On April 22 we had a pecan grafting clinic in Appling County
I went and checked the grafts today (May 15) and some are starting to bud out.
In some orchards on susceptible varieties leaf scab is already getting bad. Growers need to be on a timely fungicide program. A suggested spray program is posted below.
Surprisingly, on May 15 I found black pecan aphid damage on Oconee trees. The picture isn’t great, but you can tell what the damage looks like. This is a little early, but we’ve seen black aphid damage in May before. There is no reason to panic. Just be mindful that the aphids are out and begin scouting. Check all compound leaves on 10 terminals per tree on at least 10 trees per orchard. If 25% (15% after July 1) of terminals have 2 or more black aphids then you need to spray. Avoid insecticides that will kill beneficial insects.
It’s still early to give a forecast on what the crop size will be in 2014. Cross your fingers!
