Advice Needed for Spraying Pecans

This tree is about 25 years old and for the last 15 years has given me consistent crops of pecans without need if spraying. The last two years have been failures due to what I believe to be scab. Late in the growing season the husk developes a black spot that eventually covers the nut and it dies. In the pictures I believe it is already starting. I want to nip this in the bid. What should I spray should I use and how often?

2 Likes

On the Northern Pecans website there is advice on controlling pecan scab. On certain cultivars scab can be very difficult to control. What cultivar is yours?

1 Like

I don’t remember the cultivar name. It’s an Indian name.

1 Like

Your pecan tree apparently was resistant to pecan scab initially and then developed it. My one producing Sumner pecan is yet to have it significantly. Therefore, I have never really sprayed for it, although I know that there is a chance that it could develop scab. If need be, I believe that I would look for a fungicide on Amazon since I have never seen a product labeled for pecan scab in the stores in my area. My problem would be is how to spray the top of the tree since I lack the equipment to do that (i.e. air blast sprayer).

Bill Goff, Extension horticulturist at the University of Auburn recommends only the excellent scab resistant pecan cultivars for backyard growers. Good advice to follow.

1 Like

Thanks for the link to Northern Pecan Growers. Unfortunately they only mention one fungicide and I haven’t found it.
As far as getting tired the top of the tree I may try my pressure washer.

2 Likes

Here is a slideshow produced by our state extension. It suggests rotating fungicides, lists the ones you should use, and suggests you’ll need 7+ sprays for effective control. Hope that helps.

https://www.georgiapecan.org/skins/userfiles/file/BrockPecanDiseases.pdf

If you want any more info on pecan growing, there are a lot of pubs on our state extension website.

2 Likes

@Graftman you can call or email Bill Reid (northernpecans blogspot.) He’ll point you in the correct direction.

@VSOP I haven’t read your link.

Dax

1 Like

Thanks for the info. Now to find the sprays.

1 Like

I’ve got the spray ordered. Thanks everyone.

3 Likes

Here’s the chart from VSOP’s link:

Great link!

Dax

3 Likes

I have never heard of using a pressure washer for spraying trees. How well of a coverage and how high will it reach?

1 Like

Off topic of this thread but I have to ask. Do you sell pecan scions?

1 Like

No I share them for free. I will begin a thread soon because the ortet Hark pecan had a bark inclusion that did enough damage that it will be leveled. A bark inclusion being a narrow crotch angle allowing water to penetrate thereby causing rot, and a windstorm ripped a 40’ branch to the ground from 3-4 meters up. It cannot be saved because it was located in a city park. It may be leveled already… I don’t know. This happened ~2 weeks ago.

Returning to your question, if there’s anything I collect and don’t purchase I’m happy to share. This year I did purchase scions from Bill Reid in Kansas and I messaged that information to Scott and it’s posted in the References pages for Scionwood sources. Bill sold: Hark, Kanza, Mullahy, Shepherd, and a few others. His prices are excellent but there is a 50 scion limit.

Best regards,

Dax

2 Likes

I got the spray and configured a 2 gallon pump sprayer to feed my pressure washer. It worked great. Made a fog that just barely got to the top of the tree. It put on a great even coat of spray. I had to refill once so a 4 gallon tank would have been perfect. I think the setup would be great for fogging for mosquitoes.

1 Like

Sweet. My pressure washer has a built in tank for soap. A dial to determine how much product mixes with water, however no way to tell an exact concentrate level.

What you did is a great idea. I think for Japanese beetles I’m supposed to add two tabelspoon per gallon in a tank sprayer, but I just dump some in. More than 2 TBSP’s for sure. Doesn’t harm my trees any (Malathion.)

Dax

1 Like

Last night I used it to fog the yard with malathion. My washer has a port for soap injection but it draws great with a low pressure tip but not at all with a high pressure tip. I would like to adapt a small injection pump that I could calibrate.

2 Likes

Please go into detail how you were able to accomplish that with your equipment. That’s got to be at least a 60 foot tree. Brand of pressure washer and pump sprayer and how you were able to connect the two together. Assume that I am ignorant about pressure washers. I am going to need a pressure washer in the near future.

1 Like

@Graftman great additional info, thanks. One question though and that is when using a low pressure tip where do you have the dial setting at on your sprayer? High, Low, or in the middle or somewhere in-between?

Dax

1 Like

Barkslip, I didn’t use the soap injection. I didn’t feel I could get an accurate calibration.

Tennessean, The pressure washer is a Honda 5.5 HP 2500 PSI 2.2 Gallon per minute. I wouldn’t get one ant smaller for power washing. The flow is just as important as the pressure.
Here is my setup:


The Pressure washer specs.

The spray tank:
I removed the wand and used barbed fittings to connect a ball valve. Then another barbed fitting, a short piece of garden hose, and finally a male hose fitting.
With the ball valve closed I fill the tank with water and spray. Pump it up to pressurize the spray. Then connect it to my pressure washer. Start it and open the valve. 2 gallon lasts just short of a minute.

3 Likes

Brilliant.

Dax

1 Like