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Time to set out pecan weevil traps
Today, we set out several pecan weevil traps on trees that we expect to find plenty of weevils (photo at right). With all the rainfall we have received this week, soil conditions should be perfect...
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Mid-summer tree training of newly grafted pecan tree
During the first summer after grafting a tree, I spent a lot of time pruning and training the scion's new growth to ensure I create a tree with a dominant central leader. The tree pictured at right...
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Pecan development: 4 August 2016
For some reason, the normal timing of pecan fruit development is a little off this year. Today, I collected nut samples from several cultivars and cut them open to check on kernel development. The...
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Fall webworm females laying eggs to start second summer generation
I was mowing my pecan grove when I spotted a female fall webworm moth laying a cluster of eggs (photo at right). This egg mass represents the start of a second generation of caterpillars that will...
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Mid-summer tree shaking to improve kernel quality
As the pecans on our trees approach full size, it's a lot easier to see the crop load produced by each pecan cultivar. The photo at right shows a Pawnee tree with limbs already bending down with an...
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Pecan scab causes nut drop
Over the past few years, we have set out nut drop cages to monitor the causes of nut abortion over the summer months. The trees in this trial are not treated with insecticides or fungicides and...
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Pecan development: 12 August 2016
Another week of summer has past and its time to check on nut development.This week Kanza has achieved full water stage. Pawnee seem to be catching up to Kanza. Pawnee kernel halves have grown to...
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Black-margined aphids create sticky leaves
This week, I noticed the appearance droplets of sticky sap spotting the leaves of our pecan trees (photo at right). In fact, when standing in the shade of one of our pecan trees, I could feel tiny...
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Nut Development: Shellbark hickory vs. Pecan
Over the past several weeks, I've been recording the development of several pecan cultivars. Hopefully, you have been able to see differences in the rate of kernel development between early ripening...
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Kernel filling: 22 August 2016
August is the month when pecan kernels start to fill. This morning I collected some nut samples from several cultivars and cut them in half to reveal the stage of kernel fill. Warren 346 is one of...
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Squirrels feeding on pecans already
All summer long, we have been collecting nuts that drop from native pecan trees in drop cages. In most cases these dropped nuts were damaged by stink bugs, shuckworm, casebearer, or pecan scab....
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Late summer graft maintence
In late summer, a new graft always seems to want to develop a bushy top (photo at right). This is especially a problem when fairly large trees are top-worked with a bark graft and the scion...
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Spraying for stinkbugs and aphids
We've waited all during the month of August for enough rain to cause pecan weevil to emerge. And we are still waiting. In the mean time, two other insect pests have become potential problems. In...
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Pecans kernel fill: 1 Sept. 2016
By the first day of September all of our pecan cultivars were actively packing kernel into their nut shells. However, when I cut open nuts from different cultivars I still noted differences in the...
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Late summer graft maintenance
Earlier this year, I posted some photos of grafting onto a sprout growing from a coppiced tree. Four months later the scion has sprouted a new shoot over 6 feet in height. Its amazing how a...
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Early ripening pecan cultivars splitting their shucks
Warren 346, 19 Sept 2016 Today, I spent some time in our pecan cultivar trials and found that some of our early ripening cultivars have started to mature. I found eight cultivars with a majority of...
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Late season pecan kernel filling
During the first half of September we received several, much-needed rain showers. The additional moisture has had a big impact on pecan kernel fill, helping to fully pack the inside of the shell...
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More early ripening pecan cultivars
Colby, 23 Sept 2016 After a week of warm and dry weather, I searched our pecan cultivar trials for more nuts that have split open their shucks. This time I found several USDA clones ripe as well as...
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More pecan cultivars ripen in late September
Faith, 26 Sept 2016 Today was a beautiful day go to the field and look for more cultivars with split shucks. The cultivars shown at right and below are all pecans that we haven't gained a lot of...
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Scab masks actual ripening date
Over the past two weeks I've been trying to make a photographic record of when pecan cultivars ripen at the Pecan Experiment Field. But when it came to determine a shuck-split date for Hirschi, the...
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