Pecan trees can be one of the easiest nut-producing trees to grow if you live in the right area and pick the right cultivar. They make beautiful shade trees and, if you water them correctly, you’ll be rewarded with enough pecans to enjoy for the entire year!
There are really only 6 steps you need to follow to plant a pecan tree. First, dig the correct size hole. Next, inspect the roots and prune if needed, place the seedling at the correct depth, and fill the hole with dirt and water.
After planting, make sure to protect the trunk and add mulch. If cared for, pecan trees can produce 50 lbs of pecans per year!
Before you dive right into planting, you will want to consider the climate you live in, the pecan cultivar you want to grow, and the best place to plant your pecan tree in your yard.
Don’t worry, we’ve got all of that info for you in this article too!
Where Exactly Do Pecan Trees Grow?
Before you set out on your journey to grow a pecan tree at home, you’ll want to make sure you live in the right area for your tree to be successful. One of the biggest factors that limits pecan tree success is temperature.
For a pecan tree to produce pecans, it needs at least 180 frost-free days and enough heat to ripen the nuts.
The heat needed for ripening pecans, and other plants, is referred to as cooling degree days. Cooling degree days are calculated as the number of degrees the average temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
To calculate cooling degree days, you take the average temperature for the day and subtract 65. The resulting number is your cooling degree days.
For example, if the low is 70, and the high is 90, your average temperature is 80. Subtract 65 from 80 and you get 15 cooling degree days for that day.
Pecans require 1,000 cooling degree days for the nuts to fully ripen.
You can use the High Plains Regional Climate Center’s interactive map to see how many cooling degree days your area receives.
Starting From Seed Vs. Seedling
You may think about simply collecting a recently fallen pecan seed to start your pecan tree journey, but there are a few things you should know.
You may see a gorgeous pecan tree that produces tons of pecans each year and assume that planting one of those pecans will give you the same results. However, with pecans, the seed can fall very far from the tree.
Pecan seeds on the same tree can be highly variable genetically, meaning nut production and quality can vary among seeds collected from a single tree.
This high level of genetic variability has led to the cultivation of over 500 cultivars of pecan trees!
Therefore, most nurseries will start with a seedling to provide root stock and graft on buds or shoots from a parent tree with the desired pecan qualities. This ensures the resulting tree provides high-quality nuts in large quantities.
Pecan trees also have some pretty serious pests which can ruin both the pecans and the tree itself. Grafting allows you to choose parent trees that are resistant to many of these pests, decreasing the amount of work required to keep the tree healthy.
You can attempt to grow your own seedling from a pecan seed, then graft it on the desired parent tree yourself, but this can be difficult. We recommend you start with a seedling that has already been grafted to ensure your pecan tree gets started on the right foot.
We also recommend you plant more than one pecan tree in your yard to ensure good pollination and pecan production.
Read more on the best time to plant pecan trees and how you should do it in our in-depth article.
Why You Need To Plant More Than One Pecan Tree
As mentioned above, pecan trees have a high level of genetic variability. This is, in part, due to pecans being dichogamous plants.
Dichogamous plants have both male and female flowers, which mature at different times. This keeps dichogamous plants from self-pollinating.
Preventing self-pollination is a survival strategy as it increases the plant population’s genetic diversity. This allows for quicker adaptation to changes such as climate and pests.
So you need to plant multiple pecan trees, that are two different cultivars.
Here’s why: female flowers of pecan trees grow on the current year’s growth, while male flowers grow from the previous year’s growth.
Some pecan tree cultivars will produce their female flowers first while others will produce their male flowers first. That’s why pecan tree cultivars are considered either Type 1 or Type 2, based on their flowering pattern.
Type 1 pecan tree cultivars produce mature male flowers first, followed by the maturing of the female flowers. This is known as protandrous flowering.
Type 2 pecan tree cultivars produce mature female flowers first, followed by the maturing of the male flowers. This is known as protogynous flowering.
So if you have a type 1 pecan tree and a type 2 pecan tree, you will have male and female flowers present at the same time for cross-pollination, leading to a plentiful pecan harvest later!
Therefore, we recommend you plant at least 2 pecan trees on your property, and that one is a type 1 cultivar and the other is a type 2 cultivar.
Best Pecan Tree Cultivars For Your Yard (By State)
Below is a table of the recommended pecan tree cultivars to grow in each state. We also added the pollination type (1 or 2) for most of the cultivars to make the selection process easier for you!
| State | Recommended Cultivar (Pollination Type) |
| Alabama | Caddo (1), Cape Fear (1), Creek (1), Desirable (1), Elliott (2), Forkert (2), Gloria Grande (2), Jenkins, McMillan (2), Moreland (2), Oconee (1), Pawnee (1), Stuart (2) |
| Arkansas | Amling (1), Caddo (1), Elliot, Kanza (2), Lakota (2), Oconee (1), Pawnee (1), Stuart (2) |
| Florida | Elliott (2), Excel (2), Sumner (2) |
| Georgia | Amling (1), Caddo (1), Desirable (1), Elliot, Forkert (2), Kanza (2), Oconee (1), Pawnee (1), Sumner (2) |
| Kansas | Colby (2), Dooley, Giles (1), Greenriver, Hirschi, Kanza (2), Major, Maramec (2), Norton, Pawnee (1), Peruque (1), Posey (2), Starking (1) |
| Kentucky | Colby (2), Fisher, Greenriver, Hirschi, Kanza (2), Major, Mandan (1), Pawnee (1), Posey (2) |
| Louisiana | Caddo (1), Candy (2), Elliott (2), Jackson (1), Melrose, Oconee (1), Sumner (2) |
| Mississippi | Cape Fear (1), Elliott (2), Forkert (2), Jackson (1), Kiowa (2), Melrose, Owens, Sumner (2) |
| Missouri | Caddo (1), Canton (1), Chetopa, Colby (2), Giles (1), Goosepond, Greenriver, Hirschi, Kanza (2), Lucas (2), Major, Maramec (2), Norton, Pawnee (1), Peruque (1), Posey (2), Shepherd, Wiese, Witte |
| New Mexico | Bradley, Burkett (2), Colby (2), Lucas (2), Pawnee (1), Western Schley (1), Witte |
| North Carolina | Amling (1), Caddo (1), Cape Fear (1), Chickasaw (2), Elliot, Forkert (2), Gloria Grande (2), Kanza (2), Kiowa (2), Lakota (2), Lipan, Mandan (1), Pawnee (1), Stuart (2), Sumner (2) |
| Oklahoma | Caddo (1), Colby (2), Giles (1), Kanza (2), Lakota (2), Maramec (2), Oconee (1), Pawnee (1), Peruque (1) |
| South Carolina | Caddo (1), Cape Fear (1), Creek (1), Elliott (2), Gloria Grande (2), Kanza (2), Oconee (1), Pawnee (1), Stuart (2), Sumner (2) |
| Tennessee | Amling (1), Caddo (1), Lakota (2), Kanza (2), Oconee (1) |
| Texas | Caddo (1), Cape Fear (1), Desirable (1), Kiowa (2), Oconee (1), Pawnee (1) |
| Washington | Colby (2), Peruque (1), Stark Hardy Giant (1) |
Choosing Where To Plant Your Pecan Trees
Before you decide to plant a pecan tree in your yard, you’ll want to make sure you have enough room. Pecan trees can grow up to 100 feet tall and 70 feet wide!
Make sure you consider the size your pecan tree will ultimately be and keep it away from your house and any power lines.
Since you’ll likely be planting more than one pecan tree, so you can have good pollination, you want to leave enough space between trees as well. The University of Georgia recommends leaving at least 60 feet between pecan trees to prevent misshapen trees and the need for pruning as they grow bigger.
By avoiding planting near structures, power lines, and other trees, you’ll ensure that your mature pecan tree will get plenty of sunlight and produce a ton of pecans!
How To Plant Your Pecan Tree Seedling
Now that you’ve decided what pecan cultivar to plant, and where to plant it, it’s time to get your new tree into the ground! It is best to plant container seedlings in the ground in the early fall from September to October.
Step 1: Digging The Hole
To start, dig a hole that is slightly larger than the container your seedling is in.
By not digging the hole too large, you will have fewer issues with settling soil which could cause your pecan tree to be planted too deep.
You can save the soil removed from the hole to fill it back in after placing the seedling.
Step 2: Inspecting The Roots (And Pruning If Needed)
Next, remove the seedling from the pot it has been growing in.
If you have pot-bound roots, you will want to pull them away from the outer soil gently and prune them. Don’t prune them back to the soil. Just prune a few inches, at most, to encourage new growth.
These Fiskars Gardening Tools: Bypass Pruning Shears are the perfect tool for cutting your roots and any small branches.
For a more in depth pruning guide as your tree grows, check out our article on pruning large trees.
Also, inspect the tap root on the bottom of the soil. If the taproot has become twisted, due to hitting the bottom of the container, you will want to straighten it out and prune off the twisted part.
Now your seedling is ready for planting!
Step 3: Placing The Seedling At The Correct Depth
This is one of the most important parts of planting your pecan seedling. You want to avoid planting the seedling too deep or it could damage the roots due to a lack of oxygen.
Gently sit your seedling in the hole to see if the surface of the seedling soil is the recommended 1 inch lower than the surface of the soil surrounding your hole.
The goal is to only add one inch of soil on top of the soil your seedling came in once the tree is fully planted. More than an inch may cause the roots to suffocate.
Once you have the hole to the correct depth, it’s time to fill it all in!
Step 4: Filling The Hole With Dirt And Water
Filling with dirt and water may sound strange, but this method avoids leaving any air pockets around the roots.
Typically, when you plant something new, you eliminate air pockets by pressing the soil down around the plant. You don’t want to do that with pecan seedlings.
Place your seedling in the center of the hole and double check the hole is the correct depth. Using a garden hose, begin filling the hole with water.
Don’t run the water on full blast or you may disrupt the soil too much.
Once the hole is filled ½ to ¾ of the way full, you can begin pushing dirt into the hole. Keep the water running as you fill in the hole with dirt. When the water reaches the top of the hole, you can turn it off and fill in the remainder of the hole with dirt.
Using this method allows the wet soil to fill in around the roots without creating any air pockets.
You can level out the soil around the seedling if any settling occurs, but avoid being tempted to press the soil down.
Step 5: Protect The Trunk
The trunk of your seedling will be small and delicate at this stage and needs to be protected. Young, green trunks can get sunscald or be damaged by wildlife if you don’t protect them.
You can protect the trunk using a tree wrap, tree guard, or grow tubes. We like these EasyFlex Tree Trunk Protectors because they’re easy to install and allow for airflow around the trunk while protecting it.
Step 6: Add ‘Mulch’
Now that your pecan seedling is in the ground, you’ll want to add a layer of pine straw 4 to 6 inches deep, 6 feet around the base of your pecan seedling.
Keeping weeds and grasses from growing within 6 feet of your pecan seedling will help eliminate competition for resources such as nutrients and water.
You don’t want other plants stealing what your pecan seedling needs to grow!
Now that you’ve successfully planted your pecan seedlings, you’ll want to keep them healthy!
You don’t need an expensive mulch for a thriving tree, in fact, you can make your own! Read our article on how to make pine needle mulch for more info.
Watering Your Pecan Tree
Watering your pecan tree is one of the most important factors to keeping your pecan tree healthy.
If you don’t provide your pecan tree with enough water during each life stage, it will not grow as well as it should. Watering helps the root system grow and helps ensure pecans develop correctly.
Pecan trees can only survive 3 weeks without water. That’s why we recommend, at a bare minimum, watering your pecan tree every two weeks to keep it alive. However, you will need more water if you want to produce good quality pecans from your tree.
Watering Young Pecan Trees
After planting, you’ll want to water it weekly with 10 to 15 gallons of water.
Continue this watering routine until your tree produces flowers.
The root system is small during the first few years of growth and must be continually supplied with water, especially during the hottest parts of the year.
Watering Fruit Producing Pecan Trees
Once your pecan tree produces flowers, you’ll need to use the deep watering method during the growing season to stimulate root and pecan growth.
Some pecan tree cultivars will start putting on a few nuts in year 3 or 4. Most will start producing a decent amount of pecans by year 7.
The amount of water your pecan tree gets during the production season directly affects the quality of the pecans.
If you want to ensure you get high-quality pecans from your tree, start watering using the deep watering method during the growing season.
Deep Watering Method
Deep watering means watering the soil to a depth of three to four feet, from the trunk to three feet past the tree’s drip line.
You’ll want to make sure you give your trees at least the equivalent of 2 inches of rain each week. On average, a sprinkler puts out 1 inch of water per hour.
You want the watering process to be slow since most of the roots for taking in water are in the top 1-2 feet of soil. Give the water time to soak into the ground rather than watering it so quickly the water runs off.
You can achieve this either with a soaker hose, or a sprinkler. If you decide to water by hand, water from the edge of the tree’s drip line. Don’t just water it at the base of the trunk.
Deep watering should be done from around March, when the buds start to swell, until October. Frequency depends on the soil type you have in your area.
Water every 15 to 21 days for clay soils. For loam soils, water every 14 to 18 days. For sand soils, water every 7 to 10 days.
Once the growing season ends, around October, you can scale back on watering your mature pecan tree.
Fertilizing Your Pecan Tree
Along with proper watering, fertilizing your pecan tree will provide it with the nutrients it needs for optimal growth.
During the first June after planting, it is recommended to add one pound of 5-10-15 fertilizer in a 5-foot by 5-foot area around the tree. Make sure you don’t get the fertilizer within 12 inches of the trunk or it could cause damage to the tree.
During the second year, it is recommended to add one pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer to the same area twice in March and June. Continue this fertilizing schedule until your pecan trees start producing flowers.
Once your pecan tree produces flowers, you’ll want to add four pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground. However, don’t add over 25 pounds per tree, no matter how big the trunk is. This should be done every March.
Soon you’ll be rewarded with plenty of delicious pecans!
Harvesting The ‘Fruits’ Of Your Labor
Yes, pecans are a fruit (botanically speaking)! They are classified as drupes which have a single stone or pit in the middle surrounded by a husk. Cherries, peaches, and plums are also drupes.
Make sure you harvest your pecans as quickly as you can once they’re on the ground. Otherwise, you may lose them to animals or rot if the ground is wet. Store them in a cool dark place for 9 to 12 months.
To learn more on other varieties of nuts, check out our article on 4 more varieties of hard nuts you can grow.
Summary
Now you know everything about how to select and plant your own pecan tree!
As long as you choose the right cultivar for your area, and keep it watered throughout the year, you will have a bountiful crop of pecans for years to come!
References
Fronza, D., Hamann, J.J., Both, V., Anese, R.D.O. and Meyer, E.A., 2018. Pecan cultivation: general aspects. Ciência Rural, 48.
Grauke, L.J. and Thompson, T.E., 1996. Variability in pecan flowering. Fruit Varieties Journal, 50, pp.140-150.
