I know this is an old thread, but I just happened across it, and thought I could add some info regarding PMG trees that some folks might find useful.
I ordered 8 pecans and 2 pears from them back in March, they were:
Type 1 pecans: 2 each of Oconee and Caddo
Type 2 pecans: 2 each of Zinner and Lakota
Pears: Orient and Pineapple
Pecans are on Caddo rootstock, pears on Callery.
In received them in a single box about a week after I ordered them. The pecans seemed to have good roots, including a decent taproot. They were about 2-3’ tall, and maybe a 7/16" caliper. The pears had very good roots, about 4’ tall, one was about 11/16" and the other about 9/16".
I could not immediately plant them because the soil was very wet, and we were busy with other things. So, I heeled them in a shady spot next to the old house. I made sure to keep the buried roots moist, and I covered the exposed parts with a light tarp to keep the deer from sampling them.
On Easter Sunday, we planted the pecans out in the south pasture. We dug the holes about 2 feet deep and a foot wide in somewhat rocky, but decent soil. We planted the pears by the barn a week later, in good friable soil. I mulched the trees with some pine mulch. I added wire fencing around the pears later because of deer, but not the pecans.
Over the course of the next couple months, the pecans very slowly came out of dormancy and put on some leaves and small branches. The pears took even longer, but starting shooting out little sprigs and leaves.
OK, fast forward to today. One of the pears, the thicker caliper tree, I forgot which variety, has gone crazy. It’s put on a lot of new growth, including some substantial branches and leaves. Its new central leader is now over 6’. The other pear has put on very modest growth, just a few little branches.
The pecans are a different story. It appears that both of the Oconee trees have died. I don’t know why, we planted them the same as the other trees. We did have a lot of rain in the spring, and it was cool weather, but the other trees had to endure the same weather. I think they might have died back in June or July. It’s odd that both Oconee’s kicked the bucket.
Of the other 6 trees, 4 have put out leaves and some small sprigs, the other two have not. They aren’t dead that I can tell, they show green under the bark doing a scratch test. They may have put out some leaves, but deer may have grazed on them. Before rutting season starts, I’m going to have to protect them somehow.
So, based on what others have said about success rate of planting bare root pecans, I suppose these results are somewhat typical. The real acid test will be how and if they survive our winters here. I know it’s a risk to try pecans in this climate, but thought we’d try. At least the pears are doing well.