By Wade Hutcheson
University of Georgia
As a University of Georgia Extension Service county agent, I
spend a lot of time answering questions. And lately, I’ve been
answering a lot of pecan- and vegetable-related queries.
“What’s wrong with the pecan tree in my yard?” many people ask.
“The leaves are covered in warts. There’s this strange growth,
too, on the tips of some branches.”
So what’s wrong? Well, to start with, the tree is in your yard.
Pecan trees can be handy in the fall, but they really don’t make
desirable landscape trees.
The problem homeowners most often describe is caused by a small,
aphid-like, flying insect called a pecan phylloxera.
The adult phylloxera lays an egg everywhere you find warts and
galls. The egg laying causes this growth, which surrounds the
developing egg. This happened just after the budbreak, and
there’s nothing practical to do for it now.
What to do
To begin with, it’s too late. The damage is done. Add to that the
impossible job, for a home gardener, of spraying a large pecan
tree. Your neighbors would panic if you tried to properly spray
it with the specialized equipment required to force the product
throughout the canopy to the top of the tree.
On the bright side, the damage won’t kill the tree. However, it
will reduce the nut crop. For backyard pecan trees, the three
best practices you can do to help that tree are to:
- Fertilize properly, beginning in February.
- Clean up all debris under the tree several times each year.
- Provide water, within restrictions, when it doesn’t rain
enough, especially in June through September.
Trying to apply insecticides or fungicides to a large pecan tree
is simply not an option for the backyard tree. Just do these
three things and be happy for any nuts it gives.
If you’re fortunate, you might have a decent crop every other
year. But for the money you’d spend on properly fertilizing a
pecan tree, you could buy enough pecans for the entire
neighborhood.
Garden woes
Many people also ask, “What’s wrong with my vegetables? Nothing’s
growing or even germinating.”
This problem could result from several things, including the
garden location, planting date, seed quality and fertility. I
generally ask a few questions to find specific answers. But the
overlying cause this year has been the cool, damp, spring weather.
The weather has prevented soil temperatures from reaching levels
to promote plant growth. It has also kept seeds from germinating.
Conditions are better now, though, and I encourage replanting if
it’s needed.
Finally, a tomato question: “I’ve got lots of vine but very few
flowers,” people say. “The flowers I’ve had have fallen off.
What’s wrong?”
Again, the weather may be causing this. But I’d bet you
overfertilized, especially with nitrogen or high-nitrogen
fertilizer.
Too much nitrogen causes tomato plants to grow lots of foliage at
the expense of flowers and fruit. Fertilize tomatoes before you
plant them and again when the first fruits are just bigger than a
golf ball.
Follow soil test results. Or use a half-pound of 10-10-10 per 100
square feet of bed each time. Incorporate the first application
into the soil before you plan. Apply the other as a side-dressing.
Keep tomatoes mulched to help control soil moisture and weeds and
soil splashing onto leaves, stems and fruit.
Some of mine are almost ripe now, and I can’t wait for that first
slice. You know, there are only two things that money can’t buy:
true love and homegrown tomatoes.
(Wade Hutcheson is a University of Georgia Extension Service
agent serving Spalding, Henry and Newton counties.)
