I am about to relocate to a home out in the country. Our land has about a dozen pecan trees, a couple of pear trees, and several scuppernong vines. I have no idea how to care for any of these, so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure I don't accidentally kill anything! If you know how to care for any of these, or if you know when I am supposed to pick the stuff, please let me know. Thanks so much!
The pecans.....edible ripe pecans will begin falling to the ground in the fall. The outer husk opens up and the brown shelled pecan falls to the ground. Then you start picking them up before the squirrels and other critters get to them. The pears....you know when to pick by touch and sight. Some pears will ripen and remain green, some will start turning yellow as they ripen. Just wander around the trees and feel them, pick the ones that are just starting to soften. The Scuppernongs....are they the variety of Muscadine that is a bronze color when ripe? or are you looking at the other variety in it's green upripe stage? That you need to check on since many times a plant nickname is used on several different plants. How old are the trees? Have you talked to the previous owners of the property and asked them if there was anything particular they did to take care of them?
Thanks for the advice about the pecans! The trees are full of them right now, and they're green. The pears are kind of a brown color, and very hard. The Scuppernongs are green when unripe and dark purple/red when ripe. I've looked up online how to prune them, so we'll do that at the end of winter. The previous owner of the property was an elderly woman who has since passed on, so I didn't get a chance to speak with her. I do know that all the trees and scuppernong vines have been there for many years. Thanks for all your help!
They are probably so naturalized after years of growing there that there won't be much you have to do to them. What Mother Nature gives them in water will keep them going. We had so much heat and so little rain when our pecans needed it that the dead black remains of the nuts have been falling to the ground since June. I can still see of large greenish ones up there, I just hope they are strong enough to ripen in a month or so. The brown skinned pear may be a variety of Bosc pear, they will be brown when ripe so you will have to go by feel on them. They make wonderful eating and cooking pears. I have a recipe for 'Pear Mince' for pies that calls for Bosc pears. When those grapes are ripe, they make delicious jelly. There will usually be some green ones still in the bunches at that time too, don't pick them out. Put them in the pot with the ripe ones, they give the jelly a little bit of a tang instead of the jelly being the typical sweet grape. We would love to see pictures of your new home, all those trees and vines sound like a great place.
Hmm, most pears are ripe right about now. Not sure what your brown variety might be other than pears that might not have been watered enough. This winter prune the tree. Sometimes its best to get a gardener out to do that, at least the first time to get some tips so you can do it yourself. Your other trees may also need to be trimmed. If you do it yourself, cut off any branches that appear to be dead, suckers, growing weird, or touching other branches. Your pear tree needs some fruit spikes in the spring, 2 to 4 around the tree in the drip line. Give it lots of water, especially after the little fruit start growing early in the summer. Good luck with your move. I hope you enjoy your new farm. It sounds gorgeous with all those trees.
It sounds like your pears are preserving pears as the soft ones when cooked are to soft to make the best preserves.My mom had one of those trees and thats all she did with them except make pies with them too.
