Questions about pecans

FarmboyBill · #1 05/03/12, 09:33 PM

Place im looking at to buy has a small grove of them planted, maybe 50/75 of them. Id say there on the younger side, but around 30ft tall. Not all spread out. Are they worth anything, the nuts that is.
Dont know yet if there PS or N. Is there a way to figure a general amount of money to be made off of a tree for either kind??
The trunks are around 10/16in dia

Is there a handy way of shakeing them, and gathering them up??

Ravenlost · #2 05/03/12, 09:46 PM

Pecans at the grocery store are expensive. They are definitely worth money.

Elsbet · #3 05/03/12, 09:57 PM

Oh, I would go NUTS for a place with a pecan grove!!!

I've got one tree on our property (well, 2- the other one is a seedling I need to move that is in the goat pasture- thankfully the girls aren't home yet.) Our neighbor let my kids and me pick up his this year too- I paid him back with lots of candied pecans.

If you make Christmas treats, you will quickly find out just how much pecans are worth. And NOBODY turns their noses up at homemade pecan candies.

(unless they have nut allergies, that is). They are also an awesome protein source- valuable for yourself, even if you never sell a one. Care is usually pretty minimal- fertilizing a couple times a year. You'll want to keep the area under them well raked and mowed, especially in the fall, if you buy the property- it makes picking up the nuts much easier. Some people will even spread sheets or tarps under the trees and then they are all "picked" and ready to go, making harvest a breeze. There are places that will buy them by the pound, but I've seen a lot of people selling them at fleamarkets, already shelled, for about $6 for a quart sized baggie. And customers were snatching them up fast.

Big Dave · #4 05/03/12, 09:57 PM

Yep they are woth $$ and so is the wood when you have to take them out. Tree shakers are how you harvest. If you decide not to buy let me know where it is please.

GrannyG · #5 05/03/12, 10:07 PM

The price is $9 a pound here for pecans.......are these native trees or a larger pecan ?

FarmboyBill · #6 05/03/12, 11:51 PM

Granny, as I stated in my opening post, I DONT know what they are.

Elsbet, U just know me, a 64yr old bacher makes christmas treats

I have at least a 1.2 doz here, and have never picked a one. There native, and, with me being used to black walnuts where I came from in NE Kans, there not worth the trouble,

Elsbet · #7 05/03/12, 11:59 PM

heh! My DH- almost 50- likes making them.

Ya just never know.

Whisperwindkat · #8 05/04/12, 05:55 AM

Depends on what kind of pecans they are. If they are the seedling pecans they aren't worth anything to sell and are an aggravation to crack for so little nut meat. But if it is free its free. However, for a good large nut variety they were running 9.00 a pound here this past fall. That was just picked up in the shell and not cracked. Retail were getting more than that. Another advantage to pecan trees whether seedling or not is that they are a great shade tree that doesn't kill all the grass underneath. They are ideal shade trees for pastures for this reason. Blessing, Kat

Alice In TX/MO · #9 05/04/12, 06:29 AM

Seedling pecans?? Regional term maybe. I think you mean NATIVE pecans, rather than an improved variety. They are the small ones, but they bring a premium price because of the higher natural oil content. That's what they use in Blue Bell butter pecan ice cream.

Yes, there's some money in pecans, but they ARE labor intensive if you want a good crop. Spraying is a must. Keeping the grass/weeds controlled under them. Harvesting, etc.

Hubby sold pecans last winter for $10 a pound. We have 300 young trees.

blufford · #10 05/04/12, 06:38 AM

I saw a show on the Discovery channel about the mechanical harvester (shaker) that they use for Pecan Trees. What a time saver. What a bone saver too.

http://pages.towson.edu/bhalle/hallerop.html

kimmom2five · #11 05/04/12, 06:38 AM

I grew up in Muskogee and we always went out in the fall and picked up pecans. I would think you could make some money selling them that way if you didn't want them yourself. And that was way more fun than the times we picked peaches in Porter(there were bees so the adults made the kids stay in the hot car) or potatoes(it was so cold!)

oneokie · #12 05/04/12, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmBoyBill

Place im looking at to buy has a small grove of them planted, maybe 50/75 of them. Id say there on the younger side, but around 30ft tall. They are most likely old enough to produce.Not all spread out. Are they worth anything, the nuts that is.Yes
Dont know yet if there PS or N. Is there a way to figure a general amount of money to be made off of a tree for either kind?? Not really as the production can and will vary year to year, as does the price.
The trunks are around 10/16in dia

Is there a handy way of shakeing them, and gathering them up??

There is equipment available to shake the trees and mechanically pick the pecans off the ground.

Locally, most people with pecan trees have custom harvesters come in and harvest for half the crop.

MOgal · #13 05/04/12, 11:50 AM

I just did a search for nut harvesters and found several clever models. My favorite that I'd like to have when our pecan trees start to produce is the tow-behind from Pick Up Nuts with Bag-A-Nut's Nut Rollers, Lawn Sweepers & Nut Harvesters. My maid of honor's dad planted a grove while we were in college and this is what they use to harvest them. Fast, effective and while not cheap, well-built and worth the money.

I remember picking up pecans when I was a kid and could bend better. One of these would have been so nice.....My folks had 7 trees in their yard when I was a teenager and it was up to my brother and me to harvest them.

Old Vet · #14 05/04/12, 12:13 PM

From what you described they are native but more per pound if soled to candy makers. To be sure look for a graft near the bottom of the tree a lump in the bark will tell you where it is. If they are straight up and not spreading out that is one way to tell.

oneokie · #15 05/04/12, 12:24 PM

With 50--75 trees, one of these might be worthwhile.
Savage Equipment Online | Products

FarmboyBill · #16 05/04/12, 12:52 PM

I E mailed them about their compact harvester.

Old Vet · #17 05/04/12, 06:47 PM

A good shaker is worth the money even if you never have a harvester. Savage makes a good one that will vibrate the trees. If you ever get one take a gun along with you to kill the tree rats that will jump from the trees when you shake the trees also have a cab or top on the tractor. Pecans will hurt you and some of the limbs will come down also.