Description

About the Pawnee Pecan Tree

The Pawnee Pecan Tree stands as one of North America’s most favored pecan varieties, highly regarded for its exceptional attributes. This variety is celebrated for bearing large, full-kernel pecans two to three weeks earlier than most other pecan types, making it an early and prolific producer. Its origins can be traced back to Brownwood, Texas, in 1963, with its official introduction occurring in 1984.

What sets the Pawnee Pecan apart is its remarkable heat tolerance, ensuring it thrives even in regions with scorching summers. The nuts mature and ripen in mid to late October, delivering a reliable and consistent harvest. To maintain the quality of this variety, it is commonly grafted, ensuring a dependable yield.

The Pawnee Pecan’s early maturation is one of its most attractive qualities, providing an opportunity for early enjoyment of fresh pecans. Its genetics originate from a cross of ‘Mohawk’ and ‘Starking Hardy Giant’ in Brownwood, TX, in 1963. It has gained wide popularity not only in Western and Northern growing regions but also in the Southeast due to its adaptability to various climates.

How to Grow the Pawnee Pecan Tree

The Pawnee Pecan tree’s early bearing trait is complemented by its ability to produce a heavy yield of pecans. It’s a reliable producer with a heat-tolerant nature. However, it’s essential to note that the Pawnee Pecan requires a pollinator to ensure fruit set. This is because it is a Type I (protandrous) tree, meaning it has early pollen shed but requires a compatible pollinator tree with pistil receptivity.

While the Pawnee Pecan boasts multiple advantages, it is susceptible to pecan scab, a common fungal disease affecting pecan trees. Regular disease management is essential to maintain a healthy and productive tree.

This hardy pecan variety is suitable for growth in the southern half of Zone 5, although it’s crucial to consider that it can be susceptible to damage in ice storms, particularly in areas prone to freezing rain. The shelled nuts from the Pawnee Pecan store well in the freezer, allowing for year-round enjoyment of their delicious flavor. In conclusion, the Pawnee Pecan Tree is a fantastic choice for pecan enthusiasts or orchardists looking to benefit from early and prolific harvests of high-quality pecans.

Protandrous Type I

Survival Guaranteed!

Since 1816, Stark Bro’s has promised to provide customers with the very best fruit trees and plants. It’s just that simple. If your trees or plants do not survive, please let us know within one year of delivery. We will send you a free one-time replacement, with a nominal shipping fee of $9.99. If the item in question is not available, we can issue a one-time credit to your account equaling the original product purchase price or issue you a refund. Read more about our warranty policy.

Characteristics

Bloom Color Green
Distance To Pollinator 75 - 250'
Fruit Color Brown
Fruit Size Large
Hardiness Zone Range 6 - 9
Pollination Pollinator Required
Ripens/Harvest October
Shade/Sun Full Sun
Soil Composition Loamy
Soil Moisture Well Drained
Soil pH Level 6.0 - 6.5
Texture Firm With Good Oil
Years to Bear 5 - 7

Size & Spacing

Mature Size

When your tree matures, it will be approximately 75 - 100' tall x 75 - 100' wide.

Recommended Spacing

We recommend spacing these trees 75 - 100' apart to ensure room for growth.

Zone Compatibility

This Variety's Zone Range 6 - 9
My Hardiness Zone ?
The USDA hardiness zones offer a guide to varieties that will grow well in certain climates. Each zone corresponds to the minimum winter temperatures experienced in a given area. Make sure that your hardiness zone lies within the zone compatibility range of this variety before ordering.

Pollination

This variety requires another one for adequate pollination.

Cross-pollination by a different variety is key to its growing and bearing success. Plant one of these varieties within 75 - 250' for best pollination.

Tools & Supplies

Having the proper tools and supplies when growing your own can make the difference between a good harvest and a great harvest! Here's a list that our experts recommend for this variety.

Planting & Care

Learn all about how to grow pecan trees in The Growing Guide. An entire section of our website dedicated to your growing success.

Shipping Information

Arrives when it's time to plant

Your success is our priority. We work hard to make sure that your order arrives at the ideal time for planting in your location based on your local climate conditions.

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Questions & Answers

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58 Questions
Why did you choose this?

Growing in my yard

It a good for pollen

I love pecans and didn't know I could grow them in my area! It was on sale! Bonus!!!

To pollonate anouther tree

Which varieties are Type1 and which are Type2? What else will polinate a Pawnee, other than kanza and Lakota?

While Type I and Type II are important variables, you also have to consider overlap in bloom times, which is why we recommend either Kanza (Type II) or Lakota (Type II) for compatibility with Pawnee (Type I); however, Colby (Type II) could work and Starking Southern Giant (Type II) could work.

I have 3 stuart pecan trees they are about 10 years old they are blooming in the spring but i have no pollinator.I have been looking to buy a pawnee and probably a lakota for pollinators. (my question) is their a possibility that i could graft pollinators onto the existing trees.?.

1

In other places, I've seen the pawnee pecan listed as a dwarf (growing to 30ft or so at maturity), but I see them here listed as having a mature height of 70-100ft. Do you know why I'm seeing such a discrepancy across sources? Can you confirm the mature height of this variety?

We appreciate you reaching out to us. Pecan trees are naturally large trees that can grow up to 100 feet tall. While other sources do state that this is a smaller than usual pecan tree, Stark Bro's does not have any data to support their claims.

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!

What is the host tree that your Pawnee and Lakota Pecan trees are grafted into?

1

I have a Zinner Pecan Tree and live in West Tennessee. Is the Pawnee a good pollinator choice?

It certainly is. Lucky you, Zinner produces great pecans!

I live in the Missouri Ozarks and the PH is normally around 7 and the trees for this area PH is recommended to be 6.0- 6.5. What are the recommendations?

You can either try acidifying your soil with garden sulfur to bring the pH into the 6.0-6.5 range, or just plant the tree. Pecan trees don't seem to be terribly picky around here, because they grow well with a soil pH in the 6.0-7.0 range.

Are the pecans edible?

My Pawnee pecan tree is about 40” tall after several years, it’s a slow grower but very healthy. At this stage it has not produced any pecans yet, they should produce 3-8 years after planting. I look forward to tasting them in the future.

How often do nuts form?

If the tres are mature in size every other year. My trees are still small so it could be another 3 to 5 years

Are pawnee pecan trees shipped potted or bare root?

These are shipped in a 4x4x10" EZ Start® pot with an advanced root system.

How do pecans do in done 7 (East TN)?

I ordered my Pawnee pecans and this fall (2017) will be 2 years since they have been planted. They are growing good. We live in Crossville on the plateau and they are full of leaves. They aren't old enough to produce yet but they are alive and growing.

Customer Reviews

50 Ratings
4.0out of 5 stars
50 Ratings

Rated 5 stars by 52% of reviewers

Rated 4 stars by 20% of reviewers

Rated 3 stars by 12% of reviewers

Rated 2 stars by 4% of reviewers

Rated 1 star by 12% of reviewers

1-10 of 50 Reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
Dec 2, 2024
Great tree
Strong tree leaves got eaten by deer and now it is budding and is very healthy
Rated 5 out of 5
Dec 1, 2024
Vigorous tree, bore quickly
My tree was planted in 2017, and I got the first nuts from it this year (2024). They were great - large kernels, excellent flavor, and paper-thin shells. The tree itself arrived healthy and has grown vigorously. Pawnee is scab-susceptible, so going forward I'm choosing different varieties, but so far I haven't seen any signs of trouble with this one.
Rated 5 out of 5
Oct 14, 2024
Great service
no growth yet, but that's to be expected with newly planted trees. planted in July 2024, I ordered the supreme XL potted. it got here fairly quickly and I put it in the ground a few days later. I assume it is focused on growing roots currently over green growth which is what I want. I also ordered a kanza to go alongside it for pollination.
Rated 5 out of 5
Oct 12, 2024
Good bear root tree growing good. It is a good pecan tree to grow and I like my tree and watching it grow in my yard.
Rated 5 out of 5
Sep 2, 2024
It was small when we got it but it's doing great and growing
Rated 5 out of 5
May 24, 2024
Stark Bro's for the win
I ordered 30 Pecan trees and they arrived perfectly packaged and the roots had plenty of moisture. They seem to be growing just fine! I will definitely be buying from Stark Bro's again.
Rated 5 out of 5
Dec 20, 2022
So far, doing great! I have it covered in straw fir the freeze.
Rated 5 out of 5
Oct 4, 2022
Growing wonderful! So tall I cannot reach the top!
Rated 5 out of 5
Sep 25, 2022
Good Company
Great service and on time. I've tried other companies but this one seems to be the best.
Rated 5 out of 5
Aug 27, 2022
Tree arrived looking a bit haggard however it has thrived.