Perils of pecans

When we moved into our new house 18 months or so ago, the homebuilder stuck a live oak tree in the front yard. I love live oaks, but didn't want one in our front yard because 1) our front yard is small 2) live oaks get huge 3) they're pretty scrubby trees until they reach that massive majesty stage. All in all, live oaks are a pretty poor choice for the front yards in our neighborhood, thinks I, but they're in almost every yard because 1) they're cheap for the homebuilder and 2) do well on the deep blackland clay soil we have.

I researched lots of trees, discarded some I really like because they were unrealistic for our circumstances, and finally settled on a pecan. They're attractive trees, do well all over Texas, are fast-growing and produce those wonderful nuts. I even tracked down a new cultivar just released by the USDA--the Nacono, which is particularly scab resistant. We had lots of pecan trees at the old house in Temple, but few pecans due to scab, so resistance was important.

Unfortunately, the only ones I could get were bare-root trees. Pecans are temperamental when planted bare-root. Despite my best efforts, the tree (planted in January of 2004) struggled through the summer. Growth was anemic. The shock of the transplanting was taking a toll. Well, thought I, maybe it'll do better after it had a full winter to build up its root system. In January, I sliced the bark with a pruning knife and was relieved to see there was green wood present. I felt reassured. But spring arrived, and no new growth appeared. No leaves, no buds, nothing. The knife came out again. This time there was no green at all, just dead brown wood.

When I dug it out, I was chagrined to see that the root system was pretty much unchanged since I first planted it. I suspect the tree was in poor shape from the get-go. I really, really like what I read about the Nacono, and still think it's the best way to go, but it's too late in the year to have a prayer of success with a bare-root planting, even if I could find one. Heck, I doubted I could find any good pecans at this late date. But I stopped by The Plant Haus after work, convinced that I'd end up buying a red oak or some such tree, when I was shocked to see several dozen thriving pecan trees for sale. Container-grown pecan trees! Tall and leafy, with vigorous growth. Container grown trees have much less danger of shock, since their root systems are intact. They don't have to be pruned back. They're healthier, and can be planted year-round (although winter is still best). I ended up buying a Cheyenne (they had half a dozen cultivars available, but sadly no Nacono). It's got good nut quality, decent scab resistance and is recommended for our area. The tree itself is sometimes called semi-dwarf, which means it doesn't grow quite as large as most pecans (we're talking 50' instead of 75') so it fits the yard better. Its one drawback is a suceptibility to aphids, but I don't think aphid infestation is a major problem around here, and if it is, it can be controlled easier than scab.

I planted it in the Nacono's vacant hole yesterday, and it looks beautiful. What's even better is that I did it in the evening, so most people in the neighborhood that see it today will likely shake their heads and think, "Wow, that pecan sure leafed out in a hurry! And all this time I'd been thinking it dead..."

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