As the pecan growing season moves along in the southern US growers in the southeast are dealing with increased scab pressure due to the onset of the rainy season. But now growers with certain varieties have also begun shaking nuts off of trees in order to manage the crop load. Many growers are just beginning fruit thinning on certain varieties. Growers will thin each variety and location at different times based on the formation of the nut. Dr. Lenny wells gives an in depth look at exactly when to fruit thin pecan trees at the link below. Dr. Wells explains that for effective fruit thinning, growers only have about a 10-14-day window when the pecan fruit thinning is most effective. This can be determined by cutting open the pecans to determine the openness of the cavity inside the nut before the water turns to the dough stage. For the southeast pecan growing region, growers have found that Cape Fear, Creek, Pawnee, Schley, Stuart, Sumner, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Shoshoni, and Mohawk are the varieties that show the most benefit from fruit thinning. Click link below for pictures and explanations.