Consistent fertilization leads to consistent nut production

摘要

With the drop in prices paid for the 2012 native crop, growers are searching for ways to cut production costs this season. Unfortunately, one of the first production inputs many growers think about cutting is fertilizer. It all starts with a call to the local fertilizer dealer. Urea and potash are still both over $500 per ton. That represents a lot of money, making fertilizer the largest annual input cost associated with native pecan production. And then, the wheels start turning. "If I skip this spring's fertilizer application, the leaves will still emerge, the tree will still set nuts, and I'll still have some money in my pocket." What sounds sound like a good idea to help shore up a short-term cash flow problem will only end up weakening the tree's ability to set nuts in 2014 and beyond.