Pecan and walnut may leaf out and then die with graft sprouts a few inches long. If this happens, usually they leaf out within 2 weeks of grafting. If a bud opens roughly 4 weeks after grafting, they almost always are successful. I had several early successes that turned into failures during a hot dry spell. Currently looks like about 60% of my 25 grafts will make it.
Pecan and walnut are the hardest species I graft when it comes to success rate.
On a positive note, I have Syrup Mill, Nacono, Elliott, Sumner, Amling, and others currently growing rapidly.
Well that sounds good because they took longer than that to sprout. The two no takes. One is dry and the other is trying to sprout but Iām doubtfull. I saved one of the pecan scions as a backup in case of failure. Is it too late to graft it?
Here in Germany, in the City of Mannheim, my 4 Pecans are growing very well. 1 Choctaw, 1 Pawnee, 1Osage and a seedling, which will be grafted next year, have reached already 1 m and their appearence looks very pretty with their long feathered leaves.
@Fusion_power On seedling pecan what type of graft are you using? The scions I got from you made three grafts and all failed. Two looked like they took only to fail later. Got about half the walnut you sent to take. Iāve got a near perfect record on everything else over the years, but pecan and walnut really threw me on my first run. Thinking I did them in late april or early may using cleft grafts. Will have to acquire more pecan scion this upcoming season. Any advice?
Grafting walnut and pecan will humble the best of us.
Iāve had success with cleft, whip & tongue, and inlay bark grafts. I get best success with inlay bark grafts. Even then, pecan is difficult. I made 28 pecan grafts this year with 15 successful (54%). I will try again next year with the failures. A major reason for low success was getting a week of hot dry weather just after I grafted.
Cleft - works as well as bark grafts, can be made later than other graft types, has a disadvantage that the cleft may develop decay. I donāt normally make cleft grafts now but have used them in the past.
Whip & tongue - usually gives 50 to 70 percent success, requires perfectly matched scion and rootstock. Pecan requires the most skillful whip and tongue graft I can make, meaning long smooth cuts, minimal time exposed to air, and very tight graft tape. With other species, you can make a graft with only one side aligned. Donāt even try with pecan. Iāve had 100% failure with w&t where only one side was aligned. If you canāt make a whip & tongue graft in 1 minute or less, donāt bother trying to graft pecan. MUST have a very sharp knife!
Inlay bark - I use this graft any time rootstock is 1 inch diameter or more. Bill Reid has a very good video showing how to make it. I always set 2 or 3 scions for each rootstock. Many times, only 1 of them is successful. I made successful grafts from late April to early June with this graft!
Weather at grafting is critically important. I graft when day temps are at least in the 70ās and only when rain has fallen recently. A combination of high spring temps with high moisture levels speeds callus formation and significantly improves success rate.
Scionwood storage is another critical piece. I keep scions in the refrigerator crisper drawer wraped in a damp paper towel with sealed bags of scions placed in a larger sealed bag. It is important to keep them at about 32 to 35 degrees but not going below freezing.
Fertilize rootstocks a week before grafting. Having nitrogen available during callus formation is another minor tweak with major effect on graft success.
Iāll be shipping scionwood in February and will list it on the forum.
How do you plan on deterring the squirrels when your trees begin bearing?
The squirrels got every one of my Sumners this year. I believe they are coming over from a nearby oak that has a high limb going toward the pecan tree. Canāt even reach it with a pole saw and ladders and chainsaws in combination are dangerous. Since I canāt cut the limb out of the oak tree I may need to cut a limb out of the pecan tree.
@tennessean A while back I bought a rope saw. Itās a chainsaw blade on a rope. One end of the rope has a weight that you throw over the branch and when you have the blade on the branch you pull back and forth to cut. It works, but itās slow and tedious. Better than cutting the pecan though.
I deter squirrels with a 12 gauge shotgun. If they are insistent, Iāll get a couple of kania traps. Wrap the trunk of the tree with sheet metal to prevent climbing.
Thanks, I was not aware of the rope saws. Seems to be what I need. The limb that I need to cut is about 20ā up. Iāll do some research. I see that Amazon carries them.
@Fusion_power
A tree that I ordered from Willis that was labeled as Cape Fear may be an Elliott pecan. I purchased a few pecans from Kroger that was listed on the container as Elliott that seemed identical to the pecans that I am getting from it in size, appearance and flavor. I had previously thought that the pecans were maybe the Candy variety, but I donāt know for sure. I know that Elliott pecans are listed as a deep south pecan. What exactly is supposed to happen when an Elliott pecan tree is planted in a more northernly latitude?
Elliott blooms very early with only 200 chill hours. Frost can then kill the blooms eliminating the crop. You can tell if it is Elliott as it will bloom super early. If you can post a picture of the nuts, I can identify them. Kanza is very similar but a tad longer.
Whatever variety it is, it is a late season as the husks have not separated yet. Iāll get you a picture of the nuts later. About a month ago the tree aborted about 2 gallons as there was a drought and I had not properly watered the tree.
It is not Elliott! Why? Elliott matures very early usually dropping nuts in mid-September. I picked up about 3 gallons of mature Elliott at Auburn 2 weeks ago while most other varieties still looked like your picture. Also, Elliott is notorious for holding onto nuts even in a drought and maturing them regardless.
I just looked at the leaves in your picture. Whatever variety it is, it has a bad case of zonate leaf spot, pecan scab, and powdery mildew. Cape Fear generally is resistant though it is not consistent across all locations.
Iāve got a nephew asking me what pecan varieties to plant in his yard. I have a notion to talk him out of planting pecans based on the bad experience Iāve had with pecans. My thought is that the average backyard pecan grower interested in having a small number of trees does not do well with pecans.
Back in 2010 I knew basically which varieties were preferred as being resistant to scab, but they were generally unavailable from the online nurseries unless I was willing to pay big bucks. Forget about obtaining the desired varieties locally. Probably I will recommend that he purchases from Bass online nursery. Iām sure he wonāt like the cost and inconvenience though. Seems to me that the pecan nurseries really are only interested in selling to the commercial folks. Maybe it has changed from 2010. Serious pecans are tough to grow.
Bass no longer sells trees. Check with Dave at Rockbridge. Presuming your nephew is somewhere in Eastern Tennessee, Kanza, Hark, Amling, and Lakota should be good choices.
