Selecting pecan trees for your home
Establishing a stand of pecan trees can be extremely rewarding, and it is not as much work as you would think to have a great yield and healthy trees. The keys to success are correct spacing, adequate sunshine, selecting the right cultivar, and proper establishment.
Once you purchase your trees it is pivotal to select the best location so that the trees will have enough room once they are mature. Most pecan trees will be about 50-60 feet wide, and having space in between the trees will be vital to their success and to ensure that each tree will receive the amount of sunlight it needs. Proper sunlight will help with consistent yields and lessening disease. After you have chosen the proper location you will need to select the right cultivar. Pecan trees are notorious for pecan scab that will consistently eliminate the entire crop of susceptible varieties. However, there are plenty of cultivars that would be beneficial for home owners looking at growing pecan trees.
The Amling cultivar offers very strong disease and insect resistant with a medium sized oily kernel, and the Avalon cultivar offers excellent scab resistance and high consistent yields. Additionally, the Avalon produces large-sized nuts. There are several other cultivars that would be successful in a non-commercial setting, but it is not recommended for homeowners to plant Desirable, Stuart, Pawnee, Byrd, Morrill, etc. cultivars. These cultivars will require consistent fungicide sprays and the equipment to be able to apply fungicide evenly on the entire tree. Furthermore, many cultivars planted in commercial productions require shaking and hedging of the trees to control excessive fruiting in the summer. Therefore, by selecting one of the ‘home cultivars’, you will not have the expense of pesticides and labor costs that commercial producers have.
After the right cultivar has been selected and planted, it is imperative during early growth to ensure the trees are watered, weeds are controlled, and nitrogen is applied. The soil around the newly planted tree should stay moist, and there should be no grass or weeds within 6 feet of the trunk. Mulching the grassless and weed free area not only will aid in preventing light from causing other weed seeds to germinate, but it will hold in moisture as well.
For more information on growing pecan trees, please contact Brennan Jackson at the Jones County Extension office at (478) 986-3958 or email brennan4@uga.edu.
