Pecan

Tree facts

Scientific name

Carya illinoinensis

Origin

South-central United States and northern Mexico

Tree size

Usually 70–100 ft tall and 40–75 ft wide; can reach 130 ft

Growth rate

Medium

Sun

Full sun to light shade. Keep it well away from houses and power lines, and 60–80 ft from other large trees.

Soil

Clay, sand or loam, as long as it drains. Young trees need steady water for their first 2–3 years; bearing trees need the most from August into early October, while the nuts fill.

Soil pH

6.0–6.5 is ideal; tolerates acid and alkaline soil

Pollination

Plant at least two cultivars for good pollination, especially where few other pecans grow nearby.

Cold hardiness

Dormant trees are cold-hardy, but late spring freezes hurt early-leafing cultivars such as Elliott. Crops are lighter toward the northern edge of its range.

USDA zones

5–9

Years to first fruit

Several years for a grafted tree, longer for slow starters such as Elliott, Sumner and Gloria Grande; seedlings take close to a decade

Season

Oct–Dec

Water

About every 7 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young

Feeding

About every 365 days, Mar

Pruning

Jan–Feb

Taste

Rich, buttery and sweet

Nutrition

High in fat and calories, like other tree nuts

Is pecan safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

• Kernels, raw or roasted

Toxic parts and cautions

• Toxic: Pecans are tree nuts and can cause serious allergic reactions in people allergic to tree nuts.
• Good to know: A mature tree is huge, with heavy limbs. Plant it well clear of the house, driveway and power lines.

Pets: No reliable data for dogs, cats or horses.

How to eat and enjoy pecan

• Raw or toasted, as a snack
• In pecan pie, pralines and sweet breads
• Chopped into salads, granola and stuffing
• Ground into pecan butter or meal

Pecan varieties (11)

• Amling

  Medium-small, good-quality nuts with little care and no spraying.

  Origin: Alabama

  Excellent scab resistance and an early harvest. UGA's pecan breeder rates it a favorite for home orchards, though trees can be hard to find.

• Caddo

  A pecan on UGA's recommended list for scab resistance.

  Elliott or Kanza pollinate it well.

• Carter

  A large nut for backyard orchards.

  Origin: Alabama · Season: About mid-Oct (Georgia)

  Veins show on the kernels in some years. Trees can be hard to find.

• Desirable

  The most widely sold pecan, with large nuts, but UGA's pecan breeders warn against buying it for a yard tree: without regular spraying, scab ruins the crop.

  Elliott or Kanza pollinate it well.

• Elliott · also Elliot

  A small, teardrop-shaped nut of excellent quality on a highly scab-resistant tree, and a top home choice in the Southeast.

  Bears heavy and light crops in turn, but quality stays high. Slow to start bearing. Late spring freezes hurt it, so skip low spots and north Georgia. Yellow aphids can be a problem. Caddo or Desirable pollinate it well.

• Excel

  A large, thick-shelled nut like Desirable's, on a tree with high scab resistance.

  Origin: Found as a seedling near Blackshear, Georgia, and introduced by Andy Clough

  Kernel share has been low (about 49%) on young trees. Scab resistance in new cultivars can break down once they're widely planted.

• Gafford

  A good-quality nut on a tree with excellent scab resistance.

  Origin: Alabama

  Reported to be highly insect-resistant in Alabama; long-term yield isn't well known yet.

• Gloria Grande

  Large, thick-shelled nuts most years on a highly scab-resistant tree.

  Slow to reach full bearing. Kernels come out fuzzy in some years, and black aphids often damage the leaves.

• Kanza

  A cold-hardy pecan with nuts much like Elliott's, on UGA's scab-resistant list.

  UGA suggests it for north Georgia, where Elliott suffers from freezes. Caddo or Desirable pollinate it well.

• McMillan · also McMillian

  A low-input pecan that has borne heavily and steadily, with only light scab on the nuts.

  Origin: Alabama · Season: About Oct 20 (Georgia)

• Sumner

  Large nuts of middling quality, with fairly regular crops on a mature tree.

  Slow to start bearing and a favorite of black pecan aphids. Long scab-resistant, though some places now report scab.

Pests and diseases to watch for

• Scale insects

  Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

  What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

• Mealybugs

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

  What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

• Aphids

  Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

  What to do: Spray off with water.

• Sooty mold

  Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

  What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

• Spider mites

  Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

  What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.