Freezes can kill trees less than 10 years of age which are growing fast or old trees which are stressed from either crop load, drought, or a combination of factors. Soil for pecan orchards should be deep and well drained to hold water, air, and nutrients. Poor soil drainage is one of the most serious limiting factors in pecan orchards. More orchards fail in Texas because of undesirable soil than from any other factor, and unfortunately, management cannot correct or substitute for soil limitation. Pecan trees can grow on very shallow soil, but for commercial production of more than 1,000 pounds per acre, the soil should be 32 inches deep.
Irrigation is essential in all areas of Texas.
Mature bearing trees require 2 inches per week. In addition, pecan orchards should ideally be irrigated every week or at least never be allowed to go longer than 21 days without water. The entire orchard floor needs to be covered. Potential pecan orchard sites or problem orchards need to have their irrigation wells tested for water volume, quality, and the cost of electricity for pumping the water. A good rule of thumb is to have a well capacity of 10 gallons of water per minute for each acre of trees.