Hi!

I use the fruit/nut fertilizer stakes that you can purchase at most garden centers. I use one of those bulb starter drills to make the hole for the stakes rather than driving them in with a hammer. My ground tends to be to hard (clay type) and hammering just makes them go to pieces.

You simply follow the instructions and put the stakes around the drip line using the number described according to the size of your tree.

I have two 60 year Stuarts located within 6-8 foot of the back of my home and the only problem I have had is with falling branches especially during tropical storms.

Pecan trees take up to 10 years after you plant them to start producing crop, and then they will not produce that many.

I have planted many young ones, and I tried some really thin papershells, but they do not seem to do as well in our rainy climate. We average 65 inches per year, and most of that comes in short, heavy rains.

It seems that we get a good crop about every other year. This year will be a bumper crop if there are no hurricanes or bad storms. You see, we had a very sudden late, hard freeze after over a month of spring warmth. Somehow, I suspect that threatens the trees, and they try harder to reproduce. Anyway, the trees, even my baby ones are loaded.

Also, be careful with digging or removing topsoil around these trees after planting. I lost 7 large ones because unknowing to me, the neighbor had removed topsoil to make a burm around his pool before I purchased my home. Slowly, but surely, they died.

Pecan trees are rapid growers, so the wood tends to be brittle. That results in a lot of small limbs to pick up, but it is worth it. I love the shade in the summer, the sun in the winter, and the pecans in the fall...

I also have fallen trap to bargain, late sales of bareroot pecan trees that died.

And the squirrels are constantly burying pecans in my flower beds and potted plants along with acorns....

But, hey, I love living in a pecan grove!!!!!

Good Luck and Enjoy Your Pecan Trees!

Ann B.
Zone 8b
Gulf Coast

I am feeling completely ignorant about growing pecan trees, but I have a couple of questions. I received a pecan tree 18 years ago as a gift for Arbor Day (3rd grade). I planted it and faithfully took care of it for years (as best as I knew how). I live in Lincoln, NE and am wondering if it will ever develop pecans, or is it going to be for shade only? It's grown and continues to grow, but no pecans. That is the reason I was so excited to get it 18 years ago. I just need advice as to what I can do to bring it along or is it just too late?

Hi,

You most likely need another tree to assist in pollination.

Here, they are planted in alternating rows. Each row is usually a different variety.

See the link below. There is a good explanation as to why....

Ann B.
Zone 8b
Gulf Coast

Here is a link that might be useful: Seven Reasons Why Pecan Trees Don't Produce

Lilwhiz,
Being an ADF seedling, I've got some serious doubts about whether it's an appropriate seedling strain for your area; if, for example, it's a seedling of "Stuart", the tree may be winter-hardy, but it would be unlikely that it would be able to mature nuts in your short growing season.
Pecans are, for the most part, not self-fertile; you need two or more trees with compatible pollen-shed/nutlet receptivity patterns in order to get cross-pollenation and nut set.
The Nebraska Nut Growers Association is headquartered right there in Lincoln at UNL. Try contacting Dr. Bill Gustafson or some of the other extension folks with expertise in nut tree culture. There is contact information at the NNGA website, linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Northern Nut Growers Association

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

Lots of good info and some bad info in this thread re pecan culture.

1. Contact your local extension service for specific information re growing pecans in your area.

2. If you buy grafted trees, know where the rootstock came from. A southern rootstock (south Alabama, gulf coast produced) is adapted for the gulf coast but is not adapted to North Alabama. This is highly variety specific! Similarly, a tree grown in Kentucky needs to be on a northern rootstock. Major is an oft recommended variety in zone 6. If it is grafted on a Desirable rootstock and planted in Kentucky, then you are headed for the winter kill zone. Stuart is a possible exception in producing rootstocks that survive pretty well up into Tennessee but not much further north. This is only a small part of the rootstock story!

3. Grow varieties adapted to your area. The SouthEast has a much wetter climate than Texas. Pecans that produce well in the programs in Texas are unlikely to be good choices for Alabama or Georgia. Bill Goff's suggested varieties are an excellent start for homeowners. But even then be aware that your particular climate may not be conducive. An example is Gafford which seems to do well in South Alabama but does poorly in North Alabama. Houma is one variety that Bill Goff did not mention. It may be worth considering in some parts of South Alabama and North Florida. I'm kind of on the dumb side, I planted a Houma in North Alabama in 1995 and so far have had exceptionally good growth from the tree. Its production has been nominal as expected for a young tree. Sumner by comparison is terribly winter susceptible. Of the trees Bill Goff mentioned, Syrup Mill, McMillan, and Jenkins are probably capable of growth and production in North Alabama. I know where an Elliott tree is growing near Rainsville Alabama that is doing just fine. (@50 years old, 80 feet tall, heavy production of small nuts)

4. Give your trees extra care the first three years after planting. The very best results I have had are from digging an extra deep and wide hole and filling it back in around the tree with topsoil. Water the tree often the first summer. If you can find a local source of rabbit manure, put that around your trees by the truck load. (apply around the tree but not touching the bark!) Control weeds and grass around the new tree. The surest way to kill a new transplant is to let weeds choke it out. Fertilize heavily but don't overdo it and do it at the righ time. Fall nitrate applications can kill trees by keeping them from going dormant properly. A leaf sample test is the best way to get the fertilizer right. I am looking out my front window at a pecan tree I transplanted 3 summers ago. It is 11 feet tall and 2 inches diameter 4 feet above the ground. You should be able to achieve similar results with proper care.

I'll give a brief description of some cultivars and thoughts about them.

Houma - Louisiana tree, exceptional scab tolerance, very long season, medium nut quality.
Stuart - well adapted to Southeast but scab susceptible, beatiful tree, low nut quality.
Schley - very thin shell, very scab susceptible, very best nut quality, very productive, spray program only!
Elliott - small nut, very good nut quality, scab tolerant, good production, good tasting nut.
Dooley - small nut, very best nut quality, scab susceptible, not adapted to southeast.
Surprize - Large nut, good nut quality, moderate scab susceptibility, not precocious.
Desirable - standar cultivar in Georgia, spray program only, large nut, consistent production.
Mahan - a big nut! scab susceptible, poor filling, beautiful foliage, plant only if you want nuts 1 year in 10.
Podsednik - very big nut, lousy filling, scab susceptible, waste of time.

Indian names (Mohawk, Apache, Cheyenne, Nacono, etc.) from USDA breeding program are just not adapted here in the SouthEast. The exception is Pawnee which has grown and produced well in North Alabama. Its somewhat scab susceptible but still manages to make a crop.

It will be a few years yet before I can talk about Syrup Mill, McMillan, and Jenkins. Grafts are just a few years old.

Texas pecan nursery has been mentioned but for some really unusual nut trees check out:
http://www.nolinnursery.com/

Fusion

FP,
Good info on rootstock selection. There's a guy about an hour-hour & a half NW of me here in KY who started out planting northern pecan varieties a number of years back, but they came from a southern pecan nursery - on southern pecan rootstock - and the first real tough KY winter killed all 1000+ of them.
By the same token, I don't know how well northern pecan rootstock(Major seedlings are preferred here) would perform in S.AL; they won't die, but might not be as productive as a southern seedling strain.
If you look at some of the TX pecan nurseries - like Womack's in DeLeon TX - while they deal almost exclusively with Southern pecan cultivars, they do break them down into 'eastern' and 'western' types.
Mohawk does OK up here in KY, though as it ages, it tends to overbear, and doesn't fill well some years. Its offspring, Pawnee(MohawkXStarking Hardy Giant), is a good selection for my area(southern west-central KY), and even does well into parts of MO & KS. I'm trying Pawnee's full-sib, Creek, but it's too soon to tell how it'll do up here.

The folks at Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery(linked above) are friends of mine, and while I can certainly recommend them for northern growers, most of the northern and ultra-northern pecan selections they offer won't really be a good choice for y'all folks down south - tasty, but tiny, compared to just about any of the good Southern pecans.
Hickories? I've seen a number of shellbark hickories in N.AL, but don't ever recall seeing one in all my days of roaming the woods of east-central AL; there's only one shagbark that I'm aware of on the farm I grew up on, just outside of Auburn/Opelika. I have a classmate there who bought some grafted hickories from NRNTN last year, but John really only recommended shellbark selections, as they tend to be more scab-resistant than most shagbarks.
Only time will tell if those northern hickories will work in AL.

I have read many of the replies here and am still a little confused on the type trees that would be the best in concert with each other. I live just east of Houston Texas in a little town called Dayton, about a thousand yards from the Trinity river. Our soil has a lot of clay about a foot down, very high water table and lots of rain spring/fall/winter. I intend to plant either 2 or 4 trees, cultivars about 7-9 feet tall. There are a lot of so called " Hog nut " trees around but not much in the way of bearing Pecan trees within a three mile radius.
I would also like to know if any one has ever heard of a very old cultivar named " Mississippi Giant ". It has a nut that looks like a Mahan to me.
Give me your suggestions please.
Thanks.
Richard

Richard,

Do the research. Call you local extension agent. Use the web resources such as: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/418/links.htm
Pay particular attention to the pecan breeding and genetics link.

Then go to http://www.texaspecannursery.com/

Given the area you live in, you might be able to grow Nacono, Wichita, Houma, Candy, Pawnee, Moreland, etc.

Mahan is Mississippi Giant. See http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/CARYA/PECANS/mahan.htm

Fusion

Fusion,
I have been doing the research and I just get more confused.
The Aggie web site you suggested shows, on one page that
Success is rated 1 for no scab lesions. On another page on the SAME website it is said to be very susceptible to scab.
When the same group contradicts itself I have a bit of a problem determining the correct answer.
I appreciate the suggestion of the website and the list of the pecan types.

Rem,

Ignore most of what they have to say about scab resistance. Quite simply put, their information is seriously dated. Don't touch Success with a 20 foot pole.

Here is a link to some varieties. I strongly suggest you consider Candy, Elliott, Creek, Moreland, and possibly Houma. Alabamapecangrowsers commercial
Here is the same link Bill Goff gave aboveAlabamapecangrowers Low Input

If you want to get some of the very high scab tolerant varieties, you will have to either graft your own(its what I am doing) or buy trees from Underwood or Dellwood nurseries

Fusion

Thanks Fusion, I'm trying my hand at grafting ( or will be in the early spring) with some Scions from a very old Mahan that I have in Shreveport. I am putting it on some native stock that has grown on its own in my yard. I'm not stuck on the Mahan, just that I have a unlimited amount of donor wood to try with.
Thanks for the info, my biggest concern is going to be choosing a location that isn't too wet for too long for the new trees.

Thanks again
Richard

"Posted by: SunnyCher 8 AL (My Page) on Fri, Sep 26, 03 at 23:36

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. ... 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?"

Well, they "produce" them all summer but harvest is usually in October.

"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."

Squirrels?

"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?"

It can be 'normal.' You didn't give the sequence of events but it might have been a late frost that killed the first leaves or it might be a lot of other things, including disease. But if you see no signs of disease and are not spraying them with zinc, that may be the culprit. Pecans need zinc to produce good leaves. Maybe the previous owner knew that.
"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."

There is plenty of pecan-tree care advice on the Internet and from your local agricultural extension agent. They can also help identify the kind of pecan tree you have. Is it obviously grafted or does it look like a native version? Can you send nuts for identification or find them on the web?

Tree "topping" was practiced for many years but is now discouraged. I gather it was designed to get the fruit closer to the ground, but modern techniques use tree shakers to harvest pecans and the height of the tree is a plus, not a minus.

would seriously concider mr goff as one of the leadin experts on pecan trees in the usa. you got any pecan books
look an see who wrote em chances are mr goff helped.
sure bill bunn would echo my words

small nc grower

For those interested in grafting their own trees of the scab resistant pecan cultivars we suggest from Auburn University, we have limited supplies of graftwood available free. Contact Cathy Browne clbrowne@aces.edu with requests. We recommend Syrup Mill, Jenkins, Gafford, Carter, and McMillan, plus the standard cultivar Elliott for scab prone areas in the humid SE.

Bill Goff
Professor of Horticulture and Extension Pecan Specialist
Auburn University

Well I guess I am the lucky one of the bunch. Pecan trees grow at the entry of my neighbor hood and there are nuts everywhere. I had a tree fall over during Floyd and a squirrel put a nut under ground in the smae site of the last tree and (tada) I have a pecan tree.Going on 3rd year and it is 10 feet tall already.It onlt gets ferts when I give the grass some and most of the time I forget to water it. It is 4 ft. from the street in full sun and doing GREAT. I say if you want a Pecan tree go out and find smoe nuts from a tree near you and plant them.

For those interested in grafting pecan trees, there is an excellent video from Kansas State University that demonstrates the 3 flap graft and the bark inlay graft.
The address is:
Kansas State University
Department of communications
301 Umberger Hall
Manhattan, Ks 66506-3402
Phone: 785-532-5830 orders
785-532-7938 fax

Also, If anyone is interested I have a small amount of scion wood avaliable for the following cultivars. Gloria Grande, Candy, stuart, and sumner.

I was going to apply some zinc to my pecan trees, but was wondering what the difference between zinc oxide and zinc sulfate was. I went to my local co-op and told them that I needed some zinc sulfate to put around my pecan tree. What I actually got was zinc oxide. Is there any difference and if so, what?

bradleyb i dont no the answer to your question i go to southern states an get the peacan special fert with zinc.

any of yall want to go to the southeastern peacan growers association convention it will be held at the beau rivage resort an casino biloxi mississippi march 2-3 2004

program chair
dr. bill goff
auburn university

The University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service has finally updated their information on pecan variety selection and cultivation for Florida.

I imagine it's going to be some years yet before we have any data on the performance in Florida of the recent Auburn variety releases.

The one Desirable that I planted continues to grow head and shoulders better than the other more preferred varieties that I have planted. Well, if it never makes a nut it ought to be a good pollenizer for the others, I suppose.

=====================
Highly Recommended Cultivars

Cape Fear: Cape Fear originated in North Carolina (Figure 10a ). It is protandrous and precocious. Pollen shedding in Cape Fear is very early. Elliott or Stuart are fair pollinizers for Cape Fear and vice versa. Cape Fear trees are vigorous and upright with an opened growth habit. It is a strong tree with a deep taproot. Cape Fear is moderately precocious. Cape Fear has been a consistent producer at the NFREC-Monticello. Nut weight is typically 7.5 to 8.2 g (58 nuts per pound) with a 55% kernel. Kernel color is light and attractive in appearance. Nut shape is broad oval to oblong. Shell thickness is medium-thin. Resistance to scab is good, and resistance to other leaf diseases is fair.

Elliott: The origin of Elliott is northwest Florida (Figure 10b ). It is protogynous. Elliott is not precocious, but more precocious than Stuart. Stigma receptivity occurs early in the season. Cape Fear and Desirable are good pollinizers for Elliott. Elliott is moderately vigorous and is a strong tree with a deep taproot. Elliott has produced a moderate-sized crop at the NFREC-Monticello. Nut size is small, typically 5.5 g (82 nuts per pound) with a 54% kernel. Nut shape is fairly round with a pointed apex. The shell is medium thick. Kernel color is light and quality and flavor is very good. Another redeeming quality of Elliott is excellent resistance to scab and other leaf diseases. Elliott has a low chilling requirement and is suited for areas further south than some other pecan cultivars.

Moreland: Moreland is a disease-resistant cultivar that has produced consistently high yields at the NFREC-Monticello (Figure 10c ). Moreland originated in Louisiana. Trees are moderately vigorous and produce a dense canopy. It is protogynous and moderately precocious. Cape Fear or Desirable is a good pollinizer for Moreland. Nut weight is about 8.2 g (55 nuts per pound) and percentage kernel is about 55%. It resembles Schley in appearance; however, it is not as bright in color and is harder to crack by hand and mechanically. Nut shape is slightly ovate to oblong and shell thickness is medium. Moreland is highly resistant to scab and other leaf diseases. Cape Fear is a good pollinizer for Moreland.

Recommended Cultivars

Curtis: Curtis was initially selected from a tree in Orange Heights, Florida ( Figure 11a ). Curtis is protogynous. Curtis is a good late season pollinizer. It has produced consistently high yields at the NFREC-Monticello. Nut size is small (5.0 to 5.5 g) and shape is slightly pointed toward the apex. Shell thickness is medium thin with 53% kernel. Kernels are dark and have a speckled appearance. It is adapted to regions further south than many cultivars as it has a low chilling requirement, but a high heat requirement for budbreak. The tree is of low to moderate vigor with slightly spreading upright growth. Curtis is fairly resistant to pecan scab and other leaf diseases; however, due to small nut size, a dark speckled kernel and late maturity it is not highly recommended.

Sumner: Sumner was a seedling selected in southern Georgia ( Figure 11b ). It is a largely overlooked cultivar. Trees of Sumner are moderately strong and upright in growth habit with a moderately open canopy. It is protogynous, precocious and prolific. Sumner is a good late-season pollinizer. Desirable is a suitable pollinizer for Sumner. Nut size is large (9.5 g or 48 nuts per pound). Overall nut quality is good, although kernels can be somewhat dark. Nut shape is oblong with an obtuse base and a pointed apex. Nut maturity is late. Sumner has a high resistance to scab and other leaf diseases.

Conditionally Recommended Cultivars

Stuart: Stuart is the most common pecan cultivar grown in the southeastern United States and in the world ( Figure 12a ). Some of the predominance of Stuart is the name recognition of this cultivar. Trees are strong and upright, and do not require as much training or pruning as other cultivars. One of the limitations of this cultivar is that it may take 10 years for it to come into bearing. Stuart is a late-season pollinizer. Stuart is protogynous, and is a good pollinizer for Desirable. Nut size is medium-large (8.3g or 52 nuts per pound). Nut shell is moderately thick. Nut shape is oblong to slightly ovate with a narrow basal end. Percentage kernel is usually low (often 45 %). Kernel color is average and quality is variable. Stuart was once resistant to scab, but is now considered moderately susceptible to scab and other leaf diseases. If Stuart is in a mature planting it is worthy of retention; however, since it is not precocious, it is not highly recommended for new plantings in Florida.

Desirable: Desirable originated in Mississippi ( Figure 12b ). It has been planted extensively in the southeastern United States, often as a pollinizer for Stuart. Wood of Desirable is weak. Desirable is protandrous and moderately precocious. Desirable produces abundant pollen early in the season and is a good pollinizer for many pecan cultivars. Nut size is large (9.5 g or 48 nuts per pound) with a 53% kernel. Kernel color is light and quality is good. The sides of the nut are concave and uneven. Desirable is said to be one of the most consistent cultivars in annual production in Georgia, but has not been a consistent producer in Florida. Desirable is susceptible to scab and other leaf diseases, and should only be grown in Florida under a strict fungicide spray program.

Gloria Grande: Gloria Grande was discovered in South Carolina ( Figure 12c ). It is a strong tree and resembles Stuart in tree and nut characteristics. Tree growth habit is even more upright than that of Stuart. It is protogynous, but not precocious. Nut size is large (9.6 g or 47 nuts per pound). Nut fill is higher than Stuart and is usually in the range of 52 %. Kernel quality is good and color is light. Nut shape is oblong with an obtuse apex and base. Shell thickness is moderately thick. Gloria Grande is a late-season pollinizer. Desirable is a suitable pollinizer for Gloria Grande. Resistance to scab and other leaf diseases is high. Gloria Grande is a possible replacement for Stuart; however, because of insufficient experience with this cultivar in Florida it can only be conditionally recommended at this time.
================================

.....Alan.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Pecan Tree

I am a commercial grower of pecan trees and I have purchased more trees than I am going to plant for this year. Any ideas on where I can find people that need pecan trees to plant this year?

We are interested in getting some pecan trees to plant this year. I would appreciate it if jkemp01 could contact me to let me know the varieties of trees he has and how many. We are Americans living in the south of France and we have been unable to find pecan trees from greenhouses in Europe. Also, in the event that shipping is prohibative, if anyone has information on the availability of Pecan trees in Europe, it would be appreciated. We have a British neighbor who is also looking for trees for his farm.

I am interested in some pecan trees including the 'Jenkins'. Would like jkempo1 to please contact me about varieties he has. I am in the FL panhandle. Thanks.

Does anyone know anything about grafting mature pecan trees? It is an old art that seems to have died out. My uncle was the last one to use this method in north Fl but he died in late 80's. He built scaffolding in Mature trees, cut big limbs off and using a double bladed knife, he grafted different varieties of pecans in same tree. Using this method it only took very little time before tree starts producing fruit. Thanks

You can graft branches to 3-4 inches. Try your master gardeners for info on local grafting expertise.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pecan grafting

I want to purchase native pecan seedlings for grafting class. Any one knowing a source, please contact.

I recently planted Sumner and Elliott trees which I purchased in buckets. They did well. I ordered 8 expensive Caddo trees from Ty Ty nursery in Georgia. They arrived with dry roots. The man at their nursery said they was okay and sometimes good. Guess what they Died.

No help from Ty Ty Nursery. In short, do not order from them. The gel packing that comes with the trees is of little benefit.

Thanks

on a whim at Lowe's I bought Stuart and Desireable trees. Now I start researching pecans and I see that they are not worth planting? Should I throw them out and look for other cultivars? Can someone please tell me that these will be rewarding, or did I just by weeds? Thank you.

I want to plant 4 or 5 pecan trees here in Ocala. I've read a lot on the pros and cons and I don't want to waste my time or money. Any professional opinions? Thanks.

Foo,

Do your due diligence. Spend some time investigating the various pecan websites and find out what will and what will not work for you.

That said, you can learn a lot from the Alabama pecan growers website.

Alapecan

Fusion

Hi, i'm in south Louisiana and purchased 2 pecan trees today from my local Homedepot the Pawnee & Kiowa, are these good trees to plant in south Louisiana? and will these 2 cross pollinate with each other or do i need another variety? or what veriety of large pappershell nut pecan trees are best to plant in south Louisiana? any help is appreciated.

Pawnee and Kiowa are good choices from a pollination standpoint, but both will likely scab in some years at your location to the point that the nuts will be worthless. It's hard to say how many years.

You could do worse buying randomly, but you could also have done better.

Nineteen years ago I planted 30 Elliots that I grew from seed and 10 years ago I added some Curtis and Stuarts. The Elliots did not bear until last year...the husks and shells were beautiful but, none had any meat. What have I done wrong or what can be the problem...it is an undeniable disappointment! My soil is sandy...the pecans get plenty of rain in the summer but, endure yearly our spring drought.
Why don't my pecan nuts have meat? I am in Gainesville, FL. Thanks!

Did they not have good kernels (meat) just this first year of production, or are you saying that they have grown the pecans in other years but the shells never had good kernels in any of the years?

From your post it appears you grew the trees from the nuts of Elliot trees, but never grafted them over to Elliot or any another variety. If this is the case, you do not have Elliot trees, you have "seedling" trees from Elliot nuts, because the trees do not grow true to seed.

Newbie here. We own land east of Jasper, TX, south of Hemphill on the Toledo Bend Reservoir. We want to plant some pecan trees. When is the best time to plant - spring or fall? Our soil is very sandy.

My wife and I live on a family farm that goes back over 100 years. We have 6 old pecan trees (2.5 - 3 ft diameter) that bear every two years. Older family members are all deceased and we only know of one tree that my mother-in-law referred to as a Stuart. The others have different shaped and sized nuts. This is a bumper crop year and we're trying o identify nuts from the other trees. I followed a link from this site to a UFL site that did have some photos. However the resolution was poor and I'm unable to identify nuts from the pics and descriptions.

Does anyone know of a link with good identification pics/descriptors? Thanks in advance for any assistance. This is a great site and I've learned a lot from the discussions.

Texas pecan cultivar index

The link above is to the texas pecan repository with both descriptions and photos of pecan varieties. Some of the older varieties you might look at are Schley, Stuart, Pabst, Burkett, curtis, Davis, Desirable, Elliott, Frotscher, All that start with G, Jackson, Jubilee, Mahan, Moneymaker, Owens, Pabst, San Saba, Success, Wesern, and Van Deman.

The only other caution is that it is almost impossible to identify a tree solely from the nut characteristics. Some are really easy such as Schley with its extra thin shell or Success with its unique shape. Said another way, if you really want the trees identified, the best chance is to either get someone who really knows pecans to look at both trees and nuts or else send leaf samples off for dna tests.

Fusion

Husband and I bought a house on one acre, in MD. filled with mature fruit- (apples, cherry, peach, pear, plum, fig, grape vines)and nut trees, black walnuts and pecan. We don't know much about how to care for these trees and they are HUGE to reach with spraying and picking....ONE huge Pecan tree just gave us the best nuts in 5 years just last oct-dec 07. Strange, the year prior (06) I fertilized that big old pecan with a simple package of a run of the mill fruit / nut spike(s) (hammered to a powder and distributed @ dripline) and some cow manure tossed in for good measure and the following year it produced at least 100 lb of big fat meaty delicious pecans..Don't know what the pecan variety is, the pecans each have some black stripes on them. They have a maple like flavor too. I have bags of pecans hanging all along our basement stairs in orange mesh onion bags I've saved for this reason. Been giving them away, and snacking on them daily. I never knew wind could be such a friend until now, they helped those nuts drop and early morning and evening picking helped me get first dibs before the squirrels. Searching for all the advise help I can get for my mini orchard here! The rest of the yard is veggie and flower garden.. some day soon Stan won't have to cut too much grass! Question, do Pecans only produce every other year? This is a nice site to read and learn from. Any advise is most welcome!

I've just discovered this discussion. Very good stuff. I don't see any mention of the "Southeastern Pecan Growers Handbook". It's a wonderful introduction and reference to growing Pecans. In 200+ pages, it covers just about everything I can think of that a Pecan grower would want to know.

Some of the contributors to this discussion wrote sections of the Handbook. Maybe they feel that it's too oriented to commercial Pecan production to mention here. I think anyone with any interest in Pecans would enjoy at least browsing in it. The articles are detailed and "hands-on" but clearly written and do not require a technical background to understand.

As the title indicates, some of the information is specific to the Southeast. If you live in other parts of the country, you'll want to talk to your local experts before you act on any of the advice in the Handbook but it will at least tell you the kinds of things you need to think and talk about.

The first edition was published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service in 1989 as Circular ANR-459. It was updated by the Georgia College of Ag. and Env. Sciences in 2007 as Bulletin 1327. I do not see where the new version differs enough from the older version to matter a lot unless you're a commercial grower. If there's much Pecan farming where you live, you can probably find one version or the other in local Extension Service offices or public libraries. The new version can be purchased at http://www.tifton.uga.edu/ugapecan/handbook.htm for $38.

p.s.
I know this post reads like an advertisement for the Handbook. I don't know any of the authors except some that I've met at meetings and will not benefit in any way from sales of the Handbook. The post is really a testimonial. I inherited a Pecan orchard 6 years ago in a part of the country where there aren't any experts to talk to. I'm still not very good at growing Pecans but I'd have given up a long time ago without the Handbook.

Here is a link that might be useful: Southeastern Pecan Growers Handbook

I purchased about 5 of hand book first was in 1989 I've seen every insect in that book in my orchard in Georgia only twice have seen pecan wasp I can see how one could live long life time and never see one. Prunning was very helpfull first year I gave my planting in Jan.1988 some of everyday time planted 1000 trees 5' to 6' feet tall lost 1 tree that year had bad root but put in ground because it easier to mark spot by planting tree. In 1989 lost one to sun damage third year with intense care they produce 25 lbs nuts apiece adverage to this day I know it was 3 lbs zinc sulfate that add each tree ever year. I never beable to read leaf sample without that book it is great one.

I live in Southeast Michigan. My wife has her heart set on growing pecans in our yard. I've been researching and was close to purchasing some varieties that probably wouldn't have worked for me. It's a good thing I found this thread. Can anybody recommend a variety that will bear and an online nursery?

do your due diligence jus256. http://www.nolinnursery.com/ and http://www.grimonut.com/

DarJones

jus256,
I have a couple of friends in MI(Flint and Eaton Rapids) who grow pecans; you'll need some of the northern/midwestern/far-northern selections, in order to get nuts to mature in your short/low growing-degree-day season, but it can be done.

NRTN is a good source, as is Grimo's. John H. Gordon, Jr. in Amherst NY also offers some good northern/far-northern pecans and other nut trees.
Check out the Northern Nut Growers Assn. website. I've linked the MI NGA website below - there may be members in your area who can point you to varieties that are proven performers there, as well as other potential sources.

Here is a link that might be useful: Michigan Nutgrowers Association.

I have always wanted an elliot pecan tree and live in the florida panhandle but do i need to plants two trees, one for pollination as well as my elliot tree in order for it to produce nuts?

Angel,
Pecans are wind-pollenated - if there are other pecans within 1/2 to 1 mile of you (I'm betting that there are!) you don't have to have a second tree to get decent crops of nuts.

Actually, pollenizers within 150-200 ft are needed for effective pollination.

I have been growing my own rootstock by planting 6 nuts in one location in the fall, marking the location with a 3/4" PVC (so I don't lose it and mow it) and bury a 24" long 6" dia. PVC pipe to water it. I graft them with scions I order from suppliers recommended by Oklahoma State University. OSU has grafting instructions online. It's not that hard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pecan Tree Growing & Grafting

UF did an 11 year study of 26 pecan cultivars in North Florida and their top three recommendations are Elliot, Moreland, and Sumner.

This is the best link I could find on the subject, with many charts about performance, etc.

Unfortunately, it only lists pollination type, and does not have a cultivar pollination compatibility chart. The pollination charts from UGA and LSU have conflicting info, so the lack of a pollination chart for our area is definitely a need it would be great to have filled.

For instance, UGA says Elliot would be a perfect pollinator for Moreland, but they are both Type II (protogynous,) so how does that work?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pecan Cultivars for North Florida

Here is a link to the Alabama pollination chart.

pollination chart

If anyone is looking for trees, Ison's has some of the newest recommendations from the Alabama Pecan Growers website. Here is the APGA website: http://www.alabamapecangrowers.com/cultivars.html

And here is a link to Isons http://www.isons.com/ and to the pecan page http://store.isons.com/pecan-trees

They have Amling, Ellis, Elliott, Sumner, and Zinner of the scab tolerant recommendations. These are southern pecans and unlikely to be viable further north than Tennessee. Elliott, and Sumner in particular appear to be cold susceptible. I don't know about Amling, Ellis, and Zinner yet.