Pecan Budbreak in Central Louisiana
Posted by wernuts2 on 7th Apr 2014
Pecan budbreak is apparent in the pecan orchard here at Little Eva Plantation. We first began noticing the buds swelling on the tips of the pecan limbs in late March and tiny bits of the green baby leaves started showing their appearance the first couple of days of this month.
Each morning brings a noticeable progression of pecan leaf growth. Within the next seven to ten days the pecan orchard should be all green and beautiful again. The grass is already green under the trees as Mark has applied the first application of fertilizer for the 2014 pecan crop. In just a few days it will be time for the first fungicide application to help control pecan scab. It will also be important that an insecticide spray be applied at this time also to control pecan phylloxera. Phylloxera are tiny, aphid like critters that stimulate the formation of galls on the pecan leaves and shoots by feeding on the tender plant tissue early in the season.
These insects are hard to see as they are so small but the damage they cause is easy to see - lots of green balls that can be so bad as to completely defoliate a tree if left untreated.