Jamie Lawrence

Hello all!
I am planting a bunch of native pecan seedling in my backyard partly for nut production but more for creating shade for summer.

Resources on pecans seem focused on commercial growers and maximizing pecan production and want pecans 40 feet from any other tree.

My question is: how close can I plant pecans to each other and other trees if my focus is more on creating shade (slowly)?

There is already a central group of tall hackberry trees that appears nearing end of life that provides this shade, so I planned on adding pecan seedlings outside each of these to serve as their successors. I hoping the pecan trees do not die or grow severely distorted due to proximity.

Many thanks!

Hello all,
I moved to a new home and there is a 25 foot single stemmed tree with all its branches and foliage near the top. It appears to be a peach of unknown variety, but appears grafted with union or perhaps just weedwacker scarring just above ground with shoots perpetually trying to come from rootstock. Last summer it made a couple of small peaches that did not get close to maturity. I am in central Texas and temperatures are already in the 80s and the tree is partially shaded by another large tree and does not itself contribute useful shade to anything else. I am not in a hurry so can wait for a better time of year. I only have half an acre so I would like to use the spot for some value, even if just ornamental, which this tree is not.

What would be the best strategy to salvage it?

Wait and cut it at 24 inches in what appears to be scion and hope for good open habit branches and good variety? Graft known varieties down at at height I can reach? Can you cut down at ground and try to graft directly to old established rootstock? Let a strong shoot come up from rootstock and remove the scion and try to graft to that new rootstock shoot?

Or cut down and chip whole thing into mulch?
Or just don't make eye contact with it and ignore?

Many thanks!

Thank you Timothy,

I had seen some of those resources, so was alarmed.

Most of the discussion seems to be based in other regions that tend to be wetter, colder and perhaps more forested than ours.

I wonder if the local central/south Texas regional experience would be any different.

Has anyone encountered these?

https://www.tsusinvasives.org/home/database/amynthas-spp-#:~:text=Amynthas%20jumping%20worms%20inhabit%20the,near%20the%20end%20of%20summer.

I just bought a tree at a local nursery in San Antonio, dug hole, pulled pot off and 10 large jumping worms fell out and flailed around. By then, half the soil from pot was all over the hole.

How concerned should I be once I threw away the tree, pot and as much soil as I could scrape away?

Howdy yall,

Does anyone have experience with serviceberry in warmer areas near San Antonio?
A&M says varieties, Amelanchier utahensis and Amelanchier denticulata, are native to dry Western regions.
Are there any other varieties or suggestions for where to get them?
Do they taste good and produce decently?
Need much care?
One report said denticulata smelled bad, is that a real concern?

Many thanks yall!

Anne - the extension office is a good idea, I may need to just go to that home in orchard class they are offering.

James - thank you for your experience. I am also not trying for artistic beauty as much as compact and trees that are easier to protect from cold/birds/bugs with tarps and nets. (Though if the deer ever break in, they would have a feast.) I may just go with standard trees and sharpen my pruners.

I had seen a few places that dwarf was suggested, but I believe it was this podcast where an academic guy (from the cold northland's, not really our situation) really emphasized dwarf stock for espalier applications.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL3VyYmFuLWZvcmVzdHJ5LXJhZGlv/episode/MDk5M2NmNmItOGM3My00YzdmLWE0ODMtM2YwN2YyYWQ4YjUy?ep=14

It was a good listen because he had other interesting tree/apple management tips.

Thank you all!

Hello all! I was looking to start a small polyculture orchard in my backyard in San Antonio. I want to maximize variety and production and minimize space and anguish.

After ages of reading and videos, mostly not developed for our area, I have liked the space efficiency and ease of harvesting/supervision that espalier technique offer.

A. Has anyone had success with espalier in the area? If so, with what varieties?
B. Any good eapalier examples or local learning resources to visit/look at/learn from?
C. I have not been finding fruit trees on dwarf stock at local nurseries. I have read that this can be important for long term espalier success. Any ideas for sources locally or at least in Texas that would be appropriate to the area?

Many thanks all!