Folk wisdom can, in fact, be amazingly accurate. Not because of some ancient or secret knowledge, but because it is attributable to generations of observations which have been confirmed time and again over the centuries.
Many of these pre-social media urban legends involve weather and season changes. In pre-industrial days these environmental factors influenced food production, a critical component for keeping body and soul together.
This time of year the last frost date is a concern. Frost on emerging crops can be fatal and result in massive extra work and expense, but each day that passes without planting pushes harvest back.
A local tree with the reputation for predicting the last frost date is the pecan. Carya illinoinensis, as it is botanically known, is a deciduous tree which emerges during April.
Pecan trees are leafing out and will soon be setting their versatile and very popular nuts which will be gathered in November.
The tree does not have some innate sense of weather systems, but reacts to the lengthening hours of day light in spring. In most of panhandle Florida, frost in April is rare.
This species’ native range is from northern Mexico to southern Illinois and Indiana latitudes. This “New World” tree was quickly appreciated by the Spanish explorers for its tasty nuts with positive storage attributes.
They established groves in Europe and their north Africa and Asia colonies. Pecans remain a popular culinary addition in many overseas locations, especially China. Many tons of this nut crop are exported to the east Asian economy.
In pre-Columbian America, the pecan was widely used and traded by the residents. The common name is thought to have originated with an Algonquian term which grouped it with hickory nuts and walnuts.
In panhandle Florida this tree is a popular addition to home orchards and landscapes. When adding to an existing or new site, the terminal size must be considered.
While slow to grow initially, the mature trees can easily reach 120 feet in height and spread over 70 feet in width. Many have been used in rural areas for “double cropping” on land.
During summer the trees grow the valuable nuts and ultimately defoliate in autumn. Once the leaves are gone, the agricultural producer can sow an annual winter forage and graze livestock during the winter.
In botanical terms the fruit of the pecan tree is technically a drupe, a fruit with an encased single seed. The husk of the pecan, like hickories and walnuts, is a thick green coating which dries to dark brown or black and opens as the nut matures.
Over the last two centuries a variety of named cultivars have been developed with patient selective breeding programs conducted by individuals and universities. Each displays nuts with specific desirable characteristics.
In Florida, commercial cultivation occurs only in the northern tier counties. Occasionally individual examples are encountered as far south as central Florida.
As with any plant which is expected to yield a crop, fertilization is necessary. In the case of pecan the species has a limiting micronutrient which must be included in the fertilizer mix.
Zinc is critical to successful production and must be added if not naturally occurring in the soils. North Florida’s soils are typically deficient of this element.
In the days before commercial pecan tree fertilizers, innovative individuals added the component by burying old or damaged galvanized implements in the pecan tree’s root zone. Galvanizing tools to prevent rust is coating them in molten zinc.
Whether valued for its weather forecasting abilities or just the nuts, it is good to see this long valued tree return to production in the fresh spring days of April.
Leave a Reply