How to tell Male from Female pecan? - Ask Extension
In the process of buying a house that has a approximately 10 yr old pecan tree how do I tell if is male or female so I can buy a mate. There is still ...
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How to tell Male from Female pecan? #317753
Asked May 01, 2016, 7:01 AM EDT
In the process of buying a house that has a approximately 10 yr old pecan tree how do I tell if is male or female so I can buy a mate. There is still a nut on one of the branches. Does it matter what variety. Growing in Edgewater East Central Florida.
Volusia County Florida
Expert Response
Hello,
Pecan trees produce flowers of both sexes, but the trees are dichogamous, meaning that the release of pollen by male flowers does not coincide with the ability of female flowers to receive it. Different cultivars of pecan trees with male and female flowers that perform their functions simultaneously are ordinarily necessary to ensure that pollination takes place. The pecan tree produces pendulous green spikes of male flowers, called catkins, that produce pollen. Pecan catkins grow in groups of two or three laterally along wood that is a year old. The smaller, green spikes of female flowers that receive pollen grow at the end of the current year's growth. Both male and female flowers are about 1/8 inch long. The flowers of both sexes lack sepals and petals.
Some pecan cultivars produce male flowers first; other cultivars produce female flowers first. Both kinds of trees are necessary for pollination to occur, although sometimes the male and female flowers send and receive pollen at the same time. An orchard should have a mix of male-flower-first, female-flower-first cultivars to ensure pollination.
So watch your tree when it flowers and check to see if it is flowering on new growth (female) or on old growth (male).
Hope this is what you are looking for. A
Pecan trees produce flowers of both sexes, but the trees are dichogamous, meaning that the release of pollen by male flowers does not coincide with the ability of female flowers to receive it. Different cultivars of pecan trees with male and female flowers that perform their functions simultaneously are ordinarily necessary to ensure that pollination takes place. The pecan tree produces pendulous green spikes of male flowers, called catkins, that produce pollen. Pecan catkins grow in groups of two or three laterally along wood that is a year old. The smaller, green spikes of female flowers that receive pollen grow at the end of the current year's growth. Both male and female flowers are about 1/8 inch long. The flowers of both sexes lack sepals and petals.
Some pecan cultivars produce male flowers first; other cultivars produce female flowers first. Both kinds of trees are necessary for pollination to occur, although sometimes the male and female flowers send and receive pollen at the same time. An orchard should have a mix of male-flower-first, female-flower-first cultivars to ensure pollination.
So watch your tree when it flowers and check to see if it is flowering on new growth (female) or on old growth (male).
Hope this is what you are looking for. A
