By Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 10/11/2024

I am excited that fresh cracked and in shell pecans are soon to be available. Local pecan orchards are tending to their trees and well on their way to October harvest, including our research station Texas A&M University Pecan Orchard.

Pecans are a native tree that has shaped our Texan identity, proudly designated as the State Tree in 1919. Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a native nut bearing tree to southern North America and Mexico. These stately trees can grow to 100-ft in height and spread of 50-feet or more, with native and improved varietals hardy from USDA Zones 5 to 9. Historically pecans were not commercially grown until the 1880s and with the advent of improved varieties. Commercial production is now a global effort, with the United States producing an estimated 80% of the world’s pecans from New Mexico, Georgia, Arizona and Texas at cumulative 271 million pounds at end of 2023.

Each grower that I have talked with have their own varietal preference. Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture Specialists provides a map of pecan varieties recommended for our region, such as Desirable, Caddo, Kanza and Kiowa. When choosing varieties, one must consider their flowering structure. Pecan trees are monoecious; they produce separate male 5-inch-long catkins and discrete yellow-green female flowers on the same plant and generally in flower from mid-April to early May. Pecan varieties are described by flowering type, and each flower on the same plant expresses at differing intervals. Type I are varieties shedding pollen before the female flowers are receptive, and Type II are varieties that shed after female flower receptivity. These plants are wind pollinated and while a few are described as self-pollinating, it is always best to consider planting both types of trees in your orchard to enhance the chance of cross-pollination. Desirable is a Type I variety, producing a medium sized, soft-shell nut and ripening late October. You can increase production chances by pairing a late pollen shedding variety like Kanza.

After pollination, the nut begins to form. Early to mid-summer the nut enlarges and reaches its final size, and the interior fills with a watery substance. Afterwards, the fill of the nut changes from water and develops into a gel, also called dough. Commercial producers will remove excessive nut production before the kernel enters the dough stage by using a hydraulic machine with pads to shake the trees. Thinning is beneficial in that it reduces alternate bearing and improves nut quality. Final stage toward harvest is when the shuck surrounding the shell splits.

Pecan kernels have been steadily filling in shell in August and September, and our mantra is water, water, water! Dr. Monte Nesbitt, Pecan Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, reminds us that large pecan trees can consume more than 100 gallons of water every hot day of the summer, and irrigation should be monitored, consistent and supplied to avoid nut filling problems. For more detailed information about growing pecans, Aggie Horticulture is your one-stop source with FAQ sheets covering fruit and nut tree culture. Look for more details about fruit and nut FAQ sheets on the Aggie Horticulture website: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut.

I am developing a 2025 Urban Orchard seminar series, and to best serve your interests I invite you to browse to my website and take a survey: https://brazos.agrilife.org/horticulture/urban-orchard. From grafting trees to cultivating blackberries, figs, peaches and pomegranates, I will review your answers to get things growing. Producers and home growers are welcome. Take care my friends, and as always, I’ll see you in the garden.