Pecan Tree help?!!

20 years ago

Hi Everyone!

I just moved to south AL, Citronelle to be exact.

The house we purchased was built in the early 70's and seems

to be in a pecan orchard.

I am totally ignorant when it comes to taking care of pecans but want to learn!

In June this year when we looked at the house (it sits on 1.5 acres) the pecan trees were huge and green and full.

My understanding is, pecan trees produce pecans in Sept? but it seems out of all the trees on our property, one produced pecans but are no longer there or on the ground for that matter. At any rate, my trees dropped all their leaves, I then noticed that the trees, most of them, were cut. It looks as though they cut them to make them grow out instead of up? Is this typical? So my other thing is, my brother seems to think the trees are diseased but for some strange reason they are all starting to grow new bright wonderful leaves. Is this normal?

I have no clue what kind of pecan trees they are, how do I find out? How do I take care of them? They are huge trees and I don't want them to die.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

Cher

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Comments (5)

flatwoods_farm
20 years ago
Have you talked to the home sellers?
lucky_p
20 years ago
Cher,
Lots of questions, many of which we can't answer here without actually seeing the condition of the trees & property. Some pecans decline in production when they get old, some tend toward alternate bearing(heavy crop one year, none the next), some are much more susceptible to pecan scab and other diseases, etc.
Contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office and address your questions to the Ag agent there. He/she is there to serve you in helping get the answers and recommendations you need. Auburn University has some of the foremost pecan experts & researchers in the country, and that expertise/information is just waiting for you to access it.
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grendelmort
20 years ago
SunnyCher,
I rented a house that had a Very large pecan tree in the backyard. Being from Georgia, the Pecan capitol, and having
my grandfather raise these trees I learned a few things.
1. The roots run shallow so beware of tree's in bogs
(widowmakers Grandpop would call them because they might
blow over in a stiff wind).
2. Fertilize them! Go to the drip line (the vertical line
as drawn from the furtherst branch from the trunk
upwards, where the rain will fall) and dig small holes
around the circumference abou every 3 foot. Use
standard lawn fertilizer (Scotts, Balleu ect) and place
in these holes and cover with dirt. Water GOOD about 3
Times a week.
3. Oil The Trees - Pecans are very succeptible to Fungus,
mites and other diseases. Go to your local Nursery and
ask for an oil spray for pecans (they should know what
you are asking for) Mix according to the directions and
use a pump sprayer ($15.00 at ACE Hardware) and spray
the entire tree, make sure you spray the top (even if
you have to climb the tree). Do this no later than 1
April and again on 1 July.
4. Harvest. You should have Pecans, if not do not dispare.
Repeat the above procedure for next year. Pecans cannot
be rushed, the more care that is taken with fertilizing
watering, oiling then you are GUAREENTEED more nuts
than you can deal with.
Pecan Trees can't be rushed. I may take up to 6 years to
produce a "first" crop. Hang in there and the payoff is
spectacular!!!
pecanman
20 years ago
Lucky Pittman gave excellent advice. Check with your local county extension agent for a spray schedule. Pecans need nitrogen water and zinc to produce nuts.
gglodoe_msn_com
16 years ago
Thanks for the info.We moved into a house, 1 acre, with 4 pecan trees. Our next door neighbors have 2.We moved in January and have been hearing the wonders of Pecan Trees, the bountiful harvest we'll get every year, all kinds of recipe,and all we have to do is pick them up and crack. This all ended a few weeks before Thanksgiving when our combined total of pecans was 14.

None of us know what happened. We suspect it might be the hard frost we had in 02/07. Any ideas or help would be appreciated. Thank you. Gloria