Fertilizing pecan trees
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Special to the News
By Dr. Chip East, Regional Extension agent
Commercial Horticulture
We receive many questions about pecan trees every month of the year. The many questions include pecan insects, disease, fertility, irrigation, weed management, spacing, and cultivar selection.
This article will address pecan fertilization, which is very important. However, fertilizing does not do much good if other practices are overlooked.
It is always important to have a soil analysis done so we can determine what elements are already present. This will help us to know what other elements are needed. A soil test is cheap and easy to do, and you can pick up information on soil testing at your local Extension office.
It costs a little more money, but a leaf analysis is a great way to know of any nutrient deficiencies in the tree. The process is similar to collecting soil samples, but we take certain leaflet samples from the compound leaf and send to the lab at Auburn.
Without doing an analysis on the soil or leaves, there are some general guidelines to follow for fertilizing pecan trees. You should apply the following: 1 pound of 13-13-13 per tree per year of age up to 25 pounds per tree; 1 pound of 34-0-0 per tree per year of age up to 20 pounds per tree; and 1/10 pound of zinc sulfate per tree per year of age up to 2 pounds per tree.
That may sound confusing. Basically, if your trees are more than 25 years old you need 25 pounds of 13-13-13, 20 pounds of 34-0-0, and 2 pounds of zinc per year per tree.
For large trees, apply all of the fertilizer in April. For younger trees, apply all of the 13-13-13 fertilizer, and zinc in April. Apply half the 34-0-0 in April and the remainder in June.
The optimum pH range for pecan trees is 6.0 to 6.5. A soil test is the best way to know the pH of the soil and how much lime to apply. If lime is needed, 50 pounds of lime per 1,000 square feet is equivalent to one ton per acre.
The use of a mechanical spreader may help ensure an even application of the fertilizers. Do not disturb the soil before applying the fertilizer. Spread it under and around the tree in an area twice the branch spread of the tree. The dolomite lime is the cheapest, but pelletized lime is easier to spread.
Fertilizing is not the only thing we can do to help pecan production. Other practices such as weed management, mulching, irrigating, planting scab resistant cultivars, and removing fallen leaves and branches can help.
I learned the secret of pecan production from Dr. Bill Goff who was our Extension pecan specialist at Auburn for many years. Dr. Goff would encourage growers to maintain healthy foliage to increase carbohydrate reserves.
In simple terms, keep the leaves as healthy as possible. That is good advice for growing a lot of things, but especially true for pecan production. Take a look at your pecan trees in the fall and record when they start losing their leaves, which trees lose their leaves early, and which trees hold their leaves the longest.
It is not uncommon for one pecan tree to have 30 percent of its leaves hanging on in the late fall while an adjacent tree has 80 percent. The tree that holds its leaves the longest should be the best performing tree.
The practices such as fertilizing, mulching, weed management, etc. are done to encourage healthy leaves, which in turn, should increase production.
If you have any questions related to pecan production, give us a call at the Coosa County Extension Office at 256-377-4713.
