Life and Times in a Pecan Orchard
Pecans are Really Drupes
Pecans, despite commonly being referred to as nuts, are botanically classified as drupes, which are fruits. Unlike nuts, which have seeds within a hard pod, drupes like pecans have a fleshy outer part with a shell or pit inside.
The nuts we eat from pecan trees are, in fact, the seeds inside the hard covering rather than the fruit. Notably, peaches and plums also fall into the drupe category, but we typically consume only the outer part of these fruits. Chestnuts and acorns, however, are true nuts.
They’re In No Hurry
Pecan trees can reach heights of 100 feet with a 70-foot spread. While many fruit trees bear fruit within the first 1-5 years after planting, pecan trees take 2-10 years to mature.
Remarkably, some pecan trees in the Mississippi Delta may even be 1,000 years old, and those at George Washington’s Mount Vernon are the oldest living trees on the property.
The time to maturity depends on factors such as propagation methods, varieties, and environmental conditions, with drastic vegetative growth playing a role in the development of a robust root system, increased height, and branching.
They’re Very Very Thirsty
Mature pecan trees demand up to 350 gallons of water per day during the nut-filling stage. With high water requirements, pecans use around 60 inches of total water during the growing season.
Despite some rainfall meeting part of this demand, periods of moisture stress occur during peak water demand in August and September. In the face of increasing agricultural water use and declining groundwater levels, irrigation efficiency becomes crucial for sustainability.
They Require Grooming
Pruning is essential to prevent the development of multiple trunks in trees. To promote healthy growth, pruning should be done minimally, leaving a higher number of leaves to facilitate rapid tree growth. Early removal of narrow crotches prevents serious splitting during heavy production.
Pruning, often done in winter, eliminates excess growth obstructing normal operations and removes improperly growing limbs below head height.
How they Reproduce
Pecans exhibit separate male and female flowers on the same trees. Male flowers, or catkins, are produced from lateral buds on the previous season’s growth, while female flowers, resembling tiny nut-like structures, develop at the end of the current season’s growth.
Pecans are wind-pollinated, with pollination occurring when viable pollen reaches the flared tips or stigmas of female flowers.
To ensure effective pollination, planting both Type I (protandrous) and Type II (protogynous) pecan trees within a half mile of each other is essential.
Every pecan variety falls into either the protandrous or protogynous category. While pecan trees can self-pollinate, their efficiency is limited.
Type I pecans have catkins that appear before female nutlets become receptive, while Type II pecans have receptive nutlets before catkins shed pollen. To ensure a robust fruit set in the orchard, we strategically plant compatible varieties in close proximity.
This meticulous planting approach guarantees the quality and abundance of pecans expected from Better Halves Pecans in the upcoming fall harvest.
