When to Plant Pecan in Cairns, Tropical Guide

Not recommended for the Tropical zone. The window below explains why.

Published · Last reviewed · By Garden Buddy
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

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.

Pecan

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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. Needs warm summers, cold winters, and LOTS of water. Cross-pollination between varieties is essential for nut set. Long-lived (100+ years) but slow to reach full production (8-12 years). Pecans do surprisingly well in Australia's irrigated inland zones.

Best Planting Window for Tropical

Pecan is not recommended for Tropical.

Not recommended.

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How to Grow Pecan in Tropical Australia

When to Plant

Not recommended.

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.
pH Range
6.0-7.0
Sunlight
Full sun. Needs high heat units for nut maturity.

Companion plants: Grass (orchards often grassed), Legume cover crops

Avoid planting near: 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.

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.

Where to next

Also worth sowing in the tropical zone this September: Lemongrass, Ginger, Cucumber and Basil.

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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:

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page 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.