Pecan Tree Saplings: Latest Prices and a Detailed Guide to Planting Methods

Pecan is also known as American mountain walnut, longevity fruit, wansuizi, etc. It is a tree plant of the genus Carya in the Juglandaceae family, native to the United States and northern Mexico on the North American continent, and has now become one of the world's nut tree species. In China, it is cultivated in Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan and other places. Now let us take a look together at the price of pecan saplings and the planting methods!

How much does one pecan sapling cost?

The price of pecan saplings is about 10-12 yuan each. They are supplied in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan and other places, but prices vary greatly depending on the specifications of the saplings, the market and the quantity purchased. Pecans are generally sown and raised as seedlings in the first year, grafted in the spring of the second year, transplanted in autumn, and can be shipped as seedlings by autumn and winter of the third year. After planting, the saplings begin to bear fruit in about three years, and can reach high yield in five years. The flowering period is April to May, and the fruiting period is July to November.

Growing conditions for pecans

1. Temperature: Pecan prefers a warm and humid climate, with an average annual temperature of 15.2°C being suitable. It can tolerate a maximum temperature of 41.7°C and is relatively cold-resistant, suffering no frost damage even at -15°C, but low temperatures during the flowering period will affect flowering, pollination and flower development.

2. Water: Pecan has different water requirements at different phenological stages throughout the year. Before flowering, during the spring shoot growth period, an appropriate amount of rain is required. Continuous rainy weather is taboo during the flowering period. During the fruit and naked bud development period, sufficient and even rainfall is required.

3. Light: Pecan is not very demanding regarding light. In its young stage it requires a cool environment, so when raising pecan seedlings artificial shading is necessary. Adult trees grow poorly on sunny, dry and barren sunny slopes.

4. Soil: For pecan planting, oil-black soil and yellow soil developed on limestone, as well as yellow soil developed on sandstone, slate and shale, are best. Red soil and sandy soil are not suitable for planting pecans.

Propagation methods for pecans

1. Sowing: Pecans can be sown in both spring and autumn, but autumn sowing is not as safe as spring sowing. For autumn sowing, it is usually enough to finish sowing before the soil freezes in autumn. Spring sowing should be early, and can be done in mid-March, but the seeds must undergo sand storage treatment.

2. Grafting: The rootstock used for pecan grafting is generally walnut. Scions are collected from superior individual plants, and for the scion, well-developed branches from the outer canopy that are plump and robust, 30-40 cm long and 1-1.5 cm thick, with plump and full buds from the middle and lower part of the scion, are selected as the grafting buds.

3. Cuttage: Pecan cuttage propagation usually uses robust 1-year-old branches. The cuttings are 17-20 cm long. With ordinary cuttage methods, the survival rate is usually above 90%.

4. Root cuttage: For pecan root cuttage, roots are collected in conjunction with nursery stock being removed from the nursery, then heeled in temporarily, and carried out in spring. The seed roots are 1 cm in diameter and 10 cm long. Bed planting is preferable, and the upper cut end of the root must be buried 0.5-1 cm below the bed surface.

5. Layering: During the dormant period of the pecan, robust branches at the base of the mother plant are pressed into the soil, and after a period of time they can take root. The branches are then separated from the mother plant and transplanted for further cultivation.

Planting methods for pecans

1. Land preparation and fertilization: For pecan planting, plots with deep, loose soil, sufficient water sources and shelter from wind and facing the sun should be selected. After digging the holes, first place a layer of straw at the bottom of the pit, then add 50 kg of organic fertilizer, 20 g of jiadi powder and 500 g of superphosphate and mix them evenly with the soil.

2. Transplanting and planting: Pecan transplanting is carried out after leaf fall or before sprouting. Large saplings should be moved with a soil ball. For 1-2-year-old small saplings, more lateral roots and fibrous roots must be retained and they should be dipped in mud slurry in time. In the young tree stage, especially before the first winter after planting, measures such as burying the soil and building soil mounds should be taken.

3. Pruning and trimming: Early pruning of pecans should be light, appropriately leaving more main branches so that they bear fruit early. When pruning, the inner canopy of the tree crown should be kept ventilated and light-transmitting. In the early stage, the branches and shoots in the upper part of the crown should be retained as much as possible, while the lower part of the crown can be gradually thinned.

4. Cultivation and weeding: Within 1-3 years of establishing a pecan orchard, crops such as soybeans, corn and baizhu can be intercropped. During intercropping, the orchard should be cultivated and weeded, and appropriate amounts of organic fertilizers such as burnt mud ash, cake fertilizer and barnyard manure should be applied.

5. Fertilization to preserve fruit: For pecans, before sprouting each spring, apply about 30 kg of urea per mu. During the fruit expansion period, apply 80 kg of special fertilizer for fruit trees. In autumn, apply 3000 kg of base fertilizer. After entering the fruiting stage, increase fertilizer application according to the fruiting situation.

6. Pest and disease control: The main pests and diseases of pecans include hickory branch blight, star longhorn beetle, Lili green nettle moth, coffee wood borer moth, etc. The key is to do a good job in winter orchard pest and disease control work, and during the growing season carry out timely prevention and control according to the occurrence of pests and diseases.