Hybrid Hickory Variety Recommendations and Propagation Trials

There is a lot to still learn but two years of evaluations have been done and many successful epicotyl grafts. These are the main lessons for hickory epicotyl grafting:

• 78F-85F hotbox temp setting
• light requirements for budbreak have not been tested. I have always kept my grafts in a greenhouse.
• 50% cheeswax, 50% beeswax with NO oil mixed in. Oil kills cambium. Wax whole epicotyl. If inverted radical grafting, wax a bit past the graft union.
• Melon and tomato grafting clips. I use red tomato clips but clear may be required for thicker stems (red and clear)
• Aligning one side only of the scion to the stock
• Shagbark rootstock or dominant shag rootstock genetics produce thicker epicotyl. Bitternut produce notably thinner epicotyl. Pecan remains untested.
• Inverted radical grafting produced a nearly identical take rate as epicotyl grafting.
• Cleft grafting close to the nut on the epicotyl or about 2" away from the nut for inverted radical.
• Burying the whole graft union and clip so no epicotyl/radical is above soil level
• Use thick (not skinny) scion with large.
• Non-terminal buds. Terminals are okay but prone to breaking bud prior to adequate callus formation causing collapse of the scion.
• Radicals of both bitternut and shagbark are approximately 50% thicker than their epicotyls.
• Inverted radical grafting allows for better use of stock nuts by allowing for grafting of nuts that are delayed and have not yet developed epicotyls in addition to allowing for grafting of nuts with too thin of epicotyls.
• The highest take rate group was from a scion called 'Swaim' at 70% take. 50% was typical.
• The take rate on bitternut was very poor between 5-10%. This may not be the case if bitternut scion is used.
• Full sun exposure on the tree where the scion was collected appears to be a major factor in graft success.
• Use one large bud on the scion graft
•  
• It appears, but still needs to be proven, that vigorously growing shoot on the scion source tree may produce longer shoots on the graft.
• It appears, but still needs to be proven, that the number of compound leaves may be determined in the bud on the scion source tree.

As for general lessons learned from evaluations:

• Soil fertility and tree air space affect nut production heavily so evaluations must be made while knowing fertility and context
• Some trees drastically change kernel percentage from year to year. Others are quite consistent
• Some trees do have a natural affinity towards heavy bearing but the limit appears to be in how much kernel can be produced (not shell or husk).
• Yield evals should be done over a 3-5 year period and severe weather can affect yield consistency drastically; weschcke is a known annual heavy bearer and it has not born the past three years in River Falls, WI
• There are 40 or so trees that are highly interesting between the weschcke and badgersett population that deserve intense further study.
• There are some hybrids with shellbark included in them that we have confirmed with genetic testing. The signs of these hybrids are are generally very early pollen receptivity compared to the population, hairy stems, excellent anthracnose resistance, green leaves later in the fall, late or very late ripening nuts, and thick husks. Interestingly, these nuts tend to have a higher than average kernel percentage, many of which are around 50% kernel. It is possible that bitternut introgression was not detected in these trees though it is the cause of shell thinness and it is possible that shag shell hybrids express a trait not in either parent of very thin shells. The genetic testing suggested that these were F1 shag shells. It is difficult to assess the productivity of these trees at badgersett due to very low pollen shed during this early receptivity period which may prevent pollination. Additionally, some of these trees appear to abort stigmas prior to receptivity likely due to an incompatibility within the trees own genetics. This is a direction of breeding that I had not considered until this year that should be further explored.

Variety Evaluation Selects:

• 'Snack Shack' - This is the heaviest bearing tree at badgersett in ‘24 and has the record for the heaviest yields with good yield consistency at Badgersett. Mid season ripening and indeterminate. Typical to slightly thinner husk thickness. Excellent cracking. 80% halves when cracked side to side, cracking comparable to Weschcke. Excellent sweet shagbark flavor. Milks well. <10% undeveloped kernels on overbearing, branch breaking year, <5% weeviled. This is the one tree that I love, understand well, and know is pollen fertile. 2.1g@42% in 2024. 2.3g@43% in 2022. Hard off in 2023 and 2025. Old records say that this tree was heavy annual bearing under consistent nitrogen applications but the tree appears biennial the past four years. Orients well but certainly not optimally in my automated cracker due to its dorsal ridge and relatively short length to width ratio. This tree produced 25 gallons of nuts this year spreading its limbs 24ft in diameter. Records indicate that yields on 40x40 with the same tree size would produce over 700lbs of kernel to the acre annualized competing with average South Eastern pecan yields in the US.
• 'BS Precocious' - A historic annual bearer that has been biennial under my observation. The first hickory to bear at Badgersett in the early 2000s. Heavy bearing with yield similar to 'Snack Shack' at 25 gallons of harvest in an on year. Mild shag flavor. Late and indeterminant. Okay cracking 2.0g with 37% kernel but well worthy for milking. Typical shag husk thickness.
• 'BS Front' - A historic annual bearer that has been biennial under my observation. Heavy bearing with yield similar to 'Snack Shack' at 25 gallons of harvest in an on year. Mild shag flavor. Late and indeterminant. Okay cracking 2.4g with 39% kernel but well worthy for milking. Typical shag husk thickness.
• 'Swaim' - Biennial bearing in my observation. Bore a great crop in an off year and has shown capacity to bear annually. Appears more annual bearing than weschcke. Thin husk. Indeterminant. Good shag flavor. 2.1g at 48% kernel typical with great cracking to halves. We suited for hickory automated cracked due to rectangular boxy shape.
• 'Butter Berry' - A pressable mild shag flavored hybrid. Good bearing biennial during my observation but annual in historic data. Very late in shagbark season verging on bitternut season. Thin husks so it doesn’t flaunt yield or weigh branches heavily. Dehiscent, indeterminate. Somewhat weevil susceptible. A historic record observed at badgersett since bearing. Consistent kernel percentage and size above 2.4g@50%. Poor cracking. Mild shagbark flavor. 2.5g@50% in ‘24. 2.5g@53% in ‘23. 2.4g@51% in 22’. This is the most watched, well fertilized, well understood, pressable, hybrid hickory that is the closest to being ready for production orchards yet.
• 'Shiver' - Thinnest shell for shagbark that I have ever evaluated. 3.4g at 53% kernel in 2024. 3.5g at 57% kernel in 2022. Excellent bearing in 22 with low bearing in 2023, okay bearing 2024 and 2025. Mild shagbark flavor. Weevil magnet. Not well suited to automated cracking orientation. Best over-cracked head to heel with great cracking and fast finger extraction. 70% easy extraction. 90% finger extraction. 80% halves, 20% quarters when over cracked h-h. Not vetted well enough yet for production; yield should respond to fertilization and thinning in 2026; very low fertility in soil prior to spring ‘24. Mid season ripening. Very late receptivity. Pollen sterile. Typical shagbark hull thickness.
• 'Gateway' -  Good yield in ‘24 which was a low year at the Weschcke farm; off in 2023 and 2025. Bore in consecutive on years in 2021 and 2022 showing potential for annual bearing. Good shagbark flavor with good crackout. 2.7g@48% kernel. No disease concerns; very healthy. Clear Weschcke seedling. Pollen sterile. Thick hulls. 
• 'Weschcke' - Pollen sterile. 47% kernel, 1.8-2.3g kernel, larger under fertility. Annual heavy bearing, excellent shag flavor, very clean kernel. 90% easy extraction, 70% halves. Marginally pressable; recommended to reduce shell content after precrack by picking out or sifting. Crack lightly side to side. Proven by half a century and currently the best multi-purpose proven tree. This tree appears to be a great candidate for automated cracking
• 'Cheeks' - The earliest hickory in 2024 at Badgersett. Highly weevil resistant; I found 4 weevils in ¾ gallon of nuts on a low year. Very well suited to shake harvesting; after the first 3 nuts had hit the ground naturally on 9/14 in MN, I hand shook the tree and about 80% dropped with about 50% free of husk after impact with the ground; determinant. Good yield in ‘24 which was a low year and moderate yield in ‘23 which was an off year. Good shagbark flavor with okay crackout. 2.5g@47% kernel in ‘24 and 2.4g@50% in ‘23. Both ‘23 and ‘24 were atypical years for kernel percentage. This tree needs more observation for nut consistency. Likely settles at 2.5g@48% kernel making this a candidate for oil pressing and milking. No disease concerns; very healthy. Clear Weschcke seedling. Pollen sterile. Thick hulls. Highly prone to delayed graft failure on pecan compared; this may have been a fluke of 2025 but this was a noteworthy observation.
• 'Fourth Finger' - Named after the fourth catkin in the typical three catkin cluster that it bears. 2.2g at 42% kernel. The most annual bearing, weevil resistant, valuable nut in Badgersett's low fertility "back hill" context.
• 'JJ' - More annual bearing than most other trees Badgersett's low fertility "back hill" context. 3.2g at 48% kernel. Excellent kernel flavor but poor cracking good for milking and oil pressing. Very prone to weevils. Typical husk thickness. Spreading tree form similar to bitternut hickory. 
• 'Henke' -  Hican. Excellent production biennially. Mid to late in shagbark season. Good pecan flavor. 2.2g@45% kernel. Good pecan flavor. Great crack. 80% halves with side-side cracking or rolling crack like crowding plate pecan cracker. Candidate for automated cracking with normal pecan cracker. Great and reliable fill.
• 'Vernon (Hican)' - Not expected to perform in WI but worth noting because it is the best tree I have evaluated. 4.5g@52% kernel. Excellent production. Excellent cracking. Great pecan flavor with shag hints. 80% halves with side-side cracking or rolling crack like crowding plate pecan cracker. Candidate for automated cracking with normal pecan cracker. Head-tail crack works quite well too. Late. I would not plant farther North than Indianapolis. Pressable for oil in shell. Great and reliable fill.
• 'Country Club (Hican)' - Not expected to perform in WI but worth noting because it is one of the best trees I have evaluated. 3.6g@46% kernel. Excellent production, excellent cracking. Side-side crack or rolling crack as with a crowding plate pecan cracker. Candidate for automated cracking with normal small scale pecan crackers. 80% halves with easy extraction like a good pecan. Shag aroma, rich pecan flavor, Late. I would not plant farther North than Indianapolis. Great and reliable fill.