Pecan tree leaning

[Grey]

Hey guys - more questions on my pecan tree - we have a debate going on over here. The tree used to have three main trunks (yep, someone really took time to prune it years and years ago!) and one got cut off - neighbor says it got struck by lightning. The remaining two trunks are on one side, and leaning toward the little house.

I really like the placement of the tree from a garden standpoint (condusive to a patio, and it shelters the house from late morning/early afternoon sun - and it looks pretty out the window), and my grandma had a pecan tree so the shape of a pecan tree's leaves evoke a lot of memories for me.

So: can we be DRASTIC and cut it to about 10' high (it's about 35-40' now) and be careful of how we prune it so it eventually counterbalances itself, or will this shock the tree to death? DH is in favor of just cutting it down - but I am willing to try anyway.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Hmmmm...pollarding a pecan. A quick search says it can be done, but production will be curtailled for years. Guess it depends on what's more important to you the tree or the fruit...

[url]https://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-629.html[/url]

Scott

[Grey]

Here;s a shot of the leaning pecan (please excuse the redneck looking mess... we are remodeling!)

[img]https://server2.uploadit.org/files/greyghost-leaningpecan.jpg[/img]

and a higher shot:
[img]https://server3.uploadit.org/files/greyghost-pecantree.jpg[/img]

I was thinking of lopping it just above the lowest larger branches (about 5 feet above the roofline). So still some shade, just nothing more for the wind to mess with.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Ummm...yeaah...starting to lean myself...towards DH's point of view...

Try to look at it as a opening, erasing the slate for a new garden, every cloud has a siver...yeah, that stinks...

Just too big at that point of the trunk in my mind. A decade at least until you got anything like a decent tree, and that only with a lot of planning aand execution...I think the execution needs to be the tree threatening the house

You could get another opinion...

[Grey]

Oh bummer. Well, better safe than sorry. Done too much work on this place to lose it over a tree.

So.... what great uses for pecan wood?

[opabinia51]

Well, it is a hardwood so, carving is the first thing that comes to mind. The second thing is: furniture. Your hubby could build some lovely furniture from it.

I'd most likely just build boxes for my fossils but, that's just me.

[Grey]

LOL _ DH and I were just talking about where we could get the wood milled locally, and maybe build something out of it. There;s plenty of it there!

[The Helpful Gardener]

And it really is a lovely hardwood. Need any finish lumber in the house? A timeless reminder...

[grandpasrose]

Ross is a wood carver, and he says it is very nice to carve with, so any smaller pieces you could probably sell to a carver somewhere. I know up here the carvers are always desperately looking for carving wood.

Val

[opabinia51]

Apple is a lovely carving wood as well.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Don't mean to shock Val, but rose is an excellent carving wood...

[Grey]

Scott, you're only kidding, right? haha, haha?

You're just getting back at her for making fun of your bug spray, right?

[The Helpful Gardener]

No, actually is an excellent carving wood, but roses do need to be pretty old to have carvable wood. Obviously no life size pieces, right? Traditionally used for rosaries, if memory serves...

And no, I'm not jabbing Val for that vicious, slanderous attack on my good name for simply tweaking a good recipe to perfect it...

That's my lawyer's job...

HG

[grandpasrose]

Actually, I knew that rose wood is a nice carving wood, if you can get it old enough. It has a beautiful grain. But I'm not letting Ross near enough to cut any to carve!

Rosaries, Scott, are actually made by grinding rose petals and water into a paste, and then heating it in a cast iron pan until very thick and dark. It is then rolled into balls twice the size as needed, as they lose about 50% of their size when dried. They are stuck with pins to a cardboard until dry, so that they are pierced for stringing. They are very brittle when dried, and break if you try to pierce them later.

Roses have been used for many things throughout history, many we don't even realize!

Oh, and Scott, I'll be waiting for your lawyer's call!

Val

[The Helpful Gardener]

Well, I did say "if memory serves" and it so often doesn't now a days

As for involving lawyers, I try not to roll in the mud, at least in public...

Scott

[grandpasrose]

My memory is no better than yours Scott, we just have different things in it!!

Val

[opabinia51]

Question: What is a Rosary and what would a Rosary be used for? ..... And if so, why not?


Val, have your tried eating Rose Hips? I have not, I've heard that they are bitter. Though, I do eat pansies, nasturtiums, Dandelions and so on. (not that this has anything to do with Trees Shrubs and Hedges).

[grandpasrose]

Some roses are shrubs - so we could stretch the title a little......

A rosary is a string of prayer beads used in counting prayers used usually by the Roman Catholics, but by other religions as well.

And yes, I have eaten rose hips - just the meaty part, not the seeds. Actually they are not bitter at all. They in fact have a bit of a sweet side to them, more on the level of a sweet potato or carrot. They are quite tasty and add a bit of color to what you cook. They also make a very rich colored jelly.

Val

[The Helpful Gardener]

One of the things I do like about R. rugosa is the hips. Tart; huge amounts of Vitamin C...

HG

[Grey]

OK - the tree was removed yesterday, the stump all ground... I know it needed doing but I so hate to see a living thing killed like that. I also wasn't home, and didn't know they were coming yesterday (I expected them Friday) so I lost a PeeGee hydrangea too as I hadn't dug it up yet.

ANYWAY.

I've raked and piled all the shavings from the stump into a pile over where the stump was, so it can decompose. Now, when I'm ready to start planting - how far away from that stump do I need to be with my new Japanese Maple, hydrangeas, etc so they are not affected by the loss of nitrogen the decomposing stump will create for a few years?

I'm sure I can pile some good compost on top of the stump for surface-type plants (I'm looking at periwinkle, for starters). Any other ideas for that area? It'll get good morning sun, and some early midday sun, the rest of it is filtered or complete shade for the rest of the day.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I say fertilize the area (bags of manure) and damn the torpedoes, put your trees and shrubs where you want them. We can make this work (you of course will be doing all the work ) More nitrogen from more compost, roots are not as lignous and break down easier than hardwood...

Scott

[Grey]

Thanks Scott! If I do that tho - it's going to have to be a raised bed so the dirt/manure/etc. has room to sit!

That stump grinding made a HUGE mess - after piling all the stump-parts back on top of the stump, we have a nearly 3' tall mound of chipbark sitting there! It'll decompose and mush down a lot tho - I've seen folks that put the pieces elsewhere to decompose and had to keep putting that back on top of where the stump was, because it will slowly sink in. I'm kind of considering that, a bucketful of compost every so often isn't so bad a chore, as long as I'm no bothering whatever I tried to plant there too much.

I hope to meet with Susan (my local-ish garden center owner) about it later today. We didn't get a chance to talk much after the Chamber meeting Wednesday, soo...

[The Helpful Gardener]

Might have to hack a few roots out of the way but it makes sense to me to get established what you want, rather than waiting years for all the soil to settle. Perhaps something that like wet feet more in cassse there is settling, like a serviceberry? (early flower, bird friendly berry, and killer fall color...)

Scott