How to plant pecan trees

What you need to know-

     Planting pecan trees is a much bigger process than one may think. The process requires a lot of time, knowledge, and effort. Planting pecan trees is much more than just putting a tree in the ground, and there is many things you will need to know. 

Steps:

1. Figure out where you are going to plant your pecan trees.
2. Test your soil and find out what variety of trees are right for you.
3. Get the trees ordered and bought.
4. Buy or rent the equipment you will need (keep reading).
5. Do some prep work and plant the trees.
6. Prune the trees and put a growing tube/sleeve over the bottom of the trees.
7. Make sure to keep the trees watered.

The process-

First things first:

     To begin with, you need to figure out where you are planting your trees. You then need to get a sample of the dirt and take it to your local nursery to see what type of tree will be most successful for you. After talking to the nursery workers you need to decide what trees you will plant. After doing this you are ready to buy and order the trees. Depending on how big the nursery is you need to plan to order the trees eight to ten months ahead of when you should plant them. The trees should be planted around January or February.
     There are many varieties of pecan trees, and each kind has its own condition it needs to grow in. Meeting and talking to your local nursery workers is very important. They will know what type of pecan trees you can choose from that will best benefit you, and in the future make you the most money. The nursery will have many trees and they will all be tagged according to what type they are.

This is a picture of the tagged trees ready to be picked up from a local nursery.

Equipment:

     You will need many things before beginning the process of planting your pecan trees. One of the things you will need is a tractor, and attached to the tractor you will need an auger. An auger is what will did the hole that the pecan tree will be hand placed in. You will also need a machete, the machete is used to trim the roots of the tree prior to placing them into the hole. You will need a shovel to cover the trees roots up after it is placed in the hole. A rake will be used to flatten and smooth up the surface after the tree is planted and packed down. You will need a water tank filled with water, or a water hose to water the trees right when you are finished planting them. After planting the trees how much you water them depends on how wet or dry the soil is. You will most likely need to find some people or workers to help you plant the trees. Depending on how many trees you plant and how much time you have will depend on two people to help or ten.

Pictured is an auger

After:

     After planting the trees there are still steps to keep them healthy and growing until they start to produce pecans. One thing you have to do is prune the trees. Pruning is a term used when you cut the top part of the tree off. This is done to help the tree grow better, and the roots grow faster to form a bigger foundation for the tree. The pruning cut is made at an angle above a bud that is already grown on the tree, and you make this cut with hand help punning clippers. After you prune the tree you spray the fresh cut with pruning sealer. The sealer is used to protect the fresh cut from disease by a water proof seal. 

     One of the last steps of the planting process is to place a growing sleeve around the base of the tree to protect it from chemicals like herbicides. These can be purchased in bulk, and they have to be placed on the trees by hand one at a time. Most come in two colors, white and black. White is said to stay cooler and not hold in as much heat around the tree. The growing sleeve has a slit on one side so that it can be removed easily when the tree trunk becomes too large for the sleeve, and the tree is not as vulnerable to the chemicals. 

     You must keep the trees watered for the best pecan production. You can do this a couple different ways. You can pull a watering hose and tank behind a tractor, and water by hand. You can also install an irrigation system, which may be costly, but in the end will not be as much work. If you follow good planting practices and procedures your trees should begin to develop pecans in about four years. 

The final production of newly planted pecan trees