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  • From: EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Pecan trees from seed
  • Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:08:39 -0400

Rob, I talked to a pecan expert from UGA a couple of years ago and he recommended Kanza as a variety for my colder zone. You might consider that, too. Dr. Conner pointed me to this page for variety comparison.
http://sacs.cpes.peachnet.edu/pecan/Cultivar%20Intro.htm
You can link out from there to read more about pollinators, disease resistance and such. Conner made sense. I am a homeowner and being so, I have different considerations than a commercial op and that should guide my decision. I don't have the equipment nor inclination to spray for disease.
I bought my Kanza and planted it in Dec of 2006. I also bought two Pawnees for pollination. One of the Pawnees was DOA, never broke dormancy, but the other two trees are doing great, especially my Kanza, which is a picture perfect 7 foot tree. Yeah, it was expensive, but I hope the extra I paid to special order it will be a good investment.
That northern pecan is a closer cross to a hickory....genetically. It still looks like a pecan, of course. Basically, they are pollinators.
A word of advice from someone who spent weeks on this issue a few years back. Don't be too swayed by the raves and reviews of commercial growers. I know you are like me in that you don't care if you don't have maximum yield or the largest kernel size...what you want is a reliable pecan that tastes good and is relatively easy to shell and a tree that will be disease resistant in our zone 7 humidity and cold.
When I get a first crop from my Kanza, I'll send you some...had I bought the tree when I first 'met' ya, I'd already have the nuts for you...lol..but what you would get is a Kanza/Pawnee cross..no telling what kind of tree that would produce or what might pollinate it.
Oh and I have planted from seed,,,last year in fact, but a squirrel apparently robbed my stash. I did plant about 4 inches deep. Forgot the hardware cloth.

Bev

Robert Walton wrote:
I went to Chase City today. It's a town 20 miles from here and there
are lots of Pecan trees growing there. They are smaller Pecans than
the ones you get from far south. I bought a couple of trees a couple
of years ago, Stuart and Desirable. I'm hoping that they will ripen
nuts here.

I'd like some more trees, but I'm just fine with the Chase City
smaller pecans. They taste great and crack well enough. I'm thinking
to plant some trees from seed. I stole a few today growing in front of
a church (in the swale). But I've got a friend that lives there and
will give me some seeds.

I was reading a web page that talks about stratification and not
freezing the seeds, that would kill them. Now, I'm thinking if I bury
the seeds 4 inches, they should be just fine. But maybe I'm wrong. The
ground freezes here but not that deep in a normal year. Anyone planted
pecans from seed?

Also, what is a northern or hardy pecan? I understand it's a variety
for northern reaches, but what zone? Are they grafts or seedlings? I'm
thinking that growing from local seed has to get me a pecan that would
bear here. If they don't give lots of nuts or big ones, they still
make nice trees.




  • Re: [Homestead] Pecan trees from seed, EarthNSky, 10/16/2008

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