2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Caria pecan, or common pecan (lat. Carya pecan) - a representative of the genus Caria of the Walnut family. Natural range - North America. Typical habitats are river valleys and forests with deep fertile loose soils. Currently, Caria pecan is cultivated in the southeastern United States, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Crimea.
Characteristics of culture
Kariya pecan is a deciduous tree up to 40 m high with a straight trunk and a tent-shaped crown. The trunk is covered with gray-brown, deeply fissured bark. Leaves are compound, green, alternate, consist of 11-17 leaves. Flowers are dioecious. Female flowers are sessile, collected in spikelets of few flowers, male flowers - in drooping earrings. Flowers are pollinated by the wind.
Fruits are smooth, collected in 2-10 pieces per cluster. The walnut is dark brown with black stripes, smooth, oblong, with a thin shell. The kernel is oily, edible and has a sweet taste. The culture enters fruiting in 8-10 years after planting. The fruits ripen in mid-October. In the first years of life, Karia pecan does not differ in rapid growth, later it behaves more actively.
Growing conditions
Caria pecan is a light-loving plant that is undemanding to soil conditions, but does not tolerate swampy and saline areas. The culture cannot boast of frost resistance, it is able to withstand short-term frosts down to -20C. Subject to optimal growing conditions, it is practically not affected by pests and diseases.
In general, the culture is unpretentious and, despite this, is a rare guest of Russian gardens and personal backyard plots. Perhaps this is due to the fact that not all gardeners know about the intricacies of growing plants, although the technology of cultivation of Caria Pecan is similar to the cultivation of Walnut.
Reproduction
Hazel pecans are propagated by seeds, cuttings and grafting. Seeds are collected immediately after ripening, after which they are sown in the ground. Spring sowing is not prohibited, but with the condition of preliminary three-month stratification. Sow Caria pecan seeds into grooves about 7 cm deep. Immediately after planting, the ridges are abundantly watered and mulched with organic material. When sowing in spring, seedlings appear in 30-40 days. Strong seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place after a year, weak ones are left to grow.
Care
Caring for young plants consists in regular watering, loosening and removing weeds. The introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers (especially in the early years) is mandatory. In the future, Caria pecans need another, no less important procedure - sanitary pruning. Formative pruning at will. Indoor crop care is similar. In the cold season, plants are kept at a temperature of 10-12C. The volume of watering is reduced by 2-3 times. Top dressing is transferred to the spring.
Application
Caria pecans are suitable for single and group plantings in parks, city gardens and alleys. In warm countries, plants are used in roadside and street plantings. Caria pecan kernels are used in cooking (most often in the confectionery industry) and traditional medicine.
