Pecan Orchard?

[LMK17]

Does anyone here have experience maintaining a pecan orchard? We're looking at properties, and some of them have pecan orchards, which I know nothing about. I'm assuming, based on the "wild" trees that I see around here, that mature orchards don't require much care? Do they need supplemental water in central TX? What about pruning? I'm also not sure how to harvest the nuts. (I think you just let them fall?)

Any tips or advice?

 

[animalmom]

I've seen wild pecans along the roadways that don't get any special care... isn't there some bug, tent worm or something like that that one needs to spray against? I'll be watching to see what the others have to say.

We have a few pecans on the property, but I have yet to see any nuts.

 

[LMK17]

Yes, I do think there are webworms that infect pecans. Not sure how destructive they are, though, and I tend to leave well enough alone unless some pest is doing SERIOUS damage to my plants.

Assuming I don't need to maintain the orchard to keep the Ag exemption or anything, I wonder if there's any harm in taking a pretty hands-off approach and treating an orchard more like any other wooded area on a property? Wouldn't get the same pecan yield, I'm sure, but some of these places have an acre+ in pecans! I don't like them *that* much! LOL And in all seriousness, I suppose I could try and sell them, but I'm not sure I'm ready to get into farming for profit at this point. So maybe just let the animals graze in the orchard sometimes, don't get crazy with the weed control or anything, and see what happens? Or is that orchard sacrilege since someone took the time to put in the orderly orchard to being with? I dunno...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Get pigs! They'll clean up those pecans for you and you'll have some delicious meat!

 

[LMK17]

LOL! That was one of my first thoughts when I started seeing orchards pop up on these properties-- "Ooh! That would be a good place to run the pigs!" We do plan to raise a couple feeder pigs each year. I'll have to figure out how long to run the pigs in an orchard without their damaging anything, but yes, pigs in the orchard are a definite plan.

 

[Bossroo]

Your in Texas , see what the feral pigs do to a property in ONE DAY.

 

[Mini Horses]

I've always felt chickens or guineas were best at nut trees. They will eat the pesty things, not the nuts. HOWEVER don't try this in a blueberry patch...they love those things & you get none!

My experience has always been with a few trees. Yes, some type of bug will get into them & destroy the nut but, commercial places control with sprays -- collect nuts with machine help. My 3 trees on another farm were fine with the birds doing most bug & larvae control. They ate my much awaited blueberries

Pigs will root and can kill a tree because of that, left long enough.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Good idea for chickens and guineas in the orchard. They sure will eat the bugs and other pesky things. I had a pig one time pull a freshly planted fruit tree right out of the ground! I don't think they could damage a mature pecan three though.... Yep - no birds in the blueberry patch!

 

[misfitmorgan]

Mature trees should be ok with pigs.

The acorn finished hogs that are famous and come from Spain(iberico pork) are let to run in a sparsely wooded oak stand of approx 2.5acre per pig 3-4 months before being butchered. The pigs are put in the forest at 10months old and 200lbs and when they leave the forest they are approx 400lbs. These pigs are fed nothing else at all for those 3-4 months.

I believe if you put the pigs in there when there is a large number of pecans on the ground and watch for them to eat most of the pecans then move them...you should be ok. From some simple math i would say you would be fine letting them for for about 14 days while keeping an eye on things. If your concerned about them damaging to much you can put out a self-feeder with grain for them as well.

People all over the world pasture in orchards of all sorts, as long as they are well established and you watch the pigs they dont have problems and the ground improves year after year as well as the pigs eating grubs and other pests.

For the pecan trees....i found this..seems pretty useful.
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2010/02fertilize_pecans.html

 

[LMK17]

Your in Texas , see what the feral pigs do to a property in ONE DAY.

Yes, they're dang destructive! BUT who-knows-how-many wild hogs being left unchecked on a property is quite a different story from a 2-3 feeder pigs being supervised on a mature orchard. I'd never leave them alone with newly planted trees, but mature pecans? Probably no big deal.

I've always felt chickens or guineas were best at nut trees. They will eat the pesty things, not the nuts. HOWEVER don't try this in a blueberry patch...they love those things & you get none!

Good idea about the birds. I had also been considering geese for the orchard...

Mature trees should be ok with pigs.

The acorn finished hogs that are famous and come from Spain(iberico pork) are let to run in a sparsely wooded oak stand of approx 2.5acre per pig 3-4 months before being butchered. The pigs are put in the forest at 10months old and 200lbs and when they leave the forest they are approx 400lbs. These pigs are fed nothing else at all for those 3-4 months.

People all over the world pasture in orchards of all sorts, as long as they are well established and you watch the pigs they dont have problems and the ground improves year after year as well as the pigs eating grubs and other pests.

For the pecan trees....i found this..seems pretty useful.
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2010/02fertilize_pecans.html

Yes, I agree about the mature trees, and in addition to the acorn finished hogs in Spain, early farmers in America would let their hogs run wild in the woods before catching them and butchering them. These things were my inspiration for running pigs in the orchard. Not unchecked, of course, but for limited periods of time as the ground could support.

And thanks for the link!