Pecan bud break influenced by soil type

    The buds of my Kanza trees are beginning to show some life. However, I've noticed some differences in the timing of bud break among my trees. The photo at right shows two Kanza twigs collected on the same day (10 April 2017) and growing only 500 yards apart. The only difference between these two trees is the soil that supports their growth.
    The twig of the left comes from a tree growing in an Osage silty clay. In contrast, the twig on the right is from a Kanza tree growing in a Cherokee silt loam. Both soils originated as river deposited sediments. The Osage soil is a true river bottom "gumbo" soil while the Cherokee soil is a lighter textured second bottom soil.
    The greater the clay content of a soil, the slower that soil warms in the spring. Cold soil inhibits the growth of new roots and with slower root activity bud break is delayed.