This past week I applied my regular fall mix of fertilizers to my pecan grove-- equal parts of urea, di-ammonium phosphate, and potash. I am a firm believer in fall fertilization for reducing alternate bearing of pecan trees, but this year, I was shocked by the price I had to pay.
Late last Spring the price of fertilizer and pest control chemicals started to rise. Prices continued to rise all summer and now, this Fall, the same amount of fertilizer that I applied in Fall on 2020 cost more than twice as much in 2021. We've seen spikes in fertilizer prices in the past but I think this year must be setting a record for percent increase over the previous growing season.
After getting over my initial shock, I realized that, if I want to keep my trees on the road toward increased nut production, I had to invest in fertilizer even at inflated prices. I've been growing pecans for 40 years and one thing that I've learned is that a consistent fertilizer program is the most important input that can be made to ensure annual nut production.