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Posted: 2/27/2015 6:33:31 PM EDT
So I've been clearing up a field and thinking about what to do with it.   I was thinking I might try planting some pecan trees as a test.  See how they do over the course of a year.

One thing I've been reading, however, is that to get good yield from pecan trees you need a soil depth of at least 32 inches.

What does that mean exactly?   I've got a trash pit on the edge of the field so I can kind of see (at least in that spot) where the black earth stops and grey caliche clay begins.  

At least in this spot, it seems to range from 24 to 28 inches from the surface.

Pic:



I'm guessing soil depth, for my purposes, does not include the grey stuff.   It is somewhat hard.  Or maybe it does?  I don't really have any tree experience.

The literature I'm reading recommends 35 feet between trees for spacing.  So if I had to add topsoil, we're talking about 962 sq ft per tree (17.5' radius circle).  Assuming a depth of 6 inches, that's 160 cubic yards per tree.

I have big trucks I can move soil with (sadly, nothing dump).   But I'm guessing that option would be cost prohibitive unless I could get it for practically free.

Thoughts?
Link Posted: 2/27/2015 6:54:06 PM EDT
[#1]
I'd just go ahead and plant them and not get too hung up on soil depth.

What they really mean by depth is the depth to partially weathered parent material (portion of the soil horizon that's available for root growth).

In soil profile schematic, they're talking about the A & E horizons.  Where that pit is starting to turn tan colored is the beginning of the B horizon.



ETA, get those damn beer bottles out of that hole.  They'll cut your roots!
Link Posted: 2/27/2015 7:02:38 PM EDT
[#2]
That tannish part is about  42inches from the surface.

I'm going to start the first tree about 15 feet from that pit, so I'm not too worried about the roots getting to it.

Thanks for the reply.  

Field is about 20 acres in total, but I'm thinking I'll just start with 10 trees this year and see how they do.  

I do have a hose bib already within 20 feet of that pit, so irrigation won't be a big problem.
Link Posted: 2/27/2015 9:02:30 PM EDT
[#3]
you will be fine with that piece of dirt.  pecans?  you'll never see a nut.  Your grandkids might.

Plant what others around you have had luck with.  Sorry, tired.  hit me with questions and I will come back to answer them.
Link Posted: 2/27/2015 9:33:14 PM EDT
[#4]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
you will be fine with that piece of dirt.  pecans?  you'll never see a nut.  Your grandkids might.

Plant what others around you have had luck with.  Sorry, tired.  hit me with questions and I will come back to answer them.
View Quote



Really?   The advertised timeframe  I've seen for Caddo variety is 5 or 6 years from planting.    Is  that just advertising hype?

I haven't seen any real orchards around here.  Mostly just individual trees that have been planted.   Most of the farmers around here grow corn (feed and sweet), milo, and cotton.   And in the past few years, wheat.

But all that stuff requires a huge outlay in equipment.   And I doubt it would make any financial sense to even attempt any kind of row crop on only 20 acres.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 9:53:31 AM EDT
[#5]
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 10:00:40 AM EDT
[#6]
I've got a ~30 year old pecan in my yard and still never seen a nut. Squirrels get them all before they're ready.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 10:05:07 AM EDT
[#7]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
That tannish part is about  42inches from the surface.

I'm going to start the first tree about 15 feet from that pit, so I'm not too worried about the roots getting to it.

Thanks for the reply.  

Field is about 20 acres in total, but I'm thinking I'll just start with 10 trees this year and see how they do.  

I do have a hose bib already within 20 feet of that pit, so irrigation won't be a big problem.
View Quote


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 10:30:15 AM EDT
[#8]
You may want to cut your spacing down a bit from 35' or whatever it was.  Go look at a commercial orchard and see what they plant like. I bet its not 35' that's only 35 trees per acre.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 10:37:28 AM EDT
[#9]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
That tannish part is about  42inches from the surface.

I'm going to start the first tree about 15 feet from that pit, so I'm not too worried about the roots getting to it.

Thanks for the reply.  

Field is about 20 acres in total, but I'm thinking I'll just start with 10 trees this year and see how they do.  

I do have a hose bib already within 20 feet of that pit, so irrigation won't be a big problem.


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.


If your putting 50 lbs of 8-8-8 under every tree you are putting out 4 lbs of n per tree, your 70' spacing gives you 17.5 trees per acre, meaning you put 70 lbs of n per acre on.  I would think you may need to bump up the nitrogen a bit like 2 to 3 times as much. Trees are nitrogen whores, especially when being cropped and pruned.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 5:08:11 PM EDT
[#10]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
That tannish part is about  42inches from the surface.

I'm going to start the first tree about 15 feet from that pit, so I'm not too worried about the roots getting to it.

Thanks for the reply.  

Field is about 20 acres in total, but I'm thinking I'll just start with 10 trees this year and see how they do.  

I do have a hose bib already within 20 feet of that pit, so irrigation won't be a big problem.


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.



What variety do you have?  Or multiple varieties?
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 10:43:30 PM EDT
[#11]
I can't answer for the university's writers.  But I have planted about 40 pecan trees earlier in my life.  I believe I selected less than adequate soil perhaps.  But you may have better luck than me.  

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Quoted:


The University of Georgia seems to agree with the 5-6 year time frame for first nut production.

See graph at the bottom of this page.
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
you will be fine with that piece of dirt.  pecans?  you'll never see a nut.  Your grandkids might.

Plant what others around you have had luck with.  Sorry, tired.  hit me with questions and I will come back to answer them.



Really?   The advertised timeframe  I've seen for Caddo variety is 5 or 6 years from planting.    Is  that just advertising hype?

I haven't seen any real orchards around here.  Mostly just individual trees that have been planted.   Most of the farmers around here grow corn (feed and sweet), milo, and cotton.   And in the past few years, wheat.

But all that stuff requires a huge outlay in equipment.   And I doubt it would make any financial sense to even attempt any kind of row crop on only 20 acres.


The University of Georgia seems to agree with the 5-6 year time frame for first nut production.

See graph at the bottom of this page.

Link Posted: 2/28/2015 10:44:27 PM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
That tannish part is about  42inches from the surface.

I'm going to start the first tree about 15 feet from that pit, so I'm not too worried about the roots getting to it.

Thanks for the reply.  

Field is about 20 acres in total, but I'm thinking I'll just start with 10 trees this year and see how they do.  

I do have a hose bib already within 20 feet of that pit, so irrigation won't be a big problem.


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.


actually the pecan root system is based off one of the deepest taproots a tree can have.  Many hickories are known for that.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 10:46:05 PM EDT
[#13]
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Quoted:
You may want to cut your spacing down a bit from 35' or whatever it was.  Go look at a commercial orchard and see what they plant like. I bet its not 35' that's only 35 trees per acre.
View Quote


or plant a pecan, 2 peaches, then another pecan.  When the natural life of thepeaches has reached it's end, the pecans will be larger trees and you can cut your peaches down.
Link Posted: 2/28/2015 11:09:00 PM EDT
[#14]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


or plant a pecan, 2 peaches, then another pecan.  When the natural life of thepeaches has reached it's end, the pecans will be larger trees and you can cut your peaches down.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
You may want to cut your spacing down a bit from 35' or whatever it was.  Go look at a commercial orchard and see what they plant like. I bet its not 35' that's only 35 trees per acre.


or plant a pecan, 2 peaches, then another pecan.  When the natural life of thepeaches has reached it's end, the pecans will be larger trees and you can cut your peaches down.



I like this idea.  Peaches actually do well here, if you water them.

We rarely get freezes.  And almost never anything very much below freezing.
Link Posted: 3/1/2015 9:57:25 AM EDT
[#15]
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Quoted:



What variety do you have?  Or multiple varieties?
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
That tannish part is about  42inches from the surface.

I'm going to start the first tree about 15 feet from that pit, so I'm not too worried about the roots getting to it.

Thanks for the reply.  

Field is about 20 acres in total, but I'm thinking I'll just start with 10 trees this year and see how they do.  

I do have a hose bib already within 20 feet of that pit, so irrigation won't be a big problem.


The root system will cover roughly the same area below the surface as the tree canopy does above ground. I have a 57 tree orchard on 5 acres - trees planted 60' apart. Started with 75 trees but have lost some over the years to hurricanes and lightning strikes. I fertilize every Feb - 50lbs of 8-8-8 under each tree. YMMV but here the trees run in 3 yr cycles. In other words I have a bumper crop every three years if we don't have a storm that blows all the nuts off the trees - or a tropical system that causes salt water rains that will 'burn' everything - etc. In Feb 2014 we had several days of temps in the teens and several weeks of sub freezing temps. My trees didn't even bloom last year.

All things considered - I still love having my trees.



What variety do you have?  Or multiple varieties?


The majority are Stuarts. I have replaced some that were lost and replaced them with Cheyenne. That produce a little bigger nut that Stuarts and are just as good IMO.
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