Pecan tree care

[hayu]

We have a couple of 3yr old pecan trees. Do you need to fertilize them and how do you do it? I also heard someone asking about sulpher for their trees why do you need that? Lets see one more about tree varments. Does that pepper stuff work?

[AlphaDog]

I haven't personally tried this, but someone showed me some pecans that apparently came from a tree that was 'lyed.'

What they did was dug 4 holes around the tree about 5-6' inside the drip line. They they poked holes in 4 cans of lye and placed one can in each hole , covered it up and forgot about it.

These pecans were huge, but I didn't taste them. They said they tasted normal and they'd been doing it for years.

I don't know... that's jsut what I heard. May wanna research that one.

[trudy]

of folks doing that also, even to fruit trees. But they said they made a shallow trench around the drip line an sprinkled the lye in the trench. Its like adding a super stong amount of wood ash, which is where lye comes from.

[hayu]

Thanks. I'm not sure where to get lye. I do have a very old recipe book that tells how to make it I think. It has a bit of everything in it from home made catfish bait ( Don't make it cause the smell really upsets the neighbors.) to what to do for teeth pain.

[marasri]

Old red Devil drain cleaner is lye. That granulated kind. It is now hard to find. I do not know if it is the same kind of lye that is being talked about. I use it to stain wood. I need very small amounts so. Maybe there is different grades of Lye. Like there is different grades of vinegar , hydrogin peroxide, and ammonia. Try a feed store or an aggricultural eqquiptment store like Tractor Supply (is that a franchise?)

[marasri]

OOPs don't use RED devil . it is a lower grade of lye.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lye
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/co...lyesources.htm

[gator]

several years back I had purchased some lye to make soap with and found it at a drug store, you could check there. gator

[hayu]

Thanks Gator.

[marasri]

Go to an old timey drug store, not a franchise. I had one in down town Austin that I could get blueing, poassium dichromate and all sorts of chemicals. I morned the day it closed.

[emill]

We can buy it in shipshewana,in area.