Although fall can be a rare season weather-wise in Eddy Countyit is a season of great anticipation for pecan growers whether they have one tree or several thousand. Those of us who cherish such nuts know that the taste of that first fresh nut of the season (properly dried, of course) is something to behold. However, many times the crop is lost long before we can ever harvest a single nut.
The pecan is a most unique horticultural crop in that it stays on the tree from May until October and sometimes December.That's a long time! Another interesting characteristic is how the nut develops, that is.The nut is full sized by the end of July with absolutely no kernel inside. Hence, if growing conditions are favorable early in the season, one will have large pecans.Then, if it turns dry later,the nuts will be poorly filled. So, although there are years when trees have super good nuts regardless of what we do, there are a lot more factors involved in production than meets the eye.
Premature nut drop in summer may have been caused by a lack of pollination, insect damage and/or stress. Pecans require cross pollination, but with all the pecan trees around, it is rare for there to be a lack of pollen. However, unfavorable environmental conditions such as heavy rain or hot dry winds during bloom could cause pollination problems and result in nut drop when the nuts are small.
Another common cause of early drop is insect damage. The first generation pecan nut casebearer can cause a lot of drop. Nuts with such damage will be characterized by an exit hole covered by frazz. There can be as many as three generations a year. Usually the first generation causes the most damage, but this can vary from year to year. Other insect feeding on the nuts before shell hardening will also cause the nuts to drop. Insect puncture by stink bugs will cause interior nut discoloration and later drop. Nuts which drop with no interior discoloration is caused by physiological drop or stress, not enough water or too much. However, once the nut shell becomes hard,the nut will no longer drop from stress, rather the leaves drop resulting in little to no filling of the nuts.
Poor shuck opening can be caused by either, third generation casebearer damage and/or stress. A common late season problem in many locations is casebearer. Such nuts will have black lesions, which can be spongy. When one cuts into the lesion, one will find a small white larva or worm tunneling in the shuck. Early damage will cause shucks not to open, and later damage causes poorly filled nuts. If the first generation is controlled, this is usually not an issue.Excessive feeding by stink bugs will also cause nuts not to open.
A similar shuck problem where the shucks will not open can be caused by stress. There are no apparent insect problems in the shuck, and the kernel is usually shriveled. Such "stick?tights" are caused by drought and heat stress in September and October. Pecans require water right up until the time of shuck split to reduce this problem. Nuts sprouting in the shuck before harvest (vivipary) are also reduced by late season water and/or stress reduction.I have gotten some brought in this year mostly of different varieties than Western or Wichita.The problem seem to be in a few Burkerts, Pawneeand Mohawk.
A similar shuck problem where the shucks will not open can be caused by stress. There are no apparent insect problems in the shuck and the kernel is usually shriveled. Such "stick?tights" are caused by drought and heat stress in September and October. Pecans require water right up until the time of shuck split to reduce this problem. Nuts sprouting in the shuck before harvest (vivipary) are also reduced by late season water and/or stress reduction.
Black spots on the kernels are caused by stink bugs feeding on the nuts after the shell hardened. The black spots on the kernels are bitter,inedible and can be severe in some years. However, the damage is undetected until the nuts are shelled. Such nuts can be salvaged by breaking off the spot if minor.
Another common problem found at shelling is fuzz on the surface of the kernels. This fuzz is typically caused by stress such as drought. It is a very common problem on trees with too many pecans. Also nuts maturing on broken limbs generally have a lot of fuzz.
So, when one askswhat happened to theirpecans,the answer is usually not simple. Rather it is a combination of factors which caused the problem or problems. Poorly filled kernels can be caused by all of the following: crowded trees, overloaded tress, shallow soil, late summer drought stress, casebearer damage, stink bug damage, oversized nuts and poor nutrition. Thus, one can understand what a tremendous challenge pecan production can be for the commercial producers to produce quality nuts year in and out. Also, the price you have to pay for quality kernels should not seem unreasonable.
Alternate pecan production (on and off years) is mainly the result of inadequate fertilization. When trees set a large nut crop, there are not enough nutrients for both that year's nuts to mature and for the tree to store enough plant food for adequate production in the following year.
Birds and squirrels are not the only animals that eat pecans. If your pecans are being eaten, it might also be other nut-loving pests such as raccoons, possums, mice, hogs, and even cows.
During many years a lack of pollination causes the greatest loss of nuts. Since pecans are wind-pollinated only, excessive rainfall during the spring bloom prevents pollination as noted earlier, and the poorly pollinated flowers produce small nuts that subsequently abort.
Pecan nut and leaf drop in late summer is caused by water stress or injury by insects and/or disease. Young nuts are very sensitive now and will abort at the onset of any stress. Water slowly and deeply and control insects and disease with a Malathion-benomyl spray.
For many varieties, this is the nut drop we are seeing now. This is something that occurs annually and is a natural aspect of the pecan tree. They will lose a certain percentage of nuts each year. It may be worse on some varieties than others and worse in some years than in others, depending on pollination, etc.
Drought, particularly in August and September when pecan nuts are filling out, is a common cause of poorly filled pecans. Pecan trees growing in deep sandy soils are more likely to produce small, shriveled nuts because water drains too quickly from these soils, allowing trees to dry out between rainfalls.
A. I'm afraid there are few methods that may solve -- or ease -- the problem of squirrels stealing pecans from large trees. You could try wrapping a 2-foot wide metal barrier around the trunk to prevent the animals from climbing up into the tree. Remove any branches that are less than six feet from the ground.
During the summer they score the pecan branches to keep their teeth sharpened. (They grow constantly.) They will riddle high branches, sending chunks of bark to the ground.The branch dies from that point outward, eventually drying and falling to the ground.
For pecan trees to bare nuts you will need two or more different cultivars, as they require cross pollination for maximum productivity. Pecan trees do not bear fruit until they are between the ages of four and 12 years old and that is determined by the cultivar.
Fertilizer. Your soil is the food your pecan tree uses to feed itself and eventually produce delicious nuts. Fertile soil will give you the best chance at a successful harvest. Georgia pecan trees will usually require at least one fertilizer treatment each year to keep them healthy.
Drought stress affects nut size and filling, as well as leaf and shoots growth. Adequate soil moisture is important at bud break for stimulating strong, vigorous growth. Good soil moisture during the bloom stage of development through shell hardening will insure good pecan size.
Alternate bearing in pecan production means that a tree bears a relatively heavy crop of nuts one year and a lighter one the next. It is characteristic of pecan trees and other hardwood forest trees.
Mature pecan trees will drop their nuts between September and November. Your pecans will start off with a green outer shell called a husk. As the pecans inside start to ripen, the husks will turn brown and eventually begin to crack. That's when you know the pecans will start falling soon.
Planting improved grafted varieties on poor soil is the most common reason pecan trees die in Texas. When no irrigation, no zinc, no nitrogen, no weed control, no insect management, no disease prevention are combined with a heavy crop on pecan trees growing on poor soil, death could be expected.
Masting trees will have exceptionally light to no crops of acorns or nuts in the year or two following heavy seed years. This is the case because the tree expends so much energy creating the 'mast' crop, it doesn't have enough energy left to generate more seed too soon.
The general pecan harvest season starts in September and continues through November. Still, just because it's harvest season doesn't mean the pecans are ready to drop. Nature will let you know when the pecans are ready for harvesting, and this can take time.
Drought stress affects nut size and filling, as well as leaf and shoot growth. Adequate soil moisture is important at bud break in order to stimulate strong, vigorous growth, from bloom through shell hardening for nut size, and during the nut filling stage for optimizing kernel percentage.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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