social

Pecan Trees With Rotten Pecans

July 31, 2007
Pecans growing on a tree with green and yellow leaves.

Question:

I live in Alabama and have pecan trees that have produced abundantly for years. But, the last two-year the crop has been rotten and this year I don't see many if any pecans on them. The pecans that have fallen off are rotten with bugs or something. What is the problem and how can I fix it?
Advertisement

Hardiness Zone: 7b

Judy from Leighton, AL

Answer:

Without seeing your pecan tree it's tough to say with any certainty what the problem (and the solution) might be. Pecan trees (and other nut trees) can suffer from a variety of maladies.

If you've had a couple of wet summers, it could be that your tree is suffering from some type of fungal disease like scab. Symptoms include dark spots on the undersides of leaves and the outer covering of the nuts. The leaves of a tree infected with scab turn yellow and the nuts fall prematurely. If that's the case, controlling it will depend on Mother Nature and waiting for a dry year.

Small dark spots can also be caused by stink bugs.

Do the pecans that have fallen to the ground contain small, grub-like worms? These could be pecan weevil larvae. The adult weevils are dark gray or brown beetle-like insects with long snouts. They lay their eggs on developing nuts, which then hatch and bore into the pecans leaving a small hole in the shell.

Advertisement

Another white worm found less frequently in the nuts is the hickory shuckworm. Infestations are characterized by olive green or reddish gray caterpillars that feed on buds and leaves and tunnel into young shoots to pupate. Adult moths emerge in May and lay their eggs on the nuts, which then hatch and bore into the shells.

A lack of nut production could point to pollination problems, too much water or not enough fertilizer.

You could be looking at one or a combination of problems. Hopefully some of this information will help you diagnose the problems and narrow down your search for solutions.

 

2 Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

July 31, 2007

I have native pecan trees and have lost all my pecan. The pecans that have fell off look like they have a white mold on them and they are soft. We have had an above amount of rain this summer. All 3 of my trees lost there pecans but my next door neighbor is fine. The leaves on the tree look great. I don't want this to happen next year. Help



Hardiness Zone: 8b

Answers

By Kerry (Guest Post)
August 2, 20070 found this helpful

Try going on the A&M website. I think it is tamu.edu. They have a whole section on pecan trees and diseases.

 
By kelsey (Guest Post)
August 31, 20070 found this helpful

Do pecans in shells get rotten?

 
December 19, 20120 found this helpful

How do I stop this?

 
Answer this Question
In This Page
Categories
Home and Garden Gardening Trees Tree HealthMarch 2, 2018
Pages
More
😎
Summer Ideas!
🎆
Fourth of July Ideas!
🌻
Gardening
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube
Instagram
Categories
Better LivingBudget & FinanceBusiness and LegalComputersConsumer AdviceCoronavirusCraftsEducationEntertainmentFood and RecipesHealth & BeautyHolidays and PartiesHome and GardenMake Your OwnOrganizingParentingPetsPhotosTravel and RecreationWeddings
Published by ThriftyFun.
Desktop Page | View Mobile
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Generated 2024-06-29 06:49:53 in 3 secs. ⛅️️
© 1997-2024 by Cumuli, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.thriftyfun.com/tf52367499.tip.html