Tips offered for fertilizing pecan trees

The most important cultural practice that homeowners with pecan trees should remember is proper fertilization.

Low fertility causes poor shoot growth, reduced nut set and increased susceptibility of the tree to disease and winter damage. In late spring and early summer, a properly fertilized pecan tree will have an abundance of dark green, healthy leaves forming a full canopy.

Annual terminal growth on a mature bearing tree should be 8-12 inches. A young non-bearing tree normally producers more growth.

Pecan trees should be fertilized in late winter to early spring.

Fertilizer should be applied by broadcasting over the root zone of the tree starting one foot from the trunk to slightly beyond the tips of the branches. If fertilizer is applied during an extended dry period, it is best to water the area thoroughly with one to two inches of water.

Fertilize pecan trees based on the trunk diameter. Apply 3 lbs of a complete fertilizer(8-8-8) or an equivalent amount of another complete fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter measured at one foot above the soil line. Later in the growing season (late May to June) add an additional ½ of ammonium nitrate per inch of trunk diameter on trees 25 years of age or older.

Although proper fertilization cannot compensate for lack of moisture, improper pruning or disease and/or insect pressure, it is the most practical and effective tool available to homeowners for improving pecan production.

Drought conditions in August and September can reduce nut production and quality. Timely watering of trees during these months can help produce a larger pecan crop and increase nut quality.

Visit our website at www.lsuagcenter.com/richland or contact the Extension Office in Rayville at 728-3216 for more information.

Keith Collins is the LSU AgCenter county agent for Richland Parish.