Why do my pecans not produce every year?
Alternate bearing in pecan production means that a tree bears a relatively heavy crop of nuts one year and a lighter one the next. It is characteristic of pecan trees and other hardwood forest trees. To reduce the effects of alternate bearing, choose cultivars that tend to be consistent annual bearers and then practice good orchard management. Healthy trees of any cultivar are better able to bear pecans consistently from year to year.
For a tree to grow vigorously enough in the spring to produce the leaves and flowers it needs for a good harvest, it must carry enough assimilated food reserves over the winter to support its first flush of growth. For that reason, anything that interferes with a tree's ability to produce and store nutrient elements, carbohydrates, etc., also interferes with its ability to produce nuts. Among these are the nut crop itself, the age of the tree, and the tree's health.
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RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi blueberry producers have two opportunities during February to learn more about production of the state’s largest fruit crop. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting an in-person workshop and a virtual workshop.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- Current and prospective greenhouse vegetable growers can learn about the specialized production method during Mississippi State University’s 2024 Greenhouse Vegetable Short Course on Feb. 27-28. The course will be held at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center’s Magnolia Building in Verona from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. It is open to greenhouse vegetable producers throughout the Southeast.
A late freeze, high summertime temperatures and a devastating drought mean a poor pecan crop for Mississippi in 2023.
Eric Stafne, fruit and nut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said weather stacked the odds against a good crop this year.
