Check on pecan trees as spring begins
Spring is here and the days are beginning to get longer! Thank goodness! I am so tired of getting home and only having an hour or so before dark. Not only is spring a good time to start working around your yard but it is great time to start preparing your pecan trees for a year of production.
Warning! Pecan trees are usually very large and can be very problematic in terms of insects and disease. You ask, “Why is he telling me this here?” The reason is because you can do everything correct as far as watering, fertilizing and pruning and still not get a pecan crop due to insects or disease.
You ask how to fix these? Well a spray can help but who has a sprayer in North Georgia that can spray 50-70 feet up in the air to completely cover the canopy? No one! However, caring for your trees will cause them to not only look better but also have a better chance of producing pecans.
First, prune any dead or low limbs. The dead limbs only cause structural damage and no one wants to be hit in the face by a limb while walking or mowing. Make sure to remove limbs as close to the tree as possible but not to dissect the branch collar, which is the raised area next to the trunk.
Take soil samples, add lime and fertilizer as suggested. Remember to make sure the grass around the tree is good with the fertilizer and lime that you are putting down.
If you are planting new trees make sure and get insect and disease resistant varieties and preferably a smaller pecan. If you are not planning on irrigating during drought, the smaller nuts will fill easier then larger ones. No, smaller pecans are not favorable but a small pecan is better then no pecan!
If you have any questions regarding pecan tree production, you are welcome to contact the extension office at 770-749-2142 or email uge2233@ uga.edu.
For more information and details on upcoming events, check out the Polk County Extension office on Facebook by searching “UGA Extension Polk County.”