Gardening with Gary




Gardening Advice from an Expert

Pecan Trees

Q. Not sure if you know the answer to this one or not, but thought I would try! My Mom has a pecan tree, (don't know how old) and it bears every year. She was looking at it, and it seems to her it may have died. Some of the limbs look dead, and some of the leaves are black. (I know, doesn't sound good, huh?) Is it normal for pecan trees to do that before they leaf out for the spring? We live in Louisiana, and our weather is always nuts! (No pun intended!) We just have never noticed it doing that before. I know you can't really tell for sure if you can't see it, but thought you might have some suggestions. Thank you.

A. Yes, the Internet is a bit hard to use in answering exact questions, at least now, before they make it 3-D!!! But, I suspect the worst. It is definitely not normal.

I want you to take a couple of the bad branches and bend them. Check to see if they snap. If they give under pressure, that is a sign that there may still be life left. If they snap, and the interior is bone dry, that stem is dead, and you would need to continue sampling the rest of the tree.

If one bends, go ahead and cut it off, about one foot in length. Look at several cross-sections and see if there is any green or moisture. If the color is black or brown, I suspect that the tree has:

Suffered a fungal attack
Died of old age or weakened state
Been damaged by cold and wind during the winter.

Do me a favor and write me again after you have gotten the results. That will give me more info to research for you!

JoAnna writes~
My mother-in-law lives in Virginia and as we were just struck by hurricane Isabel, her pecan tree in the front yard had some branches crack and blow off. I was wondering since the whole tree has not been uprooted if we cut back only the damaged limbs would they grow back? The tree had been in excellent condition prior to the hurricane and the branches that are still on the tree appear to be thriving. I appreciate any advice you may have regarding the tree. It has sentimental value to my mother in law as her late husband planted it when they first moved into their house.

A. Certainly, go ahead and prune off any cut or badly damaged branches. Apply a sealant available at your local nursery to prevent water loss and possible infection from an airborne fungus. If a branch is merely weakened and still attached to the main trunk, construct a crutch and secure tightly to the branch and then to the trunk. Use rubber around where the wires touch the tree so as not to cut into the bark. Remove only after well-healed. Give regular feedings to keep up the tree's overall health and strength. Best of luck in saving such a fine memento.