When to Plant Pecan in Cairns, Tropical Guide
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Pecan guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0
Large deciduous nut tree native to the Mississippi River valley in the USA. Gets very large (15-30m) and needs ample space. Produces thin-shelled nuts with rich, buttery kernels.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Tropical
Pecan is not recommended for Tropical.
Not recommended.
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How to Grow Pecan in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Deep, fertile, well-drained alluvial soil. Originally a bottomland/riverbank tree. Likes rich deep soil with good moisture-holding capacity. Tolerates some clay better than most nut trees. Deep taproot needs minimum 2m soil depth.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun. Needs high heat units for nut maturity.
- Good companions
- Grass (orchards often grassed), Legume cover crops
- Keep away from
- Buildings, infrastructure (massive tree)
Tropical Growing Tips for Pecan
Recommended Varieties
- Not well-suited, needs distinct winter
Key Challenges
- Insufficient winter dormancy
- Extreme scab pressure
Pro Tips
- Pecans need cold winters. Not suitable for tropical zones.
Pests and problems for Pecan in Tropical
Harvesting Pecan
When ready: Shuck (outer green covering) splits and separates from shell. Nuts fall from tree. Shell colour darkens.
How to harvest: Collect fallen nuts from ground (shake branches to accelerate). Remove shuck remnants. Dry in single layer in shade for 2-3 weeks.
Storing and preserving pecan
How to keep it
- Freezing (shelled). Crack, shell, vacuum seal or zip-lock. Keeps: 24 months.
- In-shell storage. Dry 2-3 weeks, store cool and dry. Keeps: 12 months.
- Roasting. Dry roast at 150°C for 10-15 minutes. Salt optional. Keeps: 1 month room temp, 6 months frozen.
- Candied pecans. Toss in egg white and sugar/spice mix. Bake at 120°C for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Keeps: 1 month.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Pecan
When do you plant pecan in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): not recommended
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jun to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jun to Aug
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jun to Aug
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jun to Aug
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jun to Jul
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jun to Aug
When should I plant Pecan in Cairns?
Not recommended.
How do I know when Pecan are ready to harvest?
Shuck (outer green covering) splits and separates from shell. Nuts fall from tree. Shell colour darkens.
What are the best Pecan varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Not well-suited, needs distinct winter.
What grows well with Pecan?
Good companion plants for Pecan include: Grass (orchards often grassed), Legume cover crops.
Are pecan salt tolerant?
Only a little. Pecan are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.