Hello all, I have a new question for you! :o) I have 8 enormous pecan trees in my yard (100 feet tall or more). They have never been pruned or fertilized. They have alway produced a huge crop of large, delicious pecans until a year or so ago. Last year I only got a few bucketfuls of very small bitter pecans. I looked at the library for info on pruning the trees, but was unable to find much. I know they need to be pruned (some of the limbs are almost touching the ground).

My question is when and how is the best time/way to prune and fertilize the trees?

Also, I think that one of them may be diseased. It is hollow about half way through the trunk. I can just reach in the rather large hole and pull out handfuls of dead wood. The tree itself is not dead, it doesn't produce pecans anymore, but it does get leaves (and provides some much needed shade on my living room window). What should I do about this one? Do you think it would be best to just go ahead and cut it down? I hate to do it, but I don't want to risk it dying and falling on the house.

Also are my other trees in danger of getting this disease? If so, is there anyway to prevent it?

Thanks in advance for any advice, sorry this is so long!

-- Linda (botkinhomeschool@yahoo.com), June 22, 2000

Answers

A hollow tree is just that, it is the old wood that has rotted, just under the bark is the cambium layer. This is the more or less living part of your tree, the inside is old wood but not living. If the trees previously produced good pecans, then I would consider doing two things. Do some very serious pruning, removing all dead wood, broken limbs but be sure to prune at the limb collar, not into the primary. Look at a limb growing out of another large limb (any tree or bush). The collar can be seen as a rough circle of coarser bark around the new limb, this is to be left intact when you prune. As you get the tree in shape, you might think about doing some limb grafting using scions from other more cultured pecan varieties.

Depending on which way the bulk of the tree would fall, if the house is in danger, by all means have it brought down. Have someone who knows what he is doing, for it will need being brought down in pieces, judging from what you have said. If pruning it would shift the bulk away from the house and still leave shade, you might consider that.

Pecans frequently skip a year of production, especially if they have not been sprayed and more so if you have a late spring or early winter, thus curtailing food storage.

-- JerryR(La.) (jwr98@hotmail.com), June 22, 2000.