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Homeowners Can't Expect a Good Pecan Harvest Every Year

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow! Extension Agent Mark Arena is now our pecan specialist. He was kind enough to make the trip to Sumter for a  recent Making it Grow segment. He gave us the sad news that homeowners can expect a good harvest from their backyard trees about every seven years. These trees will drop leaves and nuts when they’re experiencing harsh growing conditions from drought, disease, or insect pressure. A caller wondered why his trees were dropping green nuts—Mark explained that the tree was stressed and aborting the nuts to protect its stored reserves as it got ready for winter. That way it will be strong and vigorous and ready to try again next spring – hoping that 2015 will be one of those one out of seven years when homeowners have a bumper crop of great, South Carolina pecans across their yards. 

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.