EXTENSION REPORT

PECAN TREE PLANTING TIPS

                Pecan trees are normally planted between December 1 and early March but December and January are the best time to plant trees.  If an individual wishes to plant 20 to 30 trees on his property then he should select varieties that have good resistance to pecan scab and other pests because spraying trees is especially difficult once they get very large.  During wet years pecan scab will severely defoliate many pecan varieties even when recommended fungicide sprays are regularly applied. Also, immature scabby pecans will fall prematurely before harvest or fail to fill. Recommended varieties with excellent pecan scab resistance include Gafford, Excel, and Amling. Other varieties with good pecan scab resistance include McMillan, Elliot, and Sumner. Check alabamapecangrowers.com or me at 937-7176 for nursery sources of these varieties.

            Pecans are classified into two pollination types based on flowering habit. Type I cultivars shed their pollen first and Type II cultivars form pistillate flowers first. Generally, the more different cultivars in the planting, the greater the chance for cross-pollination, especially if the cultivars planted include at least one of each pollination type. A single cultivar often is not self-pollinating and nuts that do result from self-pollinating may be smaller and of poorer quality.  Amling and Gafford are type I varieties. Excel, Elliot, Sumner and McMillan are type II varieties. Avoid trees that are whip grafted right at the soil surface.  Request your nurseryman to provide trees that are budded or which have the graft at least two feet high on the seedling stock.

            Trees do best when planted in a sandy loam soil.  Trees planted on deep sandy soils require more careful management, while trees planted on poorly drained soils will not thrive.  Subsoil to a depth of 24 to 30 inches and apply lime and fertilizer according to soil test recommendations.  Young pecan trees grow best when the soil pH is 6.5 to 7.0.  Set the trees in holes dug wide enough to accommodate the roots without bending any of the roots.  Plant trees at the same depth they stood at the nursery. 

Arrange the roots in their natural position, and fill the hole about three fourths full with soil that was removed from the hole.  Then fill the hole with water until it reaches the top of the soil in the hole.  Fill the remainder of the hole with soil, leaving the surface unpacked to allow water to penetrate easily.  For the first few months after planting, trees should be watered each week that it doesn’t rain. Aggressive weed control in the first 2 seasons is an important key to tree survival and early growth. Mulching with an organic mulch, like leaves or pine straw is helpful.

Plant trees 70 to 80 feet apart if you do not plan to thin the trees later.  Trees planted 35 to 40 feet apart will need to be thinned in 15 to 20 years.  After planting, wrap the trees with duct pipe insulation to a height of 2 feet above the ground.  This will help protect the trees from freeze damage, and prevent contact of herbicides with the trunk.  Place the aluminum foil side away from the tree and tape the top of the insulation tightly around the tree to prevent water from seeping between the tree and the insulating material.  This material can be obtained from most plumbing supply stores.

Turfgrass Road Show

            There will be a Turfgrass Road Show sponsored by the Alabama Turfgrass Association (ATA). The meeting will be at the Fairhope Municipal Football Stadium Fieldhouse on January 17. Registration is $40 for ATA members and $50 for non members. The meeting will begin with registration at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 3:15 p.m. For more information, call 1-866-246-4203. Pesticide recertification, GCSAA, and Certified Crop Advisory points will be offered.

Email address: mcquegj@aces.edu
Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.