Are Pecan Trees Hardy in Zone 5?

Zone Hardiness

• The pecan tree and its various cultivars exhibit hardiness in USDA zones 5 through 9. Zones 5 through 9 constitute those areas with an average annual minimum temperature range of -20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Areas within this range include Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas and northern regions of Florida. Though pecan trees exhibit hardiness through zone 5, most pecan production takes place in the Southeast, where the climate best suits ideal pecan fruit production.
  
  

Care for Pecan Trees in Zone 5

• Pecan trees in zone 5 require special care to fruit. While pecan trees survive in zone 5, mere survival does not mean that trees fruit successfully. Standard pecan trees require large amounts of direct sunshine to produce a harvest in any zone. When planted in zone 5, pecan trees require full-sun exposure, or six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day, to produce a viable harvest of nuts. Applying a balanced, 10-10-10 fertilizer in mid-February at a rate of 4 lbs. per inch of trunk diameter provides nutrients the trees need to flourish. A large tree requires as much as 4-1/2 feet of fertilizer surrounding its trunk.
  
  

Pecan Cultivars for Zone 5

• While standard pecan trees have difficulty fruiting in zone 5, certain pecan cultivars exist specifically for growth in cold regions. These trees generally produce smaller, sweeter nuts than standard pecan trees that require a period of winter chill to grow properly during the spring. Types of trees ideal for growth in zone 5 include Busseron, Butterick, Green River, Indiana and Niblack. Any supply company or nursery in zone 5 offering pecan trees should have a few varieties of the plant suited for growth in that region.
  
  

Growing Pecan Trees

• Pecan trees require tremendous amounts of space. Trees reach mature heights of taller than 125 feet and may reach a mature spread of larger than 100 feet. Pecan trees have taproots -- large roots that grow straight down into the soil in search of nutrients. These roots grow 5 feet deep in the course of a tree's first few years in an environment. Pecan trees grown in shallow soil have difficultly drawing nutrients and water from the soil. Pecan trees also suffer from zinc deficiency. Applying fertilizer and zinc sulfate rectifies this problem. Symptoms of zinc deficiency include dead twigs, abnormally small nuts, defoliation and mottled, bronzed leaves. Though pecan trees grow in nearly any soil conditions, those grown in zone 5 require moist, fertile, well-drained soil to flourish.