Winter is the best time to plant pecan trees. The trees are dormant in winter and
have time to adjust before leafing out in the spring.
It’s hard to control many diseases and insects on pecan trees without using
costly chemicals (pesticides) and an air-blast sprayer. But home pecan trees and low-input farms can be productive if you choose the right cultivar (variety).
Pecan scab is the hardest disease to control. And it’s prevalent throughout
Georgia. Still, by choosing a cultivar that’s resistant or tolerant to scab, many people
can enjoy productive pecan trees.
Small nut size is important, too, if you’re not going to irrigate. During a
drought, it’s much easier for the tree to fill a small nut than a large one.
Some pecan trees shed pollen early, while others are late. Some form nuts early
and others late. Because of this, it’s best for trees to be close to other pecan trees or
have more than one cultivar nearby. The more cultivars in the planting, the better the
chance for cross-pollination.
But don’t crowd them. Plant pecan trees at least 40 feet apart.
The following table rates the recommended home-garden cultivars for their
resistance to pecan scab. It rates them for black aphid resistance, too. It also provides
their nut size and the kernel’s, or nutmeat’s, percentage of the total weight.