A Bountiful Harvest of Pecans!

Just in time for the holidays, a fall harvest of buttery pecans is the perfect ingredient for your favorite recipes. You may have noticed that the price of pecans continues to rise each year, which may put these delicacies out of your price range. But if you're "nuts" over pecans, why not grow your own? If you've never grown pecans, or you'd like to add to your existing pecan orchard, the Elliot Pecan tree (Carya illinoiensis 'Elliot') is a superior choice.

A Timeless Classic
The Elliot Pecan tree has stood the test of time. Since the early 1900s, it's been the standard-bearer among pecans primarily for three reasons:

1. Delicious taste. The bottom line is taste, and the Elliot Pecan delivers. With a buttery taste and hickory undertones, these pecans are delicious for fresh snacking. They also hold up well in baked dishes.

2. Large harvests. Pecan trees are typically "alternate bearers," which means that one year's crop may be heavy but contain many nuts of poor quality, followed by a lighter harvest the next year, which typically produces a higher percentage of nuts with higher quality. Although the Elliot Pecan tree is an alternate-bearer, it has a higher percentage yield of good-quality nuts even in heavy crop years. It outperforms the competition -- the Elliot Pecan tree's typical yield is 75 nuts per pound, compared to other pecan trees that produce 40-50 nuts per pound.

3. Disease resistance. Why is a disease-resistant pecan tree desirable? Pecan trees are susceptible to some diseases, notably scab, which reduce their yields and damage the nut quality. Elliot Pecan trees are resistant to these diseases.

Plant at Least Two Trees
For good harvests, pecan trees need to be cross-pollinated by a different pecan tree cultivar. The science of fertilizing pecan flowers includes knowing which pecan trees produce flowers at the same time, but we've eliminated the guesswork for you. The Pawnee Pecan tree (Carya illinoiensis 'Pawnee') is recommended as a pollenizer for the Elliot Pecan tree.

Off to a Good Start
The key to the future health of your Elliot Pecan tree is getting it off to a good start, which begins as soon as you receive your plant.

• Loosen the soil in the planting area 24 inches square and only as deep as the root system of your tree.

• Don't plant your tree too deeply -- only until the soil covers the topmost root; this is important.

• Water your Elliot Pecan tree thoroughly, and gently tamp the soil around it to ensure good soil-to-roots contact.

• Continue to water your Elliot Pecan tree deeply, not allowing the roots to dry out, during the first year after planting.