Whether you have a well-established pecan orchard or are thinking about planting your very first trees, the April 1O Pecan Growers Workshop in Alamogordo will provide answers you need to grow and maintain a successful crop.

The workshop is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Otero County Cooperative Extension Service office at the fairgrounds.

“The people who attend this workshop will get good information about pecans,” said Beth Gordon, agricultural agent for New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service office in Alamogordo. “Our goal is to provide growers with information to help them detect pecan problems in orchards, determine when and how much water to apply to trees to optimize pecan growth and minimize water waste and how to select the best soil sites for pecan orchards.”

Richard Heerema, NMSU Extension pecan and pistachio specialist, will discuss the effects of improper irrigation on pecan trees.

Robert Flynn, Extension agronomist, will discuss how to select a site and soils to grow pecan trees.

Carol Sutherland, an NMSU and New Mexico Department of Agriculture Extension entomologist, will discuss the top three insect pests of pecans and how to control them.

Natalie Goldberg, an NMSU plant pathologist, will talk about phymatotrichum, also referred to as root rot, a soil-born fungus that can affect more than 2,300 species of broadleaf plants.

Gordon will discuss how growers can sell pecans at farmers markets and other venues.

Growers will have an opportunity to ask questions of the experts.

Participants must preregister for the workshop by March 24, as space is limited. The fee is $20 and includes lunch. A check or money order and the registration form can be mailed to the Otero County Cooperative Extension Service office, 401 Fairgrounds Road, Alamogordo, N.M., 88310.

For more information about the workshop and to obtain a copy of the registration form, or if you are an individual with a disability who is in need of an auxiliary aid or service, contact Gordon before the workshop at (575) 437-0231 or [email protected].