Relatives from Georgia brought unusual nuts as a gift to a friend. I accidentally saw them in his car and asked him to give me a few pieces for breeding. Since we live in the south, in Krasnodar Territory, I thought that perhaps our climate would also be suitable for growing this interesting crop.
Pecan or mysterious culture
For a long time I could not even find out the name of the plant whose nuts I got. Outwardly, they are similar to walnuts, but more oblong and slightly pointed at the ends. The shell is smooth, thin, there are no partitions inside. The kernels look like those of walnuts, but the folds on them are not as sinuous.
The taste is softer and sweeter. Having reviewed more than one reference book and determinant, I realized that this is an ordinary pecan (or hazel illinois). Culture is able to bear fruit for 300-400 years! Belongs to the genus hickory of the walnut family. It is a spreading deciduous tree up to 60 m in height. Their leaves are like those of mountain ash, but larger - up to 50 cm in length and without notches along the edges.
On an industrial scale, pecans are grown in Central Asia and in the southeastern United States. In our country small landings it is available in the Caucasus and in the Crimea.
Pecan nut - 200 kg per tree!
The culture blooms in May-June. Pollinated by the wind. Male walnut flowers - earrings. Women are collected in inflorescences-spikelets - up to 11 pcs. in everyone.
Nuts are 8 cm long and 3 cm wide. They weigh up to 20 g. They ripen in September-October. The yield of old trees reaches 200 kg per tree. Young produce less fruit. Nut kernels are high in fat and can go rancid if stored too long. Pecans are eaten fresh and fried used in cooking and confectionery.
Anyone who decides to grow these trees should take into account their impressive size. That is, under the pecan you will have to take a large part of the garden. Moreover, for fruiting, a culture requires at least 2 trees.
Winter Pecan Planting
Nuts before sowing need stratification. They are soaked for 3 days in water, and then planted before winter in pits with sand. Sprinkle with compost.
But the nuts fell into my hands before the New Year, when it was already snowing. So after soaking, I put them in a pot of wet sawdust and put them in the fridge. And in April I planted it in the country, deepening 5-7 cm into the soil. A month later, 5 strong seedlings sprouted. Now they are a year old. If you believe the information that I found, the seedlings will begin to bear fruit only at the age of 8-11 years.
In the south, pecans are also propagated by budding, grafting onto other varieties of the same crop, and cuttings. And then the trees begin to bear fruit after 4-5 years.
In a greenhouse or in a room?
The culture grows both in the sun and in partial shade. Likes fertile, loose, well-drained soils. Withstands a short-term decrease in temperature in winter to -30°C. Responsive to abundant watering, although it also tolerates drought.
Around young trees, it is necessary to weed, fertilize, loosen and mulch the soil. Seedlings can be transplanted to permanent place from the age of one. At first, they do not grow quickly - 20-30 cm per year. Then their growth accelerates.
You can also grow pecans in a room, in a greenhouse, in a greenhouse. Only in dry apartment air, trees should be sprayed regularly. And in winter (from November to March), keep the plants in a cool room at a temperature of 8-12 °. During the dormant period, do not fertilize them and reduce watering.
Personally, I plan to sell 3 of my seedlings, and plant 2 before country house. When they grow up, they will shade the yard in the summer heat.
If I am lucky enough to find pecan seedlings in nurseries, I will buy 2 more for planting behind the house so that cross-pollination occurs with my seedlings. If only the seedlings of the same variety as mine did not come across. Although this is unlikely, because more than 150 varieties of pecans have been bred. Among them, for the Russian climate, as I found out, they are considered the most suitable: Major, Textam, Green River, and Indiana. Stewart and Success.
Oleg Yaroshenko, Krasnodar Territory
When fertilizing, the plant actively grows.
In the spring, you need to feed with nitrogen fertilizers. They stimulate the growth of young shoots. And in September it is required to fertilize with phosphorus and potassium. Such measures are necessary for young animals. Old specimens need an addition of potassium salt, superphosphate and urea (nitrate) in the autumn.
In the spring, it is imperative to produce - sanitary and rejuvenating. In addition, broken, pest-affected and improperly growing branches should be removed. If you perform simple procedures, then a young Pecan nut seedling planted with your own hands will be able to please you with the first fruits 5-7 years after planting.
Pecan - very healthy nut. It contains a large number of nutrients, trace elements and vitamins. It contains the following components:
- Vitamins E, A, K, C, group B
- Fatty acid
- Carbohydrates, proteins, water
- Trace elements of the periodic table
- Fructose and sucrose present
What properties does a nut have:
- If you constantly use a nut in moderation, it is able to neutralize the developing cancer cells. It helps to reduce the level of cholesterol in the human body.
- The action of the nut extends to the central nervous system. Its effect reduces the risk of myocardial infarction and varicose veins of the lower extremities of deep and superficial veins.
- Walnut is widely used to treat diseases, colds and viruses. It helps to increase appetite and strengthen the patient's immunity.
- IN spring time when beriberi is actively acting on people of different age categories, the nut has a beneficial effect on the general condition of a person. Due to the large number of useful microelements and vitamins, it gives the body the strength to fight infections.
- In addition to these elements, Pecan contains carotene. It positively manifests itself in eye disease, improves clarity and visual acuity, improves blood quality.
- When nuts are used by the weaker sex, there is an improvement hormonal background decreases the risk of infertility and increases reproductive function. Men with frequent introduction of the product into the body notice an increase in the quality of sperm. The latter allows the partner to short time get pregnant.
- The fruit of the walnut tree helps to cure many skin diseases if consumed with food.
Thus, the nut is not only useful product, but it has a large number of positive qualities that can improve the general condition of a person.
Pecan has been successfully used in medicine. There are the following points in which the drug helps well:
- During therapy for skin diseases.
- For the treatment of internal organs.
- Fruits improve the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Walnut grains have a fruitful effect on anemia.
- Reduce the possibility of developing eye diseases.
- Kariya is often recommended for people who have had cancer as a preventive measure.
Walnut oil plays a big role in dermatology. Its effect can eliminate fungal diseases and acne breakouts. The product can be used in fresh, rubbing it into gruel, and adding it to masks or creams for face and hair. Influencing the skin, walnut gruel returns the skin to a healthy appearance, increases elasticity and nourishes the upper layers of the epidermis with useful microelements.
The product can be consumed both raw and fried. The most popular delicacy is dessert - Pecan with maple syrup. A feature of this type of nut is the rich taste of chocolate. That is why the product is such a success.
Pecan is a high calorie nut. In its raw form, the product contains 691 kcal. If you fry it, then the calorie content increases to 712 kcal. You can eat only 30 gr per day. nuts is the optimal daily amount. If you eat more than 100 gr. fruits, there may be problems with digestion, there is a possibility of vomiting and general weakness, fever.
You should know the contraindications in order to know for sure that it is not recommended to enjoy such a dessert:
- Individual intolerance to the product.
- Intestinal upset (loose stools).
- Fatty liver.
If an allergic reaction occurs, profuse sneezing, rashes on skin. With a large amount of product consumed in a severe situation with allergies, pulmonary edema develops.
If mold appears on the upper shell of Kariya, you should not eat the nut. He deteriorates, loses his positive traits, and instead filled with toxic substances.
Thus, you can easily grow pecans on your personal plot. It is not only a tasty fruit, but also has useful qualities. But before using it for food, you should familiarize yourself with the possible contraindications and consequences.
More information can be found in the video:
Hello dear friends and readers! Since childhood, I remember the taste of this delicious herb - pikan, which I ate in the hot summer with my grandmother in the village. But grandmother is long gone, and the refreshing taste of this delicacy is still remembered. And just recently, by chance, a woman I knew somehow casually told me that these pikans grow in her garden and she often cooks them in the summer. You probably already guessed that I did not miss this moment and simply begged them from her: I so wanted to try again and remember the taste from my childhood.
I decided to learn more about this wild edible herb. What was my surprise when, after looking on Wikipedia, I was simply surprised to find out how popular this plant turned out to be. Intrigued you? Then I'll tell you more about what I learned. And I remember the cooking recipe, how my grandmother did, and she recently cooked it herself. But more on that later.
It turns out that pickanas are a distant relative of our garden dill, which appearance and tastes as different from it as celery or parsley from dill. They can be found in water meadows, on forest edges, along river banks and in wastelands. It reaches human height in height, during the flowering period it has a complex umbrella of small white or light yellow flowers.
Otherwise it's big herbaceous plant called hogweed, wild sorrel, bodran, bunch or gigli. More common in the Ural forests. Pipes are made from old plants; before, children used them to shoot peas at each other. Yes, and as soon as they appear, the children tore off the top peel from them and ate just like that. It turns out that it is so delicious, because this is the first green after a long winter!
My grandmother's story
My grandmother lived in the last century. The war and the post-war famine fell to its lot. While still a schoolgirl, I listened to her stories about life, but for some reason I could not believe that people could live like this: after all, I lived in a different time, when it was already possible to buy everything and people were not starving. Now, with my adult mind and worldly experience, I understand how hard it was to live in those days.
So, only thanks to young nettles and picans, people then could survive these difficult times. This grass was a salvation for the dispossessed and the obvious poor. In summer, in hot weather, the grass helped to hold out for a month - one and a half, until green onion, cucumbers and young potatoes.
As soon as the pickans appeared, and this is the end of April - the beginning of May, old people and small children went to the forest to collect them - the rest were busy in the field or on the farm. We collected pickans in large quantities at once, so as not to once again go after them again. They boiled and stored them in the cellar.
My grandmother was a deeply pious person, she strictly observed all the fasts, so pikans were then taken out of the refrigerator and this was an obligatory dish on Petrov fast and on ordinary days. fast days weeks.
Beneficial features
Since this grass survived in difficult times, it means that the plant has some useful properties. What?
The plant contains vitamin C, carotene and essential oils. It is this composition that determines its nutritional value.
The chemical composition of the plant is very rich. It contains sucrose, coumarins, anthocyanins, essential oils, polyacetylene compounds and umbelliferose.
The plant has a number of medicinal properties:
- boosts immunity,
- has a choleretic and analgesic effect,
- used for neurosis and epilepsy, help with depression,
- contributes to the normal functioning of the intestines,
- The low calorie herb is great for weight loss.
For cooking medicines use young shoots and leaves of the plant, as well as roots.
Application in cooking
Young shoots are used for food along with leaves that are harvested in April-May. Collect for food only those plants that have released the third leaflet. Overgrown plants do not have that nutritional value, they are coarse, and when collecting the juice of overgrown plants, it can cause a burn on the skin, although to a lesser extent than in other types of hogweed.
A decoction of the stems and leaves has a mushroom aroma, the stems taste juicy and slightly sour. Young (milk) stems with leaves are used for salads and soups.
Soups from young nettles and hogweed leaves not only saturate the body tired of the cold with vitamins, they help get rid of the depression that has accumulated over the short winter days.
Stem petioles can be marinated and then used as a side dish for second courses. Some of the pickans make caviar that tastes like eggplant.
How to cook pikan
The collected petioles of the plant with leaves must first be sorted out, then washed thoroughly. The leaves can be removed, or you can boil them together with the stems. The petioles are cut into small pieces and boiled in salted water until the petioles are soft, about 30-40 minutes.
- Boiled pickans along with the broth must be cooled, add sour cream, boiled egg - you get a cold soup, which will replace okroshka in the heat. Another option - the broth is drained, the pickans are poured with cold kvass, boiled eggs, fresh radishes, cucumbers, green onions and sour cream. It turned out a kind of okroshka.
- For hot soup, young nettles, potatoes and onions and carrots fried in oil were added. If desired, the soup was seasoned with sour cream or vegetable oil.
- To prepare the salad, the petioles along with the leaves are seasoned with sour cream. Usually my grandmother did not add anything else to such a salad. But I think that it is not forbidden to add fresh cucumbers, radishes or green onions to such a salad.
- To prepare caviar, the broth is drained, and the boiled petioles are crushed with a blender, spices are added. If desired, fried carrots and onions can be added to the caviar.
Dear readers, I beg your pardon, but I don’t have photos of the soup with picans because I simply didn’t have time to take a picture. When I came to my senses, there was no soup.
I don’t know, some of you may be familiar with this plant, and some of you hear about it for the first time. But it would be interesting to know about it - write about it in the comments. Tell your friends about this herb and subscribe to blog news.
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Be healthy! Taisiya Filippova was with you.
Most likely, many have heard that the fruits of the pecan nut are very useful, so that such a tree can be planted on your suburban area, and even collect considerable crops, will please many. It should be noted right away that you will have to stock up on strength and patience, since planting and caring for an exotic nut is not an easy task. Let's look at everything in order.
This plant belongs to the genus and family Walnut. His maximum height is 60 m. The tree has a wide spreading crown, the diameter of which reaches 40 m. Its trunk is even, covered with gray-brown bark. 
The branches are brown, initially pubescent, then become smooth. They have large, glossy, bright green leaves.
Pecan flowers can be male or female, and are pollinated by wind and insects. The flowering period falls on May - June, but may shift depending on climatic conditions and northern regions start in June and end in July.
Important! The average lifespan of a pecan is approximately 400 years.
Spreading
Pecan is considered to be the birthplace of North America. It is grown on an industrial scale in the southeastern United States and in Central Asia. Also, the plant can be found in Kazakhstan and the Caucasus. Very rare, but still you can see them on the Crimean Peninsula.
These two plants have a lot in common, and at first glance it may even seem that they are identical, but this is not entirely true. not as capricious as pecans, they do not require constant care and reverent attitude after planting.
Despite the external similarity, the fruits of these plants have different taste qualities, pecans are much sweeter and more delicate in texture, and for this they are very much appreciated in cooking. 
Walnut and pecan fruit (left to right)
Did you know? Regular consumption of the nuts of this tree can tone the body, and is also an excellent prevention of cardiovascular diseases and oncological formations.
They are also famous for their richer content of nutrients. Pecan nuts have almost perfect shape, look very neat and do not have veins, and they also have a softer skin. The difference in price for these fruits is also noticeable, walnuts are 3-4 times cheaper than their overseas relative.
There are more than 150 varieties of pecans, of which only a few are suitable for planting in Russia, namely the varieties: Green River, Stuart, Indiana, Success, Major and Textam. 
In order to succeed and get the desired harvest, you will need to study some of the features and preferences of this plant.
Choice of location and lighting
For this tree, you need to select the brightest and sunniest corner in your garden. It is desirable that it be protected from wind and drafts.
Of course, the priority for planting is regions with a mild climate, in which there are warm or even hot summers, but experienced gardeners argue that even a short heat for 2-3 months is more than enough for this nut to grow successfully.
Important! In order for the pecan to bear fruit regularly and abundantly, it is necessary to plant at least two such trees on garden plot.
When choosing a place to plant, it is worth remembering that the tree grows to an impressive size, and it will need a lot of space.
Pecans should be planted in well-drained, fertile soil. If the soil is not nutritious enough, the chances of successfully growing this plant are reduced to zero. 
Experts recommend preparing a landing site in advance and saturating it with compost and humus at least six months before the intended planting.
The soil should not be too acidic, and if there is a problem with increased, then it can be easily corrected with lime.
The pecan nut propagates in three ways: seeds, seedlings and grafting.
Ripe for seed propagation, those that have fallen to the ground are collected and either planted immediately, that is, in the fall, or left planting material until spring. autumn period It is considered more favorable, since during the winter the seeds are mastered in the ground, and shoots appear in the spring. 
In order to plant pecans at this time, it is enough just to dig holes 10-15 cm deep, place planting material there, cover with soil, water well and put mulch on top. Already in the spring you will be able to observe the sprouts of future trees.
Planting in the spring involves a number preparatory work. First, you need to prepare the seeds themselves. They are recommended to be soaked for 48 hours in water, and then placed in a container with wet sawdust and stored in a cool room for 40-60 days.
Wintering
Considering what is big choice varieties of these trees, preference for planting in our latitudes should be given to frost-resistant. In any case, young growth must be covered with spruce branches or polyethylene for the first 3 years after planting, in order to protect not only from frost, but also from heavy rainfall.
The common pecan (Illinois hazel) is one of the relatives of the walnut. This plant can be found throughout the globe: in the USA, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Crimea. Distinctive feature, which the nuts of this variety have - an unusual taste of the fruit, but these nuts, if consumed excessively, can lead to obesity.
Pecan gives nuts an unusual taste
Characteristics of the pecan
Biologists attribute the common pecan to those types of trees that have the property of rapid growth, but it does not activate immediately. In its natural environment, this species grows up to 60 meters. In hot climatic conditions, the tree reaches 40 meters per a short time. In colder regions, its height does not exceed 10-15 meters.
During the first three years, young pecans gain strength, and root system grows to the level at which it gains access to water, so the tree itself grows up to 40–45 cm. The garden pecan grows with a straight trunk, from which strong branches extend. Even without pruning, the crown of the tree grows well-shaped - slightly elongated ovoid or spherical.
Growing pecan with bark dyed gray tones. The bark of old trees cracks, streaks of a gray-brown color appear on it.
The foliage of the pecan tree is colored in rich green color. The leaves consist of feathers, the number of which ranges from 11 to 17 pieces. Each feather is elongated and pointed towards the end. The average leaf size is 9–12 cm long and 2.5–7 cm wide.
The formation of the fruits of the tree occurs in October. Nuts have the shape of an ellipse, matte peel, pointed end. The central part of the fruit, which brings the American black walnut, jumps out of the shell during splitting red-brown, which holds and surrounds the core. The inside of the nut consists of two identical cotyledons. In this, the Brazil nut is similar to the walnut. IN tropical areas the fruits of this tree can become the food of a toucan. The crop is harvested in November, but there are varieties that have earlier fruit ripening.
The pecan tree grows up to 60 meters tall
Growing conditions
Many gardeners may be wondering how to grow a tree that is more common in the vastness of America than in a colder region. Grow on your site not only Walnut, but also plants similar to it, you can.
In order for the nuts of this species to grow without difficulty, you should pay attention to the characteristics of the soil substrate. Ideal soil qualities:
- The soil is loose, allows moisture and air to pass through.
- Groundwater flows at great depths.
- High level of fertility of the site.
- The presence of a drained soil layer.
Those who grow this walnut tree claim that it tolerates drought well, but abundant watering will allow you to fully experience the richness of the savory flavor notes of the fruits that the plants will bestow on the gardener. This representative of the fauna itself tolerates a drop in temperature to -20–25 ° C.
The first harvest appears after 8 years of growing pecans, usually it is not rich - 2 kg of nuts, but the collected nuts give such a total weight only in the first year of fruiting. In the 20th year of a tree's life, a gardener can collect up to 200 kg of nuts.
Breeding methods and planting rules
As a mountain relative, the pecan thrives well in various conditions. This tree can be propagated in several ways:
- grafting on a related variety (for example, white Pecan);
- budding;
- cuttings;
- seed reproduction.
In the latter case, ripe fruits are planted that have separated from their peel without the help of natural forces (wind) or human intervention. The color of such a nut is brown or chocolate, the surface does not contain traces of decay or darkening. The fruits are planted in pre-prepared furrows, their depth is from 10 cm. The walnut is placed in the furrow, sprinkled with soil on top.
Seating scheme: from 10 to 15 seedlings are placed per 1 m of soil. Furrows are recommended to be made at a distance of at least 1 meter from each other. This will harden the seedlings into winter time and provide natural stratification.
Spring planting of seedlings is carried out not earlier than April. The spring planting procedure is more laborious and requires preparatory work:
- Implement artificial stratification.
- Soak the material for planting in containers with water for 2-3 days.
- Place seedlings soaked in water in moistened peat or sawdust. The wood must be fresh.
- Move planting material to a balcony or cellar.
- Control the soil substrate: maintain constant moisture and temperature regime up to 4 °C.
- Keep seedlings in a cold room for 8 weeks.
Planting material is planted in the same way as in the fall. The basic rule is correct selection tree growing area. The place should be well lit, provide the young tree with protection from strong winds.
When choosing a place to plant this nut, it is important that there is no stagnant water on the site. Otherwise, the plant may die from rotting of the root system before rooting is completed.
Sprouted pecan
In the first years of life, trees of this species are characterized by slow growth. In three years, the seedling can only reach 35 cm in height. Therefore, it is advised to transplant pecans to a permanent place of residence when the tree is 4 years old.
For planting in a permanent place, a depression is dug in the soil with dimensions of 60x60 cm. The pecan does not take the earth very well with high level acidity, so lime is used to neutralize the environment. The rotted compost is used as a fertilizer. Its use makes it possible to make the soil more fertile and nutritious.
Before being placed in the soil, it is on the roots that all the remnants of the earth are removed, the rhizomes are carefully leveled, and sprinkled with soil on top. The earth around the trunk of the seedling is compacted in order to prevent the appearance of hollow holes in which moisture can stagnate. A mandatory measure is moderate watering of the seedling.
Before planting a pecan seedling, the roots should be cleared of soil.
Top dressing is carried out in autumn and spring. At the beginning of the year, nitrogen fertilizers are used, which act as a stimulator for the growth of shoots. In the autumn season, phosphorus and potassium are used as top dressing.
Older trees also need to be fed. Superphosphate, urea, saltpeter, potassium salt are used as the material. Top dressing of old nuts is carried out during the autumn season.
When growing pecans in the garden, another measure for caring for the plant is spring anti-aging and sanitary pruning. Branches that grow incorrectly, are broken or affected by pests are subject to removal.