The
old farm at one time had more than a hundred pecan trees growing on
it, but abandonment and the drought of the early '50s took their toll.
Only about twenty of the large trees were in fair condition; the rest
were dead or near death when we bought the place in 1957. On the north
side of the house, which was also the front, stood one of the oldest
trees. It was probably put there to provide summer shade. The trunk
was straight and about thirty inches in diameter; other than its size,
it was in very poor condition. From the tips of the limbs down to
about five- or six-inch wood, it was already dead. Down near the trunk
there was a small number of yellowish, sick-looking leaves, and there
was thick infestation of mealy bug type insects feeding under the
live bark.
The
soil under the tree was packed hard. On one side was the driveway
to the garage, and on the opposite side, a school bus was parked everyday
between routes, leaving a large oil soak.
That
being a most critical spot for a shade tree, and knowing it would
take up to fifty years to grow another that size, we sure did not
want to lose this tree. We talked to experts. Most said the tree was
past the point of no return, but one old nurseryman, Mr. Fanick, said
a lot of tender love and care might bring it back. He said it would
need feeding, watering, and the leaves should be sprayed with zinc
and the trunk sprayed with a product called Boreaway™
. Then in the fall or winter, it should be cut back to live wood.
Since
our finances were extremely low and because the tree might not survive
anyway, we decided not to spend any money on it. When winter came
I cut it back since we heated with wood and needed it anyway. When
I got through, there were only a few large branches left on the trunk.
We didn't do any spraying because of cost-besides, the products weren't
organic.
I
could get manure to feed the tree for free. A neighboring farmer had
a wire cage out in the middle of his feedlot into which he put all
the animal droppings, wasted hay, corn cobs, etc., so I asked the
old farmer if I could have some. He looked at me, thought for a moment,
and then said, "If you clean it all up you can have it."
It amounted to about six cubic yards. We hauled it all and spread
it as a mulch under the tree starting about four feet from the trunk
to out about six feet beyond the original drip line.
Realizing
the hard-packed condition of the soil, I knew the roots couldn't get
air, and it would be a long time before the nutrients from the compost
could get down into the soil, so I decided to help. I took a one-half
inch by 4 ½ to 5 foot pipe and cut off one end at an angle.
I then fitted the other end into a water hose. I turned up the pressure
on our water well pump, then took the pipe and started drilling-washing
holes in the soil under the tree about four feet apart and eighteen
inches deep over the whole mulch area. The holes were made with more
of a washing than drilling action which aerated really well without
damaging the tree roots. I was washing sub-soil out and the return
water was carrying compost tea down into the holes.
Winter
passed, spring came, and the tree came out with lots of lush growth.
By the third year, it started producing nuts. The neighbors who knew
the farm said the nuts were more than twice the original size. But
at harvest time, we had the biggest surprise. Instead of nuts with
two kernels of meat in each, a big percent were triplets, or three
kernels, of meat in each nut. The tree produced good crops of nuts
every year, but the number of triplets got fewer and fewer each year.
When
the tree came out at first, the new branches were real thick, just
a few inches apart; everyone said I would have to prune or thin, but
I didn't do anything but let nature take its course. The dominant
branches shaded out the weaker limbs and developed a beautiful canopy.
Within
two years after the mulching, the bark of the trunk cleared up. No
mealy bugs. The health of the tree-its own immunity-somehow prevented
the infestation from continuing. The tree has had only that one compost
mulch, aeration treatment, and has never even had the recommended
zinc spray. To this day-over forty-five years later-the tree is beautiful,
healthy, and giving lots of cool shade in the summer and delicious
nuts in winter.
The
Garden-Ville Method - Lessons in Nature