The orchard is in full growth of tasty pecans. We did not experience the June drop but with the load of pecans on trees we may have to shake to lighten the load depending on the development of the nutlets. Our orchards have not hit the water stage yet. It usually begins in our area in late July. Currently the pecans need three things to grow and thrive. Those are water, food, and sunshine.
- Water-We can only supplement water and therefore rain is a MUST for a top-quality crop. Pecans require at least 12 inches during the growing season. Currently we are supplementing the trees with 1 to 2 inches per week. We need RAIN! We cannot provide the nuts all they need.
- Food-Zinc and Nitrogen are major food sources for pecans. We have to feed the crop to produce! Fertilizers of zinc and nitrogen are applied many times throughout the growing season.
- Sunlight-The canopy in the orchard needs to be small and compact. In June and July at 12 o’clock noon you need to see at LEAST 50% on the orchard floor or your pecans are not getting all the sunlight they require. Sunlight must be allowed around the whole tree.
Our trees are spaced 30 X 30 around the majority of our orchard. If trees are not receiving enough sunlight then we must plan to start the hedging process as soon as harvest is over.
No only are we feeding with zinc and nitrogen, giving pecans the supplement water through irrigation, and watching sunlight throughout the orchard we must continue other care also. We are shredding middles and applying herbicide under the trees to prevent grass growth that can slow us during the harvest time. We watch and protect the crop from crop pests as needed throughout the growing season. Stop by back in a few weeks and let’s look at the growth in the pecans.
