Time for nut crop thinning

     This year, my Kanza trees have set way too many nuts to be able to produce high quality kernels come this Fall. To remedy this problem, I need to remove a portion of the nut crop to allow the remaining nuts to pack the inside of every shell with kernel. The most efficient way to reduce pecan crop load is to shake the trees when the nuts reach the water stage of nut development. So, ever since the first of August, I've been cutting open Kanza nuts to check on their kernel development.  

    Today, the nuts hit the water stage (photo above, right). It was time to shake trees.

   For summer tree shaking I use a 3-point hitch tree shaker equipped with doughnut pads (photo at left). When shaking trees in mid summer it is important to use a doughnut pad shaker to help prevent shaker damage to the bark. I also lubricate the inside of the rubber flap that covers pad with silicone lubricant. The goal is to allow the rubber flaps to slip and not the bark off the trunk of the tree.

     Shaking trees for crop load regulation is somewhat of an art. The duration and intensity of the shake largely determines how many nuts are removed. Starting on the first tree, I shake only lightly. Getting off the tractor, I visually inspect how much I've removed. I never look at the nuts on the ground only the nuts left in the tree. If I haven't removed enough, I'll shake the tree again. My goal is to get between 60 and 70%  of the terminals bearing nuts. 

    Once I've shaken a few trees. I get the feel for how much to shake the rest of the trees in the orchard. This year, I was somewhat surprised how easy it was to remove nuts. I had to make sure to use a light touch on the throttle or else I would remove too many nuts. Shaking my entire Kanza block (10 acres) took just a couple of hours.