pecans? growing zones? anyone tried growing them?

[Philphine]

i wander through lowes most times and they have their fall batch of trees in. this time they have pecans. never seen them get those in, but they seem like they might be interesting to have in the yard too. they're not semi dwarf like the fruit trees i got, but i have two spots along the edge of the yard where full growing trees would work out. they're a little costlier than the other trees too.

the couple things i'm wondering is, looks like i'm right about about at the edge of the growing zone for them (ky., but i read possibly as high as maybe ohio), and if anyones tried to grow them. i kinda wondered if they got sent to that store by mistake. i was at another nearby lowes that doesn't have them.

i have a couple of black walnuts growing along the edge of the yard and i just like the idea of pecans too.

 

[Chuck]

i wander through lowes most times and they have their fall batch of trees in. this time they have pecans. never seen them get those in, but they seem like they might be interesting to have in the yard too. they're not semi dwarf like the fruit trees i got, but i have two spots along the edge of the yard where full growing trees would work out. they're a little costlier than the other trees too.

the couple things i'm wondering is, looks like i'm right about about at the edge of the growing zone for them (ky., but i read possibly as high as maybe ohio), and if anyones tried to grow them. i kinda wondered if they got sent to that store by mistake. i was at another nearby lowes that doesn't have them.

i have a couple of black walnuts growing along the edge of the yard and i just like the idea of pecans too.

If you lived in Texas I could help you a lot more about varieties and such but I can tell you a little about them. They require a lot of water to produce, about 2" per week. They grow to huge sizes and have week wood so don't plant close to your house. They are slow growers. They are not self pollinating so you have to have two of them. They like deep sandy type soils as they have an enormous tap root

 

[Philphine]

thanks. i read on the tag about needing two, so i may see if i can catch them when they start discounting them at the end of the season (doesn't look like many have been brought so far). they're nearly twice as much as any of the fruit trees.

the spot in the yard i'm thinking of is along my back fence line and the side line fairly close to it, so house proximity shouldn't be a problem. thanks again.

 

[Chuck]

thanks. i read on the tag about needing two, so i may see if i can catch them when they start discounting them at the end of the season (doesn't look like many have been brought so far). they're nearly twice as much as any of the fruit trees.

the spot in the yard i'm thinking of is along my back fence line and the side line fairly close to it, so house proximity shouldn't be a problem. thanks again.

Was the variety on the tag also

 

[DrCase]

They are growing all over Arkansas in yards and in the wild

 

[Trellum]

My neighbor has one, I live in Texas, south of Texas to be exact. They no longer have the tree, btw, they had to remove it because they wanted to build something there. It produced a lot pecans every year, some even landed on my yard! Not hard to grow in my opinion.

 

[Philphine]

Was the variety on the tag also

i don't remember. i'll have to look next time.

 

[Philphine]

they're elliot pecan trees.

 

[ChanellG]

Pecan trees grow just fine in the south, sometimes they come up on their own where you don't want or need them to. I'd say if you're growing walnuts you should be able to grow pecans, but I've never grown either so...

I'm not so sure about needing two of them. There was a huge one down the street from me until a hurricane got to it a couple years ago and it seemed to do fine without a companion. I've seen single ones in other parts of town as well.

 

[Mockingbird]

I'd say if you're growing walnuts you should be able to grow pecans

I think that is true only if you live in a southern state, we can grow walnuts in the north, in fact I have a black walnut in my front yard, but it is not warm enough for Pecan, which is a shame I would grow one in a moment. the black walnut has a very thick skin, the pecan is not as thick, I think thats art of the difference.

My aunt in Georgia used to ship us a box of pecan every Christmas. I miss her.

 

[ChanellG]

I think that is true only if you live in a southern state, we can grow walnuts in the north, in fact I have a black walnut in my front yard, but it is not warm enough for Pecan, which is a shame I would grow one in a moment. the black walnut has a very thick skin, the pecan is not as thick, I think thats art of the difference.

My aunt in Georgia used to ship us a box of pecan every Christmas. I miss her.

Well, since KY "is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States" and since there is a pecan festival there, I'd say it's possible.

http://www.kentuckytourism.com/events/details/kentucky-pecan-festival-/21699/

 

[Chuck]

If you lived in Texas I could help you a lot more about varieties and such but I can tell you a little about them. They require a lot of water to produce, about 2" per week. They grow to huge sizes and have week wood so don't plant close to your house. They are slow growers. They are not self pollinating so you have to have two of them. They like deep sandy type soils as they have an enormous tap root

Some varieties are self pollinating BUT they should be cross pollinated to achieve decent production.

 

[Philphine]

moot. they disapeared quick. i went by lowes just as they were starting to discount them and all of them were gone.

 

[ChanellG]

moot. they disapeared quick. i went by lowes just as they were starting to discount them and all of them were gone.

Call around, you may be able to find them still. When other places tell me stuff is done for the season I can usually find it at my favorite nursery as long as I'm willing to make the trip across town. (I'm at the edge of the city on one end of town and they are practically at the edge on another.)

 

[marlingardener]

Philphine, I don't know where you are located, but pecans will grow in zones 5 through 9. You just need to pick a variety that is adapted to your area. They do require water, which is why you find so many growing in the wild along streams and rivers. They also take a few years to bear nuts, and then you get a decent crop every other year.
Now is the time we plant trees here in Texas--roots get established before the heat hits. Of course, that doesn't work if you have 2' of snow on the ground!
If you can't find pecan trees locally, try some of the better seed/plant catalogs. Personally, I steer clear of the big box stores for important plants, like trees. They get what the home office sends out, not necessarily what the locality needs, can support, or grow. For example, we have very alkaline soil here, but the big boxes always have azalea and blueberry bushes in the spring. Go local if possible, and if not, do some reading and find a supplier that offers information and a good selection.