Author Topic: Pecan question  (Read 1179 times)

850FL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 484
    • zone 8b/9a
    • View Profile
Pecan question
« on: September 19, 2020, 08:17:05 AM »
Spent a windy day before the hurricane picking up bags of pecans from under 2 massive pecan trees. Not sure what variety they are, but they are huge and probably 50-100 years old or older. How can I tell if they’re of the ‘paper shell’ varieties?
Naturally I won’t be eating any of these but propagating them all. Must they be stratified before germination?
Thanks

Plantinyum

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1418
    • Bulgaria , near Sofia city , planting zone 7
    • View Profile
Re: Pecan question
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2020, 02:40:19 PM »
I guess they have to be stratified since pecans come from cooler slimates, dont quote me on that thought.

Nyuu

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 330
    • Florida , lake placid 9b
    • View Profile
Re: Pecan question
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2020, 08:26:22 AM »
I would be better get the tree grafted because it be about 10 to 15 years to get nuts

Nyuu

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 330
    • Florida , lake placid 9b
    • View Profile
Re: Pecan question
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2020, 08:27:36 AM »
stratified would definitely help speed it up but not 100% necessary

Jaboticaba45

  • Check out TN Tropical Fruits!
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2354
  • Tropical Fruit Tree Connoisseur
    • Chattanooga TN 7b
    • View Profile
Re: Pecan question
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2020, 09:22:35 AM »
Your local nursery should have grafted varieteis. Like Nyuu said, they take forever to fruit. They also don't really need stratification as squirrels here bury them in the ground and they always come up.

Plantinyum

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1418
    • Bulgaria , near Sofia city , planting zone 7
    • View Profile
Re: Pecan question
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2020, 10:51:28 AM »
Your local nursery should have grafted varieteis. Like Nyuu said, they take forever to fruit. They also don't really need stratification as squirrels here bury them in the ground and they always come up.
I think that way they get natural stratification by the low temps trought winter. Were they germinating in spring or I fall ?

850FL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 484
    • zone 8b/9a
    • View Profile
Re: Pecan question
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2020, 12:09:49 PM »
At least 20% of my early batch of ~100 nuts started to sprout with no chill at all.. then the squirrels got into the pots and went crazy so I have very few of those left. Wanted to just leave them in pots to stratify outside during winter, but am being forced to bring the remaining ones inside somewhat..
Second and third batch I have in soil in totes with lids in a garage.. I think there are more duds in this batch because I may have picked them too late (their viability seems to diminish quickly in the sun, there is a pretty short period between ripe nut drop and nut death)
So basically from what I have seen from this year is, a decent percentage of pecan seedlings don’t really need stratification at all..
Also I am starting a bunch of seedlings just to get a good amount of pecans going. I have several grafted saplings but getting 100+ going is just too expensive, and I can always graft to seedling rootstocks if they are inferior