Pecan seedlings

I posted this question over on tractorbynet and JazzDad and one other fella responded, but I figured I'd put it out here, too.

I like pecans and most other nuts, and I've planted five grafted pecans, four grafted Carpathian walnuts one seedling C walnut, and two hardy almonds. In several years, I might actually get some nuts! The pecans are Peruque, Pawnee and Colby. These are all probably OK for here in the middle of Missouri, though they might bebefit from global warming as we transition from Zone 5 to Zone 6. The grafted trees all ran $20-$30 each, and I have each individual tree protected from deer with 5' circles of fence. I've done this with all my fruit trees, too, because the deer will eat anything that doesn't eat them first. My son in law, his two brothers, and their dad harvested 11 deer so far this season, and they let many pass by waiting for the tasty ones......we have deer. In past years, I planted 50 each of black walnut and pecan seedlings from the conservation department. I found one the other day in a fence row where I had forgotten I put it....the others fed deer....all are gone.

This year, for the first time, the conservation department is distributing seedlings of named varieties of pecans. They sell a bundle with 10 each of Mullahy, Colby, Posey, and 5 Peruque. Now I know that seedling trees may very well not be true to the parent strain, but this bundle is $21 for 35 seedlings, and even if some of the trees don't produce the kinds of nuts they should, some will, and some may well be superior. Plus, in some ways, seedlings are easier to grow. For instance, in some cases seedling trees are less likely than grafted trees to try to make multiple main trunks. I know that most of my grafted nut trees have required pruning to keep a single main trunk, and I've got that pruning job to do again this winter.

So....I ordered the bundle, which will be delivered in March or April. These will be bare root trees, so I'll have to do something with them very soon after they arrive. I'm not planning to create a commercial nut operation; this would definitely not be the way to go for that. However, I have a nice field, with good drainage and sun, and there are several native pecan trees on my property as well. I'd like to fill that field with nut trees, but there's no way I will fence the whole field against deer...too expensive. And individual fence circles is out of the question, too, for that many trees. So, what I'm thinking is that I can plant the seedlings in a much smaller fenced in area, close together, like in a tree nursery. I'd let them grow for a year or two, and then transplant the best ones to individual places and protect them with fence circles if they are still too small to stand any browsing by the deer.

The problem is that pecans can be difficult to transplant. I'd need to plant them in such a way as to optimize the process. I have thought about potting them and sinking the pots, to make care somewhat easier. Potted trees would be harder to keep watered during the hot months, and their roots would freeze during the winter, but burying the pots might help with both of those problems. On the other hand, perhaps simply planting the trees in heavilly amended soil, perhaps on mounds, might also work.

Anyone have suggestions? I know simply planting them where I want them to be eventually would be easier, but believe me, the deer would mow them down very quickly.

Chuck

"JazzDad and one other fella responded"

So, I guess I can't respond over here, too? I don't have any new thoughts on the subject, other than this: I have seen the tap root of a tree circle around and around the inside bottom of a pot. Different sort of rootbound, I'd say, and I'm not sure if you could try to uncoil it and stick it down a deeply dug hole. Maybe I could get some million dollar university grant to study this. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

I would forget the pot idea and plant then just normally but amend the soil to make it easier to dig them out. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

By the by I know nothing about pecans but I have transplanted a few trees in my life. But I have never stayed at a Holiday Inn soo??

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Dig holes way bigger than a regular planing hole, WAY BIGGER!! LIne the hole with a thick layer of straw and use mostly potting soil in the mix you fill with. You might want to consider geotextile to line the holes with in addition to the straw if you really want to wear belt and suspenders. If yo leave them in tooooo long they will be tough to dig up without the special tree remover nurseries use but still easier than not taking any precautions.

Pat

I guess what I'm thinking is in line with Pat's suggestion. Plant them in a way that will allow easier transplanting. I'm thinking to maybe dig a trench, starting with my middle buster and going down by hand, and ending up with a low mound. Perhaps lining the hole with "something", and then filling with a highly amended soil mix. The trees will stay there no longer than two years in all probability. In fact, I'll probably plant the largest, niceset looking seedlings when I get them, directly where I want them to go. I can see protecting as many as 4-5 with tree circles, partly because I can probably use smaller circles for such seedlings. The rest will be planted as above and the small area protected by a fence. I may put some kind of divider between the trees in the trench so that their roots will not get entangled. This may all not work too well, but if I get only 25-35% of the seedlings to survive to deer-resistant size, I will be more than happy. Pecans should be spaced at least 30 feet apart, so it doesn't take many to fill a good sized field.

Chuck

I have found that a two row high circle of page wire will keep the deer at bay. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Chuck,
If you dig a trench for the seedlings, a line of fence along either side wil be more efficient in use of material than individual circles. Would also be easier to put up, stretch tight, etc. Ex: 5 ft dia. circle is almost 16 ft in circumference. Fence along both sides of the protected tree would only use 10 ft (5 ft each side), then add 10 ft to "cap" both ends of the row. Also, access would be easier as you could get to all the trees by opening a "gate" of some kind at one end. Just a thought.

jml,

I will protect the seedlings in the to-be-transplanted bed, which will be 2-3 feet apart, as you describe, but individual trees, planted where I want them to grow, will be separated by about 30' from each other....thus the individual fence circles.

Chuck

You could try electic fencing. I've done this in the past to protect a very small apple orchard from a very large deer population with great success. I used a solar charger to power the fencing and yellow fiberglass "step in" poles to string up the line. Worked great and was pretty inexpensive, quick and easy. I witnessed several deer approach the trees and each time they curiously poked their noses at the charged wire. They got a surprising shock and shot off like a bullet. After a couple of weeks, I no longer saw another deer approach the trees. Aparently they "learned" to avoid the area entirely. When I no longer needed the fencing, the step in poles were a snap to remove, and they were then reused in my pasture for rotating the grazing animals.

I intend to do the same this spring to protect a couple of long windbreak plantings, using bareroot trees from the same source you mentioned (I live in NW MO). MY issue will be figuring out an efficient method for planting about 700 bareroot trees!

Good luck! Pecan trees are great.

The electric fence is a very good idea....thanks. In fact, I used a battery powered fence to protect a patch of sweet corn last summer. It worked great for the deer, but I lost the corn to coons, who managed to get through the fence. There was never any indication that deer got in, so it might be a good way to go. In fact, I might do that to protect the trees I plant in their final destinations. I'll still probably have to plant some of them in the "nursery", because the one field where I plan to plant some of them won't hold all 35. At 30 foot spacing, 35 trees take a lot of room. The ones that don't go in that field will mostly be placed in existing fence rows and other odd places, and they will be individually protected until they get large enough to withstand some browsing, so they will first go into the nursey for later transplanting. I have an area already fenced for other crops, and it will be easy to add a small area to that for those trees.

Chuck

With so few trees you might want to consider just caging them. That is just about foolproof with deer, but a lot of work if you have a very large number of trees to plant. Woven fence, chain link, chicken wire, etc. would all work. Perhaps you have some extra lying around?