How to Feed Pecan Trees

Pecan trees need several things to thrive and produce healthy crops of nuts. The first is water, and you should plan on watering your tree heavily and often. Your pecan tree will also need nitrogen-rich fertilizer twice each spring, and depending on your soil's zinc content, will probably also need zinc. Fortunately, all the supplies you need for feeding your pecan tree are readily available at home and garden stores, and should not be difficult to buy or use.

Things You'll Need

• Pecan tree
• Water
• Nitrogen-based fertilizer
• Zinc powder or liquid
• Ladder

Instructions

1. Water your pecan tree frequently, especially when the weather is hot. Newly planted trees will need a gallon of water every day. This does not mean you need to water your tree daily, but it means that when you do water you need to make sure the water soaks into the ground enough that the tree's roots can access water every day. Larger trees can need up to 100 gallons of water per day on the hottest days of summer.

2. Apply a nitrogen-based fertilizer twice each spring, once in mid-March and again in mid-May. Apply one pound of fertilizer for each year your tree has been alive. Ammonium sulfate is a common fertilizer for pecan trees, and is available at most garden stores. Follow the directions on the fertilizer package to apply the fertilizer correctly.

3. Determine whether your pecan tree needs extra zinc in the early spring.You can either have your soil tested for zinc content at a local garden store, or you can watch your tree for signs of zinc deficiency. If a tree needs zinc it will have pale green leaves, bare branches near the top of the tree, and bare limbs with small clusters of pale leaves at the tips. If your soil test shows low levels of zinc, or your tree exhibits any of these symptoms, buy zinc in liquid or powder form from your local garden store.

4. Dilute the zinc powder or liquid with water according to the directions on the package. Pour your zinc solution into a spray bottle and spray the solution directly on the tree's leaves. For larger trees, you will need a ladder to reach the foliage. Zinc should be applied three or four times early in the growing season, between the time leaf buds appear and mid-June.

Tips & Warnings

• Newly planted trees should not be fertilized until the dirt around the trunk has settled.

References

• Texas Pecan Trees: Growing Pecan Trees---A Homeowners Guide to Pecan Tree Care
• North Carolina State University: Growing Pecan Trees in North Carolina