I know this is going to sound totally ridiculous, but pecan trees
are smart. You may wonder how in the heck a tree can know
anything. A tree is a tree, and trees don’t have brains. So how
can a pecan tree be smart?

Well, look around you.

My Bradford pear tree is just about ready to pop out in bloom.
And if you have Bradford pears, I bet your trees are beginning to
show signs of popping out in bloom, too.

Spring Bustin’ Out All Over

Daffodils are beginning to wake up and break the ground with
their spring growth. Star magnolia, fragrant honeysuckle and
forsythia are all beginning to break buds. The warm mid-70-degree
weather we’ve had lately is gearing nature up for spring.

Seed catalogs are coming in the mail and garden supply stores,
and the big one (you know the store I’m referring to) is now
stocked with garden supplies and plants.

Yep. This warm weather is teasing all of us and is even tempting
us to plant something. It has us and even nature fooled.

But It’s Not Spring Yet

The problem is: it’s not spring yet. It’s still winter.

Plants need so many chill hours to meet their dormancy
requirements. The number of needed chill hours depends on the
plant.

Below-40-degree temperatures allow the plants to meet these chill
requirements. Once they’re satisfied, then warm weather triggers
them to come out of dormancy.

A Normal Phenomenon

That’s what we’ve been seeing lately. This is a normal
physiological phenomenon. There ain’t nothin’ you can do about it
because there’s no way you’re going to hold them back.

Now that we’re having hard freezes again, those new buds will
likely be injured. The more normal weather will set plants back
again.

The weather is playing a trick on us and nature right now. We’re
all fooled except for the pecan tree.

There’s a saying in south Georgia that goes, “Don’t plant until
the pecan leaves are as big as mouse ears.” That’s because the
pecan tree is one of the last trees to pop its new buds in the
spring.

And that makes pecan trees smart!