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Post by coppice on Jan 10, 2011 11:11:33 GMT -5
I'm sure there are places this tree cannot be grown. That said there is a whole lot more of the lower 48 where northern hearty examples do just fine.
Oh a Georgia orchardist will sneer at unimproved northern hearty pecan. Let 'em. The shell is a little thicker, the nut a bit less long, and is every bit as yummy as that southern orchardists pride and joy. Buy yours from a northern arborist. Hearty to at least zone 4.
Mississipian culture indians planted this tree as far north as Michigan. If you have the space I heartily reccomend you plant two or three of them on a back property line.
You'll need to water saplings at least weekly for the first summer. Then stake them (so you don't mow them down) and forget them. They'll start setting nuts about year 10. and will live longer than your grandchildren.
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Post by coppice on Feb 10, 2011 9:48:34 GMT -5
My grandfather got me started on this tree back in the fifties. He planted in NW-ARK back in the day. For all of its delay between planting and eating; other than the first years supplimental watering, your biggest job will be to not run over the saplings with the mower. FWIW, mulch was a thing you did for water retention as an arborist way-back-when. Times change, mulch is all over my garden now.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2011 22:56:36 GMT -5
I planted three here in central Indiana (zone 5b) about 12 years ago. One little tree got mowed over two years in a row and had to be replaced (true story, lol). One tree is pretty large, second is not as large as first, but still growing well. Third tree (replacement) still pretty small, but too big to mow over now.
I haven't seen fruit yet. Hoping to see it any year now and have no reason to believe they won't. I have never seen winter damage of any kind and they are steadily making growth progress. They are planted in an open field that is next to a wooded area with plenty of hickory (carya sp) so it should be an ideal place for them.
Being a hardwood, it just takes time for them to bear fruit and if they are anything like walnut they don't bear heavily every year. While I'm waiting for pecans, I'll have to make do with black walnut and hickory nuts. But then again, the first pecans I harvest just may have to be planted for more trees.
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Post by coppice on Feb 20, 2011 3:05:40 GMT -5
12 years? You should see a crop soon, thats seven people years Naw it aught to be sooner. IOKOS tree crops sells northern hearty pecan out of Kalamazoo MI. If they'll grow in MI, they'll grow in OH or IN. Mine cropped in NH... Seven dog years = one human year Seven people years = one pecan year...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2011 13:04:25 GMT -5
The way I look at it is, these trees live literally hundreds of years, so twelve years makes them mere teenagers. They are not huge trees yet by any means. They grow well enough each year, so I'm confident they will bear fruit.
My husband is from southeastern Oklahoma and grew up with pecan trees everywhere. My father requested nuts from the southern variety which we brought back from OK for him. He always got trees started, but they never survived Indiana winters. He was a perpetual optimist. Always trying to grow things that shouldn't/don't grow in Indiana.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2011 9:25:45 GMT -5
I just did a little research online to see exactly what pecan tree blossoms look like so I can be sure they aren't blooming and being hit by frost. I'm pretty sure they haven't ever bloomed. Of course all of the info about blooming was from Texas. Exactly when can I see blooms in the north (Indiana)? April or May?
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Post by coppice on Mar 20, 2011 2:31:33 GMT -5
I am mildy embarased to say I don't know. Trees were tall enough I never noticed.
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Pharmer Phil
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Post by Pharmer Phil on Mar 20, 2011 7:40:45 GMT -5
Rusty bucket, You do have two different varieties remaining though ..correct ? although the same tree produces both male and female flowers ...they do need to be planted close to another variety as a cross pollinator.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2011 11:22:19 GMT -5
I'm not sure if they are different varieties. Do I need different varieties? I just thought I needed multiple trees. I guess I looked at them like walnut trees and just needed more than one tree.
Could be the problem, but again, I have never seen male flowers on the trees. I guess I'll be looking into that.
I just read (NC Ag site) that three different varieties should be planted for best pollination. I told husband and he just laughed. Looks like we may be buying a couple more pecan trees of known and different variety.
Oh, well. The pecan trees were never viewed as a short term project any way. And I'm always looking for an excuse to plant more trees. Now to find some northern hardy pecan trees. Any suggestions on a source?
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Post by coppice on Mar 20, 2011 12:17:01 GMT -5
I'm sure there are more nurseries offering them than OIKOS Tree Crops, he was the most northern one I found inna long ago search. Out of Kalimizoo MI he has a web page.
I am similarly stuck on St Lawrence Nurseries, for apple trees.
I was resident at the time in central NH...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2011 12:42:14 GMT -5
I looked at Oikos Tree Crops, but only a single variety as far as I could tell. I also saw several nurseries out of Canada. Most of the nurseries with multiple varieties available are out of the south. I guess that makes sense, since that is where the bulk of the pecans are produced. I'd prefer to purchase northern grown pecans, though.
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Post by coppice on Mar 20, 2011 19:25:40 GMT -5
Um, I just went and peeked. He lists three; a Michigan collected cultivar, a northern collected cultivar, and a Minnisota collected cultivar.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 19:59:32 GMT -5
You are correct. They do offer three cultivars. But now I'm confused. In my reading on Pecan Tree cultivation, NCSU states "Pecan trees are separated into two pollination groups referred to as Type I and Type II. Catkins on Type I trees release their pollen before the female flowers are receptive and catkins on Type II trees release their pollen after the female flowers are receptive. Because of this difference, both Type I and Type II pecan trees are required for pollination. To ensure maximum pollination and therefore, production, at least three varieties should be planted together".
Does this also hold true for the northern hardy pecan? All info on the northern hardy pecan states you need to plant at least two trees, not two varieties. They also do not list pollination type when listing varieties. So is this even an issue with northern pecan? Do I just need trees that are fairly diverse genetically (from different location)?
Or maybe I'm just making it too complicated.
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Post by coppice on Mar 29, 2011 15:45:42 GMT -5
You are correct. They do offer three cultivars. But now I'm confused. In my reading on Pecan Tree cultivation, NCSU states "Pecan trees are separated into two pollination groups referred to as Type I and Type II. Catkins on Type I trees release their pollen before the female flowers are receptive and catkins on Type II trees release their pollen after the female flowers are receptive. Because of this difference, both Type I and Type II pecan trees are required for pollination. To ensure maximum pollination and therefore, production, at least three varieties should be planted together". Does this also hold true for the northern hardy pecan? All info on the northern hardy pecan states you need to plant at least two trees, not two varieties. They also do not list pollination type when listing varieties. So is this even an issue with northern pecan? Do I just need trees that are fairly diverse genetically (from different location)? Or maybe I'm just making it too complicated. I suspect your making this too complicated. If you want a definative answer I might stop in at Northern Nut Growers Association. www.northernnutgrowers.org/FWIW they are going to want to know specific cultivars of what you are growing...
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