Hello
I have a few acres near Chattanooga for a hobby farm. I currently have some 3-4 year old fruit trees (32 apples, 2 cherry, 6 peach)
I recently set a few pecan trees. Currently put in 7 Kanza, 2 stark surecrop, and 2 Starkling Hardy Giant. I’m new to pecans. Any suggestions on good scab resistant pollinators for the Kanza? I have been using starkbros for all my trees, but am open to other sources. I have not had good luck with the store bought trees. Had 2 die and a graft die on another (33% mortality on potted trees, but may be my fault?)
Added a pic below of the pecan field for reference
Thanks for any assistance
Welcome to this site. Looks like a great place you have there. I wish you good luck here this year and in the future. There are some good people here that can help you out. The one member I can think of that does nut trees is Dax. Look him up here and perhaps he can assist you with nut tree questions.
Welcome to the forum, from NE Kentucky. Nice looking land, looks like the grass is starting to green up there. I tried planting 8 grafted bare root pecans three years ago, and all of them croaked, so I understand your pain.
Glad to see that you already have some deer protection in place. I have planted trees and returned the next day to cage them only to find all their terminal buds nipped off.
The peaches are just some random seedlings from a friend’s yard. The parent tree was good, no idea what they will be. I got 2 peaches last year but the critters got them before me.
The apples are a mix of types. Last year was the first year with any fruit, but not many. Had best luck so far with blackberries and veggies
Nice varieties, I have some of those as well. Can never have too many Goldrush!
We grow veggies, or try to anyways. We lots of wild blackberries around here, which aren’t that tasty, so I planted quite a few thornless varieties last year. What are some of your better blackberries?
Your best pollinator for Kanza will be Hark. It would be a good idea to plant a couple of Oswego as well for some diversity. Nolin River nursery should have both available next fall. I spoke with John a few months ago and he said he was sold out for this spring. http://nolinnursery.com/
Given you are near Chattanooga, your options are a bit more extensive. You can grow several of the “Southern” varieties of pecan. I recommend avoiding scab susceptible varieties with a passion. Bass Pecan Nursery has Gafford and Lakota
I think they are Apache and Navaho thornless from Lowe’s. Tags blew off years ago. Seem to grow well and I get a few gallons of berries a year for cobblers.
All done for spring planting. 7 Kanza, 2 surecrop, and 2 Hardy giant. Room on that last row for some Hark next year if I get these to survive. Maybe finish out the field in the next few years if I get really motivated.
Almost all my apples and peaches are blooming as well
I have this one older tree in this field that was there before me. I think it’s a shagbark hickory. Any thoughts. Excuse my ignorance but some hickory cross with pecans? Was going to leave that tree there
I’m trying to decide on my second year of pecan trees. I’m on the waitlist for hark. I was thinking of putting in 2-5 more rows of trees. Should I stick with Kanza and fill out the field? I’m in a little valley. Trees get sun ~9-5 in summer. Morning and evening shaded long shadows from sides. I put some pictures below of current setup. All trees are from stark brothers. Small but growing. I wouldn’t mind bigger tree starts, but I’m an impatient gardener.
Fully measured out. Got room for 24 more pecans. Alternating rows of kanza and Hark? How important is diversity? Alternating rows would be alternating pollination types. Oswego row would have just a center row if hark (type 1) flanked by 2 rows of type 2. Spacing is 60ft better rows and 30 feet between trees in each row with a planned thinning ~2035
My plan…
Now I just need 13 hark and 11 kanza and 24 deer rings to fill out the back field
It’s 6:1 for pollination. Next row keep it simple for harvesting like you’ve done and plant Hark. I would be thinking hickory & hican too. The cultivars that crack incredible with a Mr. Hickory cracker are.
Shagbarks:
Fayette
Longnecker
Henry
Keystone
A must have is Selbhers. It cracks just fine and is the sweetest hickory you’ll ever eat.
If you cannot get a Mr. Hickory (Fred Blankenship supposedly is starting back up in business but there’s an enormous waiting list:) call Fred on his mobile: 270-272-7670 - then Fred says that a cracker he paid 68$ for from White Oak Nursery (probably plus shipping) cracks better than the Master Cracker. That’s a tall order. Fred says, “call and ask for Omar.”
Shagbarks:
Grainger
Porter
Hicans:
T-92
Underwood
Clarksville
Now I’m not doing a sales pitch but I graft all this stuff and currently sell on eBay as: conifers825
If you get on my follower list, I’ll be putting this winters/springs grafts up for sale next Fall with a newletter in advance allowing people to know when to begin looking.
I do Hark, Kanza. Several/most of those hickories and hicans… but in limited #'s for some cultivars. I should have a whopping amount of Carya grafts for sale. ( @joleneakamama ) b. walnuts, Persian walnuts, heartnuts, pecans, hickories, hicans, persimmons, pawpaws, and pears. No APPLES!
Maybe I’ll try for 6 hark down that middle row and 11 more kanza for a full row. That last row has room for 7, but $ for land clearing in can extend that back field another 5 acres. I’ve never tried hickory. I think there may be a native tree in the back woods. Mostly oak, pine and tulip poplars on the 10 acres of natural land. On waitlist for hark. May order 11 kanza now from
I wouldn’t bother with hicans if I had limited space. Hickories, yes; hicans, no.
I’ve got James, Vernon, Jim Wilson, Caha, Greenwood, Picalo, HuntsvilleTX, Burton, Bixby, Palmer, T-92 hicans…some are 25 yrs old and no nuts yet. Those bearing nuts are shy bearers and weevils get 99% of nuts every year.
Def consider some good scab resistant Southern pecan varieties, as recommended by f_p. I’d also recommend considering at least one tree of Major & Greenriver - they’re oldies, but still goodies.
Yep, Lucky’s right about hicans. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll grow some here and let you all know what happens in 10-years if my pecans/hickories/hicans are all bearing and when I begin seeing weevils since I’m probably at least a mile from a native shagbark. The weevil is not present for me, yet. That’s the deal. I will be very interested to see how long it takes after my trees are bearing for the weevil to arrive.
Major may work. It’s a type 1. Im specifically looking for lower maintenance / disease resistant varieties. That’s why I went with kanza and trying to get hark. Hark more resistant than major? Guess I could do row of hark and that last row of 7 in major
Major is the parent of Kanza, and probably of Hark, as well (and Lakota, Osage, the Yates series, and other regional selections) - and the genetic source of their scab resistance. Precocious and annually productive. Relatively small nut, but excellent kernel quality.
Greenriver nuts are my favorite pecan; its offspring, Oswego, is very similar to Greenriver.
Looking at your photos… you probably better get started trapping/eliminating squirrels right now. And keep it up, in perpetuity.
The bushy-tailed tree rats just discovered my pecans this year… have been coming 1000 ft from properties across the county road to raid the trees here at the house.
I’m sure they’ve probably been hitting the 500 or so 20-yr old trees planted in the riparian bufferstrip that runs the length of the farm, but… well away from the house and stretching nearly a mile in length, bordering the neighbor’s forested property on the other side of the creek… there’s no reasonable way to impact squirrel/crow/bluejay/woodpecker depredation.
