Users Guide

A pollination chart users guide is necessary to help the grower understand how to choose appropriate varieties for their home or farm

Varieties that are listed in  column A have a green bar showing its female flower receptivity 

Varieties listed in column C,  show their pollen availability in yellow on the chart. 

Column B shows the varieties pollination type. Type 1 having pollen first and type 2 having female receptivity first. Type 0 means pollen and receptivity are concurrent for that variety but that is not optimal for good pecans.

Column D shows a rating for that variety to the receptive variety, VG-Very Good, G- good, F- fair, NR- not recommended. The not recommended is mostly geographic incompatibility. A southern adapted variety shouldn’t be planted with an ultra northern variety and vis versa. For the homeowner, perfect pollination is not necessary. Good is plenty good enough. For the small grower, having a mix of good, very good and fair will give better results than a single very good pollinator.

The grower will note, there are no dates on the chart. Receptivity and pollen shed can vary from year to year by up to a week. The chart shows them in relation to one another. In a late year, they will be late together. The other factor concerning dates is trees will bloom in Texas long before they will bloom in Iowa but timing will still be in sync.

This information has been gathered from a variety of sources. It is not intended to be perfectly accurate. Nature has a way of being variable from year to year so this is a general guide. Should you have additional pollination information, please share it for the benefit of all growers.