Q&A – What should you do to get full pecan shells?
Question:
I am writing concerning my neighbor’s pecan trees. She has several paper shell trees. Last year about half the kernels were half filled. The rest were empty. What should you do to get full pecan shells? She has a good crop but not much fruit in the shell.
Answer:
The pecans in question are a variety called mahan. This variety makes large pecan shells, but the tree does not have the energy to fill all the pecans on the tree. If it is a very light crop, then the shells will be filled, If the crop is medium or heavy the shells will be less than full. UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison says the half empty pecans are still good to eat, there is nothing wrong with them, but there is nothing you can do to get that tree to produce a large number of full shells.
Related Resources:
Mahan
Pecans
Establishing a Pecan Orchard
I am writing concerning my neighbor’s pecan trees. She has several paper shell trees. Last year about half the kernels were half filled. The rest were empty. What should you do to get full pecan shells? She has a good crop but not much fruit in the shell.
Answer:
The pecans in question are a variety called mahan. This variety makes large pecan shells, but the tree does not have the energy to fill all the pecans on the tree. If it is a very light crop, then the shells will be filled, If the crop is medium or heavy the shells will be less than full. UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison says the half empty pecans are still good to eat, there is nothing wrong with them, but there is nothing you can do to get that tree to produce a large number of full shells.
Related Resources:
Mahan
Pecans
Establishing a Pecan Orchard