Pecan Production Guidelines for Small Orchards and Home Yards

Pecans (Carya illinoensis) are one of the most desirable trees to plant in home yards. Their size and natural beauty as a shade tree and its capacity to produce a nutritious food make them valuable. Pecans are native to the lower Midwest and Southeastern United States. They grow naturally in bottom lands with good alluvial soils and moisture. Pecans have compound pinnate leaves, composed of nine to 17 leaflets, and are twelve to 20 inches long. Pecans are the largest trees in the hickory family and can obtain heights of 100 to 140 feet. The tree is adapted to the diverse environmental conditions in Arizona but needs special care to produce high quality, well filled nuts. The main ingredients needed by pecan trees in Arizona include adequate space, water, nitrogen, zinc and more water. A mature pecan tree requires nearly 34,000 gallons of water per year. With annual average yields of 40 to 50 pounds per tree, this amounts to nearly 680 to 850 gallons of water per pound of nuts, depending on soil type.