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| Kanza, 24 July 2018 |
It is finally getting to that time of year when pecans have grown large enough to easily judge the nut crop held by our trees. Currently the 2018 crop does not look very impressive. Yes, we'll produce some nuts this fall but for most cultivars, the crop looks below average. Today, I photographed several pecan cultivars just to give you some idea how this year's pecans are developing (photos at right and below).
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| Faith, 24 July 2018 |
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| Gardner, 24 July 2018 |
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| Hark, 24 July 2018 |
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| Jayhawk, 24 July 2018 |
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| Lakota, 24 July 2018 |
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After taking the photos, I collected a couple of nuts from each cultivar so that I could cut them open and check on kernel development. After a late start this Spring, I was expecting that all the heat we've experienced during the past six weeks would have helped the trees catch up in terms of kernel development. As it turns out, I was wrong. Here we are, nearing the end of July and the kernels have barely achieved 1/4 kernel expansion (see photos below). During most growing seasons, early ripening cultivars like Gardner and Faith will achieve full water stage by the first week of August. That doesn't look like it will happen this year.
