nuts is effortless. 

However, learning  how pistachios are grown for the first time and then harvesting them can be a little tricky and therefore here is my short and simple harvesting pistachio guide: 

1. The pistachio drupe is ready to be harvested when the shell cracks open. 

2. Lay a sheet under the tree to collect the nuts. 

3. Using a rubber mallet, shake the branches of the trees, and all the pistachio drupes will fall off onto the sheet. 

4. Now collect these nuts in containers and remove the shell within 24 hours of harvesting. 

5. Sun-dry the nuts and store them in an air-tight container. 

Lab Research and Findings About the Pistachio Nut

Pistachios are one of the most nutritious nuts with high potassium and protein content, and are attributed with the potential to improve eye and heart health.

Here is a medical research by NCBI examining the effects of pistachios on cardiovascular diseases. 

Research summary box 1  Study year: 2008  Aim: To analyse the effects of pistachios on cardiovascular risk factors Sample type: 28 individuals on three different diets:  No pistachio 1 Pistachio dose 2 pistachio doses Key findings: After 2 weeks of observation, it was concluded that the pistachio doses increased the monounsaturated fat that protects the heart from cardiovascular diseases.  Energy obtained from the pistachio doses:  1 dose- 10% 2 dose – 20% Hence, it was concluded that the intake of pistachios significantly decreased bad cholesterol and increased the MUFA levels, making it effective against cardiovascular risk factors.    Source: National Centre of Biotechnology Information

Fun Facts About Pista That You Must Know! 

Did you know pistachio is not a nut? Yes, referred to popularly as a nut, the pistachio is nowhere close to a nut. 

Just like this, there are various facts about pistachios that many still do not know about, but worry not, as I have compiled some similar unknown facts that will surprise you! 

1. Pistachio is a seed of the drupe that grows on the pistachio tree and is not classified as a nut. 

2. In America, 99% of pistachios are grown in California because of the adequate climatic conditions that it provides for pistachio growing. 

3. Pistachios are considerably more expensive than the other nuts, typically due to the prolonged period of growth and harvest, adding to the increasing demand for the nut worldwide. 

4. According to ASPCA, pistachios are not considered toxic to pets but can cause infection and digestive discomfort upon ingestion. 

5. Pistachios are related to Mangoes because they belong to the same plant family, Anacardiaceae (this is my favourite fact!) 

6. Similar to the Honeysuckle flower, pistachios are also associated with the feeling of happiness and good luck. 

Best Pistachio Recipe That You Must Try 

After learning how pistachios grow, it is time to put the fruit to the best use and try some easy and delicious recipes. As pistachio is majorly used in dessert recipes, here is my favourite recipe that one must try, especially with their home-grown pistachios: 

1. Pistachio Chocolate Truffle 

Ingredients 

1. 5 pistachio nuts 
2. 200 g milk and dark chocolate 
3. 200 g pistachio cream 
4. 40 g butter 
5. 150 g filo pastry 
6. ¼ tsp salt 

Recipe

1. First, preheat the oven to 180 °C.

2. Cover a large baking tray with a baking paper and spread the filo pastry into smaller pieces on this tray. 

3. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. 

4. Transfer it to a pan and crumble it into small pieces. 

5. Add butter to the pan and fry them together until golden-brown.

6. When the filo pastry turns golden brown, mix the pistachio spread into this mixture. 

7. After mixing it well, make small balls of the mixture and place them in the freezer for 4 hours. 

8. Until the mixture freezes, melt the milk and dark chocolate in a pan or microwave it. 

9. At last, remove the frozen balls and coat them with the melted chocolate. 

10. Sprinkle some chopped nuts and salt, and serve fresh. 

Concluding Remarks 

The whole process of learning how to grow pistachios has been nothing less than a gardening and culinary treat. Right from planting to harvesting and at last relishing the nuts after years of waiting is absolutely worth it. 

However, I have to admit planting these nutritious nuts is a test of patience and a gardener must carefully observe and maintain the tree over the years for the best results possible. My personal tip to new gardeners would be to water the plant adequately and keep the pistachio tree away from humidity. 

Make sure this year you plant your pistachio tree and enjoy it for many years to come. 

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