Dog Days of Summer
The Dog Days of Summer are upon us here at Pearson Farm. Zenithland is always HOT in the summer, but late August and September can be absolutely stifling. These days are filled with slow moving tractors mowing rows and rows of pecan orchards, hammers and saws making building renovations and shops filled with vehicles and equipment receiving maintenance and repairs. Lawton is spending time in pecan orchards with his eyes pointed skyward checking on the upcoming crop. Right now, the pecans are still in their shucks, but their shells are completely developed. Inside those shucks, the shells are full of water which is turning into oil that will eventually become a delicious pecan. The trees at Pearson Farm are looking full, which means we are anticipating a good crop.
You might be asking yourself, "Why post pictures of orchards with limbs on the ground if the season is looking so good?" Here's the answer- A good crop can be a blessing and a curse. When the pecan shells have reached maturity and are full of water like they are now, the tree's limbs are super heavy. In fact, they are the heaviest they will be all season. You take trees with a good crop of nuts, plus all their leaves, add some rain and a little wind; you end up with orchards that have limbs on the ground like these pictured. We do our best to prune the trees when they are younger to make them less susceptible to breakage, and we cut the limbs off the trees as quickly as we see them, so they won't tear and cause damage to the tree. The nuts that were growing on these limbs are lost since they will never reach maturity.
As wild as it might look right now, these scenes are actually a wonderful sign that a great pecan crop is on the way. We are still several weeks from harvest, as the nuts continue to fill out and mature. Until then, we'll keep looking up into these magnificent branches, praying for good weather, and soaking in the sights and sounds of the farm as it prepares for the busy season ahead.
