TREE FACTS
HIGHLAND PARK PECAN

Matt Nielson
Owner and President, Green Groves, LLC

Highland Park Pecan
Carya illinoinensis

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No matter how you say it, puh-KAHN, PEE-kahn or PEE-can, the fruit of this beautiful tree is ubiquitous in recipes like pecan pie or pecan pralines. For many years, pecan fruit was an important food crop for Native Americans. Tribes traded pecans for other goods and relished the long-storage life, high fat content, and taste. People around the world now enjoy the unique flavor of pecans with 300 million pounds of pecan fruit produced in the United States each year.

Few folks realize that pecan is technically part of the hickory (Carya) genus. While planted in many different areas of the country, its native habitat is the shores and floodplains of major river systems throughout the midwest and southeast. I recently spotted it growing on the shores of the Lower Mississippi on a canoe trip.

Pecan trees are often available as grafted cultivars with a focus on fruit production and disease resistance. They can live up to 250 years but typically have a shorter lifespan. While they are difficult to transplant and must be moved at small sizes. If you have a large space, consider planting a seed, or if fruit production is important to you, plant a cultivar pecan. For most people, a container pecan tree is the best way to start. Dig a wide, shallow hole and plant the tree with the trunk flare just above the surrounding grade. Water as needed to prevent the soil from drying out. The best way to water is with micro-sprays or drip irrigation. Recent research shows that the “flood irrigation” technique is often less effective than previously thought.

If you are fortunate enough to have Carya illinoinensis already growing in your yard, cherish it for the shade and fruit production for you and your backyard wildlife.