The wet weather cycle continues with above average rainfall covering much of the Midwest. Since January 1, 2020, we have received twice our normal amount of precipitation on our farm. Needless to say, the soils in my young pecan orchard are saturated with puddles of standing water everywhere (photo at right).
I usually make my Spring application of fertilizer during the month of March, but until things dry up a bit, I won't be able to pull a fertilizer buggy across the orchard.
I typically watch for the first signs of bud swell to make the Spring fertilizer application. So out of curiosity, I checked bud development on some of my Kanza trees. The buds were still fully dormant (photo at left). This means, that even if the ground was dry, I would be holding off on fertilizing at this time. Once I see bud swell, I'll spread some N, P, and K as soon as the soil becomes passable.
The Neosho River spilled over it banks yesterday and moved into many native pecan groves in our area (photo at right). The frequency of springtime floods in many native pecan groves is the primary reason I started recommending spreading a portion of the tree's fertilizer needs in the Fall. With fall fertilization, I can be certain that trees have enough stored nutrients to make vigorous new shoots in the spring. Then, when the soils dry out, more fertilizer can be applied to sustain both shoot and nut growth during the summer months.
