The trees can grow as far north as Wisconsin but there will rarely be enough heat to properly ripen the nuts.
It is a reasonable expectation that you will have enough heat to ripen selected varieties of pecans in the regions that are YELLOW, enough heat to ripen many/most pecan varieties in the regions that are ORANGE and to have plenty of heat to ripen all pecan varieties in the areas that are DARK RED.
The areas that are AQUA and BLUE can ripen some pecans, some years but the pecans will be just one-step-up from wild seedlings in terms of size and ease-of-shelling. Frankly, most growers in those areas will be better served by planting Shellbark Hickories and/or named varieties of Black Walnuts
I'm in the aqua area of SW Idaho. Planted a couple pecan seedlings two years ago. They're growing slowly so far and being 66 I may never see any nuts, but I like to try odd plants for the area that may or may not work. Planted four pawpaw trees last spring. I also have a fairly cold hardy pomegranate coming this spring. I have approximately fifteen different fruit, nut , and berry plants on the property right now, most of which are producing quite well. I have a nice mulberry of which I get to taste a couple berries a year. 10,000 (expletive deleted) robins descend on it every year and grab every berry the instant it shows a tinge of pink, let alone gets ripe.
ReplyDeleteSurely somebody must have told you, "Mulberries taste like chicken"
DeleteThe recipe calls for a seasoning called birdlime.
dragonslayer,
DeleteThere was a long-time fruit & nut grower in Homedale ID, the late Garfield Shults. I have one of his pecan selections grafted & growing here just north of the KY/TN line; smaller nuts than most of the northern/midwestern varieties I grow, but I'm keeping it just for the 'diversity' it brings to my plantings. Mr. Shults had also developed a dwarf seed-strain of Carpathian walnut (J.regia) - I have one of them, planted here in 2000 that is less than 10 ft tall, has been bearing nuts for quite a few years.
Here in Zone 9 (deep red for pecans) I can grow many tropical varieties and start seedlings early, but there is always the possibility of a heartbreaking late February/early March freeze that wrecks months of progress.
ReplyDeleteWe host the neighborhood cat hangout, so birds don’t get my mulberries or blueberries but the raccoons always get to the pawpaws before I do. I suspect a lead deficiency, I might supplement this year.
A growing number of smaller specialty nurseries are beginning to offer grafted northern/midwestern and far-northern pecans, as well as grafted hickories (mostly shagbark and shellbark) and hicans (hickoryXpecan hybrids). Rock Bridge Trees(TN), Grimo Nut Nursery(Ontario), Perfect Circle Farm(VT), Future Forests Plants (PA) all offer grafted selections.
ReplyDeleteSeedlings of named-variety hickories from orchards populated by other improved selections seem to yield a high percentage of seedlings which have nut quality equal to the parents - but you will typically be waiting 15-25 yrs for a seedling to grow to bearing age. Grafted specimens should bear in half the time, or less, that seedlings require to grow through their juvenile periods and reach sexual maturity.
Hicans, while intriguing and seductive, are typically shy bearers, frequently 'fill' very poorly and are favored by pecan/hickory weevils. 90+% of hican nuts here most years are either 'blanks' or weevil-infested.
My best friend and hunting buddy has a degree in forestry and worked for Louisiana forestry where he retired.
ReplyDeleteI recently posed a question to him. Why are pecan trees prominent around major bodies of water ie major rivers and tributaries.
He didn’t know and actually said he never thought about it but admitted I was correct in my observation.
The next week he told me it was spread by native tribes in their travels which part of my original hypothesis.
He probably goggled it.