No worries. We will try to give good information as much as we can.
Dax, the only reason to include Lucas is that it is a bit more cold hardy and matures in fewer days. Otherwise, it would be fine to use Hark and Kanza with Oswego optional. Iām keying in on the number of days above 35C at eyberās location to suggest Lucas.
Also just a note re Hark, Bill Reid says it can have tight dorsal grooves which makes shelling a tad more difficult. This is in comparison with Kanza which never has tight grooves.
Youāre giving us really useful information.
Youāre great people. Iāil take care of your advice.
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Not to toot my own horn too much but the S R Winter, well thatās meā¦!! Pawnee was in the same test when it was a numbered selection. Tommy Thompson and I grafted 24 selections onto 96 seedling trees, four trees of each selection. in Amarillo in 1980. I managed that orchard until 2000 and took the measurements of tree growth and yield.
Kanza and Pawnee were the clear winners in Amarillo. Pawnee yielded more but I really liked the Kanza nut.
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Thatās awesome!
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Yes indeed good advice.
Only things I could add are that pollination patterns are variable and as good as Oswego may be it may be a little late in ripening for your climate.
Here in a Mediterranean climate the pollination relationship between cultivars is quite different than in the Midwest or Southeast of the US. So having more diversity would help assure you get good pollination. I have found here in a climate similar to yours that Fisher ripens along with Lucas and has the best cropping record of all 25 cultivars I have so far. The nuts crack easily and have a unique good taste. Another possibility to explore is Deerstand, which also is early.
It seems that in a rich agricultural country like Turkey there must be others experimenting with pecans. Check universities and other agriculture organizations. I think taking an experimental attitude would assist the process as there is a learning curve with growing a new plant in an area.
Learning how to graft would be a good asset to acquire.
Good luck with your adventure and if you ever need some scions I could send them off from my farm.
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I had no idea of your contribution Steven, very cool!
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There is a āwhole nother storyā that could be told about Kanzaās performance and who watched it closest. For example, Wes Rice had quite a bit to say re the early production and nut quality when he grafted it as a numbered accession.
Iāve learned a lot from you all about pecan. I want scions when needed. You are very good. Iām investigating more of Kanza, Oswego and Lucas. Iām going to plant the right one in my garden.
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Yep, all good information. Gary Fernald (nut expert) says that Hark has a thinner shell than he would like to see for commercial cracking. When we crack them in a May Nutcracker or Squirrel they shell out half after half. I get the same from Kanza but it is indeed a thicker shell. Theyāre both excellent and I guess I should say to @eyber you will have more buyers for Kanza. I just know that Hark is going to become extremely popular and it would probably be smart to have at least a row of Hark in your orchard.
All the best,
Dax
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Dear Dax. In the scheme 1 row will be Hark in the garden ā¦ Everyoneās recommendations are very good. Kanza, Oswego and Lucas are very good. Thanksā¦
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So, regarding pollinators, it doesnāt need to be a one for one ratio? I see you were saying that one type 1 would pollinate eight type 2ās? Do the type 2ās return the favor at a different time?
I am aware of the type differences, that a type 1 first sheds pollen before it is receptive to it, and a type 2 is receptive before it sheds. Is that correct? Is that why yāall picked Hark and Kanza, because they can pollinate each other?
When I tried my pecan tree experiment, I had two type 1ās (Oconee and Caddo), and two type 2ās (Lakota and Zinner). I did a lot of research trying to find the appropriate shed and receptivity times and these were the ones I came up with. But, alas, none of them made it after a couple years, so there you go.
Bob,
1 per 8 (any combination that meets this requirement @subdood_ky_z6b) Itās really that simple.
Pollination overlap/Pistil receptivity varies between Type I 's or Type II 's. So you gotta do that research. Hark and Kanza happen to be within a day or two of full receptivity and full pollen shed. You couldnāt ask for anything more.
Dax
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Thanks. Iāll keep this in mind if I ever get to planting any more in the future. I could go with one Hark and three Kanza, then. I probably wouldnāt want more than four trees.
That is why his handle is āBarkslipā because sometimes he āslipsā. 
I have to throw a caveat into the protandrous/protogynous discussion by stating that there are genetic modifiers that can change a variety from one to the other depending on climate, specifically hours below a critical temperature. Just because it is protandrous in Valdosta Georgia does NOT mean it will be protandrous in north Alabama. This is why I suggest having more than two varieties for most home growers. The likelihood of having good pollen overlap is much higher.
My sister has a huge old Stuart tree in her yard with no nearby pollinators. About 1 year in 10 enough pollen blows in from at least a mile away to set a good crop. Seeing this huge old tree with little or no crop in spite of abundant production of female flowers is frustrating. I gave her several trees including a Huffman which should take care of this in a few years.
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Were my selections of the four cultivars correct, from what you can tell? I consulted a lot of tables to come the ones I selected.
Donāt you have a spreadsheet that covers shed and receptivity times on here somewhere? Iāll have to take a look around.
Edit: found it, and am looking through it. Thanks again for all the work you put into it.
No slipping here with the almighty edit button!
Dax
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Bob, your selections show good overlap of pollen shed with receptivity in both directions. Unfortunately, the only one that had potential in your climate is Lakota and then only if on a northern rootstock. Plant some more pecans, but this time get some that will grow and produce near Pikeville KY. Hark and Kanza are good choices.
This reminds me that I need to call my uncle who lives in Robinson Creek.
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Thanks. If, and thatās a big if, those eight trees had survived over the last three years, Iād only be about 4-5 years from getting some home-grown pecans. Oh well, live and learn.
Iāve never been down to Pikeville, itās about 120 miles southeast of us. From what my wifeās told me it is a very rugged, beautiful area. We are in the NE corner of KY, but those two cultivars should be good here.
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I planted a bare root Cheyenne pecan in my Momās backyard in the Tulsa, OK area a couple years ago. There is a huge pecan tree next door, maybe 40ft high, and she has said it produces pecans, but I didnāt see another pecan tree in her neighborhood. So, I donāt know how thatās possible. A tree canāt pollinate itself can it?
Anyway, this one tree I planted in her yard has done very well. Sheās said itās about 4ft tall now and has sprouted many little branches. Hopefully the tree next door will pollinate it in a few years and she can get some of her own nuts then.
Last time we were in Tulsa (a year ago) we were lucky enough to find someone selling pecans in January. Got four 5# bags of Kanza for $20 a bag. Two bags for us and two for some folks up here. Weāve got Pawnee before there, which I prefer, but either oneās good. Thereās quite a few commercial pecan groves in that area.
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