Pecan trees are an excellent addition to a landscape, offering shade, beauty, and a nut harvest that can last for decades. Starting a pecan tree requires careful planning, as the initial selection directly impacts the tree’s future health and productivity. The process begins with understanding where to purchase a healthy specimen and selecting the correct cultivar for your specific growing location. This guide walks you through the essential steps of acquiring a pecan tree.
Sources for Purchasing Pecan Trees
The source of your pecan tree often determines the quality and the expert advice available. Local and regional nurseries are a strong option because their staff typically knows which varieties perform best in the local climate and soil conditions. These nurseries often sell trees grown locally, which minimizes transplant shock.
Specialized mail-order and online nurseries offer the widest selection of pecan cultivars, including rare or newer releases. These vendors frequently ship bare-root trees, which are lighter and more economical. Bare-root trees require immediate planting upon arrival, demanding a narrow window for site preparation.
General garden centers and big box stores provide convenience and sometimes offer lower prices, but this option carries a greater risk. Stock selection is often limited, and the trees may not be grafted or correctly labeled, leading to disappointment in nut quality. When purchasing from a general retailer, inspect the tree closely for health and verify the cultivar name is clearly marked.
Purchasing a tree grafted onto a strong rootstock is essential, regardless of the source. Grafted trees are clones of a desirable cultivar, ensuring reliable nut quality and earlier production. A reputable nursery will always offer grafted stock, as seedlings take many more years to bear nuts.
Selecting the Right Pecan Variety
Choosing the correct pecan variety is crucial, relating directly to climate compatibility and successful nut production. Pecan trees require “chill hours”—cumulative hours between 32°F and 45°F during winter dormancy—to properly break bud. Southern varieties may require 300 chill hours, while northern cultivars may need over 1,000 hours for uniform bud break.
Matching a cultivar’s chill hour requirement to your region’s historical average is necessary to avoid inconsistent growth. Selecting a variety hardy in your USDA Hardiness Zone ensures the tree can withstand minimum winter temperatures. Pecans generally thrive in Zones 6 through 9, but specific cultivars exist for colder (Zone 5) or warmer (Zone 10) climates.
A successful pecan harvest relies on cross-pollination, requiring the planting of at least two trees with different flowering types. Pecans exhibit dichogamy, meaning male and female flowers on a single tree mature at different times to prevent self-pollination.
Type I (protandrous) varieties release pollen before their female flowers become receptive. Conversely, Type II (protogynous) varieties have receptive female flowers before the male flowers shed pollen. To ensure consistent nut set, plant at least one tree of each type with overlapping bloom times for wind-borne pollen transfer.
Selecting varieties resistant to common fungal issues, such as pecan scab, saves effort and expense on fungicide applications.
Timing and Initial Planting Logistics
The optimal time to purchase and plant pecan trees is during their dormant period in late winter or early spring. Planting during dormancy allows the tree to establish its root system before the stress of spring growth and summer heat. Containerized trees offer a more flexible planting window but still benefit from dormant-season planting.
When acquiring a bare-root tree, its exposed roots must be kept moist and planted immediately. Before planting, trim the long taproot to about 18 inches and remove any broken or circling lateral roots. Containerized trees should have their roots gently untangled or pruned if they are tightly circling the pot.
The planting hole should be dug wide enough for the lateral roots and deep enough for the taproot, often requiring three feet for bare-root stock. Set the tree at the same depth it grew in the nursery, indicated by a slight color difference on the bark. After backfilling with the original soil, a thorough initial watering is necessary to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets.