Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
crop-to-be.

We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
happened in six weeks.

The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.

Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
too many pecans and they're too big.
--

modom

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

modom (palindrome guy) wrote:

> Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
> crop-to-be.
>
> We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
> ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
> happened in six weeks.
>
> The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
> have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
> them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
> losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
> one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.
>
> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
> too many pecans and they're too big.


Perhaps the upside is you can use the wood in your smoker. Pecan
is good stuff.

--
Reg

"modom (palindrome guy)" wrote:
>
> Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
> crop-to-be.
>
> We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
> ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
> happened in six weeks.
>
> The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
> have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
> them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
> losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
> one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.
>
> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
> too many pecans and they're too big.

Actually the pecan harvest will be diminished because the tree was not
properly cared for, crop trees need to be properly pruned/trained when
young. If the tree is mature and was there before you arrived than it
is not anything you did, or didn't do. I would suggest a conference
with a local arborist to discuss how to mitigate future damage or you
can risk losing more than your nuts, you can lose the entire tree.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HS229

Sheldon

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 18:38:08 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:

>Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
>crop-to-be.
>
>We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
>ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
>happened in six weeks.
>
>The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
>have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
>them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
>losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
>one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.
>
>Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
>too many pecans and they're too big.
>--
>
>modom

That is a cruel irony. It is always *something* in farming!

So sorry.

aloha,
beans
roast beans to kona to email
farmers of Pure Kona

"modom (palindrome guy)" wrote:
>
> Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
> crop-to-be.
>
> We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
> ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
> happened in six weeks.
>
> The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
> have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
> them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
> losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
> one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.
>
> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
> too many pecans and they're too big.
> --
>
> modom
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

My pecan trees are loaded as well. I don't seem to be loosing any
branches at the moment though. Fun stuff...

Pete C.

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:47:33 -0700, Reg > wrote:

>modom (palindrome guy) wrote:
>
>> Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
>> crop-to-be.
>>
>> We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
>> ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
>> happened in six weeks.
>>
>> The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
>> have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
>> them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
>> losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
>> one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.
>>
>> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
>> too many pecans and they're too big.
>
>Perhaps the upside is you can use the wood in your smoker. Pecan
>is good stuff.

True. I'll have to get my chain saw fixed for this one, though. The
big limb that broke this afternoon is well over 10 inches in diameter,
and this old boy isn't gonna cut that one with a hand saw. There are
several others that fell today, too, but I can handle them (mostly)
with a pair of lopping shears.

BTW, have you even used pecan shells in a smoker? Fine smoke indeed.
--

modom

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:08:06 -1000, wrote:

>On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 18:38:08 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:
>>
>>Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
>>too many pecans and they're too big.

>That is a cruel irony. It is always *something* in farming!
>
>So sorry.
>
I'm not a farmer. I just have seven pecan trees in my yard.
--

modom

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

In article >,
"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote:

> Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
> crop-to-be.
>
> We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
> ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
> happened in six weeks.
>
> The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
> have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
> them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
> losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
> one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.
>
> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
> too many pecans and they're too big.
> --
>
> modom

:-( Can't you prop some branches, modom? I convinced Rob to prop two
of my plum tree branches. Thanks be! I've a bumper crop this year on
my dying tree and the weather we've had in the last week would most
certainly have cost a limb and some branches but for the support given.
(I've a pic on my website, link below.) I cry for pecan sadness.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com - Fair baking

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:55:35 -0700, Sheldon > wrote:

>"modom (palindrome guy)" wrote:
>>
>> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
>> too many pecans and they're too big.
>
>Actually the pecan harvest will be diminished because the tree was not
>properly cared for, crop trees need to be properly pruned/trained when
>young. If the tree is mature and was there before you arrived than it
>is not anything you did, or didn't do. I would suggest a conference
>with a local arborist to discuss how to mitigate future damage or you
>can risk losing more than your nuts, you can lose the entire tree.
>
>http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HS229
>
It's a mature tree (about 60 feet tall), and the lateral branch that
broke was far and away too high for me to reach before its collapse.
All of its branches, all of them, even the ones at the top are sagging
from the weight of the pecans. I've grown up with these trees and
I've never seen anything like this. They're sagging and snapping all
over town. This is an exceptional situation.

The little native pecans bear fruit that's too small to have such an
effect (they are totally delicious, BTW -- if you can get them out of
the rock-hard shells), but all the newer cultivars aren't fairing so
well.

One neighbor -- a retired geezer with a devotion to his pecans --
suggested getting a contraption some people use to shake pecan trees
in the fall to encourage the nuts to drop. We could use it now to get
part of the crop to drop off and save some tree limbs. Meanwhile,
I've been chopping back the last six to eight feet of the limbs that
sag down to where I can get to them to reduce the weight at the bad
end of the equation.
--

modom

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> :-( Can't you prop some branches, modom? I convinced Rob to prop two
>of my plum tree branches. Thanks be! I've a bumper crop this year on
>my dying tree and the weather we've had in the last week would most
>certainly have cost a limb and some branches but for the support given.
>(I've a pic on my website, link below.) I cry for pecan sadness.

Be sure to save that dead plum wood for BBQ use -- it's one of the
best woods I've found.

Steve

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 18:46:16 -0500, Steve Wertz
> wrote:

>On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 18:38:08 -0500, modom (palindrome guy) wrote:
>
>> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
>> too many pecans and they're too big.
>
>I've got dozens of pecan trees on my street and most of the
>younger ones are kinda stressed to the point where they're
>already dropping limbs and fruit. Most of them are plagued by
>tent worms, too. They're the only trees the tent worms like.
>
They like apple trees too. The tree looks awful, but it's producing a
lot of apples.

>Too bad I hate pecans.
>
I love them. Email me a bushel.



--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for the chicken, a lifetime commitment for the pig.

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:47:33 -0700, Reg > wrote:

>Perhaps the upside is you can use the wood in your smoker. Pecan
>is good stuff.

All they need is a good spray when dormant.


--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for the chicken, a lifetime commitment for the pig.

"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote

> It's a mature tree (about 60 feet tall), and the lateral branch that
> broke was far and away too high for me to reach before its collapse.
> All of its branches, all of them, even the ones at the top are sagging
> from the weight of the pecans. I've grown up with these trees and
> I've never seen anything like this. They're sagging and snapping all
> over town. This is an exceptional situation.

The poor trees, so stressed and making sort of a last gasp
effort to reproduce. I really hope you can save them from this
overburdened situation. Does the local extention office have any
advice?

nancy

In article >,
"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote:

> Cruel irony this week came in the form of an overabundant pecan
> crop-to-be.
>
> We came out of a nearly two-year drought this summer. The drought
> ended decisively when more than 2/3 the normal annual rainfall
> happened in six weeks.
>
> The local pecan trees, stressed by the previous months of drought,
> have bounced back assertively with thousands of huge green pecans on
> them, waiting to drop in October. But the weight is too great. I'm
> losing limbs almost daily. This afternoon we came home to see a major
> one had snapped under the load while we were in Dallas.
>
> Cruel irony = the pecan harvest will be diminished because there are
> too many pecans and they're too big.
> --
>
> modom

You may want to thin them out, or prop the branches with boards.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:05:25 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> "modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote:
>
>>
>You may want to thin them out, or prop the branches with boards.

Any long time farmer knows you need to prune your trees regularly for
maximum health. Coffee, for example, needs pruning yearly to assure
the new growth is healthy. Coffee is relatively short, growing to
maybe 10 feet max. Pecan trees are bigger (sorry never seen one) and
I am sure the county extension agent there in Pecan-country has fact
sheets on how to farm the Pecans. Pruning, fertilising, harvest etc.

As a coffee farmer, I just hate to hear of anybody losing their crop.
You don't get rich in farming- you choose the lifestyle- but you have
many bills to pay. And FYI, most of us get absolutely no subsidies.

aloha,
beans

roast beans to kona to email
farmers of Pure Kona

In article >,
wrote:

> On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:05:25 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > "modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote:
> >
> >>
> >You may want to thin them out, or prop the branches with boards.
>
> Any long time farmer knows you need to prune your trees regularly for
> maximum health. Coffee, for example, needs pruning yearly to assure
> the new growth is healthy. Coffee is relatively short, growing to
> maybe 10 feet max. Pecan trees are bigger (sorry never seen one) and
> I am sure the county extension agent there in Pecan-country has fact
> sheets on how to farm the Pecans. Pruning, fertilising, harvest etc.
>
> As a coffee farmer, I just hate to hear of anybody losing their crop.
> You don't get rich in farming- you choose the lifestyle- but you have
> many bills to pay. And FYI, most of us get absolutely no subsidies.
>
> aloha,
> beans
>
> roast beans to kona to email
> farmers of Pure Kona

Having this heavy of a pecan crop is rare.
I've watched the local trees and they seem to be doing okay, even tho'
we will indeed have a bumper crop this year!

I intend to freeze a bunch. They should be unusually sweet.

I'll have to see if I can bribe my sister to make Pecan Baklava for
Christmas. ;-d
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson