August 25, 2007, Article

by David Rodriguez

The pecan crop in many parts of the state is best described as a “limb breaker” this year. Homeowners are losing large limbs right and left. Due to the large crop, the insect pressure from casebearer has been minimal and as a result many trees are still carrying a large crop. In addition, the wet weather has allowed the nuts to attain their true genetic potential and as a result is very large (which makes the nuts weigh even more). The nuts will be the heaviest when the kernels are totally full of water. As a result many of the limbs are breaking. Nuts can still be removed from the tree to reduce the crop load and prevent limb breakage. Check out the information at the following site:

Click here for more information on Pecan problems:

http://www.plantanswers.com/breaking_pecan_limbs.htm
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David Rodriguez is the County Extension Agent-Horticulture for Bexar County. He represents Texas Cooperative Extension with the Texas A&M University System. To get questions like these answered, call the Bexar County Master Gardeners Hotline at (210) 467-6575, e-mail questions to mg-bexar@tamu.edu, or visit our County Extension website at: http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu, click under Horticulture and Gardening.

Special Note: Listen to a live broadcast of the Garden Show with David Rodriguez and Bill Rohde on WOAI 1200 AM every Saturday morning, between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., call in your gardening questions at (210-737-1200 or 1-800-383-9624). Check it out!