

After two years a seedling should be around 4 to 5 feet (1.5 m.) tall and ready for grafting. Sow Pecan seeds in early spring in a sunny garden bed and fertilize the soil with 10-10-10 before planting. This seed must be checked at least twice daily, handled carefully, and planted immediately without allowing them to dry. Top-quality Pecan seed will swell and split in only one day. Barrels, irrigation canals, or rivers have been used so that the water is not standing still. The nuts are placed in a mesh bag, submerged in a water bath, and soaked in running water for 1 to 4 days. Pre Soaking is used to stimulate the germination process. Most people are now using the dry stratification process. Stratification must be from as soon as the nuts are dry until they are presoaked for planting in late February. The temperature should never go below 2☌ because freezing will kill the embryo. Some stratify as nuts only with no medium. Some stratify seeds in poly bags with both Pecans and a very slightly moist packing medium such as sand, peat moss, or vermiculite. The ideal temperature is 7☌ and in a polyethylene bag to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide movement through the bag, but no loss of moisture. For Pecans, they can be stratified with dry chilling. The stratification process is the period from drying to planting. The drying wants to be as fast as possible without using heat. The germination process is staggered for each seedling and 4 to 8 weeks is required for all seed to come up.ĭry storage is required for the Pecan nuts as soon as they are harvested. The Pecan seeds are taken from dry storage, and placed in moist soil, absorb water through the shell for 2 weeks, enzymes stimulate growth, the shell splits, the young root emerges and grows about l/2 inch per day, extending a foot or more into the soil before the shoot emerges through 2 or 3 inches of soil. In case if you miss this: Soybean Seed Germination, Time, Temperature, Process. Ideally, the soaking must occur in running water so, if possible, leave a hose trickling into the dish. Then soak the seeds in water for 48 hours, changing the water daily. After that process is complete, acclimate the Pecan seeds to normal temperatures for a few days. Keep the moss moist, but not wet, in a temperature range slightly above freezing. Stratify the nuts for 6 to 8 weeks before planting by placing them in a container of peat moss. To give yourself the greatest possibility of success, plan on planting several, even if you only want one Pecan tree.

You’ll want to choose a Pecan from the current season that appears sound and healthy. The Pecan tree germination process requires a few steps.

Germination of about 4 to 8 weeks is required for all Pecan seeds to come up. Some stratify Pecan seeds in poly bags with both Pecans and slightly moist packing mediums such as sand, peat moss, or vermiculite. Temperature and time for Pecan seed germination If all three Pecans germinate and successfully grow into seedlings, leave the healthiest-looking plant, and then remove the others. The Pecan plants should be left to grow for about a year, at which time the young seedlings will be 6 to 18 inches tall. When the root system reaches about 1 foot in length, the shoot of the new Pecan tree will rise about 2 or 3 inches from the top of the nut and start to pike through the soil. The roots of the new tree will emerge from the split in the shell and grow at a rate of about 1/2 inch per day. If you want more than one tree, plant additional Pecan trios no less than 35 feet apart to leave room for the mature Pecan trees. In March, after stratification and soaking, the Pecans are planted about 3 or 4 inches deep in moist soil, with three Pecans planted in the same mound. The life span for the Pecan tree, either seed or graft, is approximately 40 years.
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Pecan trees grown from a graft can bear their first crop at 6 to 8 years and reach full maturity at 14 to 16 years. Pecan trees are grown from seed usually bear their first crop at 10 to 14 years of age and reach full maturity at 18 to 22 years. Pecan trees mature at different ages and depending on whether they are grown from seed or from a graft. If the trees are planted too closely together, trees may become deformed when not given enough space to expand. Overcrowding Pecan trees will hinder their growing procedure and decrease their harvests. Pecan trees must be planted between 60 and 80 feet apart to allow them plenty of room for growing.
