We bought a house this past October and it has a decent sized pecan tree in the front yard. Any options to increase the yield/quality of the pecans it produces without having to go through an arborist or biologist for more in depth information?

The pecans it produced that we got last year were paper thin and almost dehydrated for the most part.

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What kind of Pecan tree... native or an improved variety?

Topdress the soil under the dripline with compost, water the heck out of it all summer long.

SWCBonfire posts on here & is a third generation (at least) Pecan grower, though I think that industry is pretty well in the dumps right now. He can tell you everything you'd want to know.

If it isn't already, make sure and have some clear area around the trunk. Don't want any extra buildup. We had great trees in both of my childhood homes and we got a lot of production out of them, but they are dirty trees.

Well, I can already identify problem #1.... The previous owners have put landscaping around the base that likely keeps any big push with top soil treatment or most other treatments

Not sure on the type, what's the easiest way to determine variety?

Your pecans are suffering from lack of inputs ( Water, nitrogen) and aren't filling out. Some years pecans with large nut size set more than the tree can fill out.

The most important things you can do for an existing tree:
Water if it doesn't rain.
Nitrogen fertilizer.
NZN applied to leaves or zinc sulfate if you can't spray leaves
Keep the grass short under the tree to minimize competition.

Lot of good Aggie Hort info on pecans.

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/fact-sheets/evaluating-pecan-problems/

I raise pecans commercially and adequate moisture is the biggest challenge I have since I don't irrigate.

I use a elec. hand drill auger (2.5 inches) to drill holes around the drip line. backfill with Compost or fine mulch. Allows water to drain deeper into the soil ~1 foot. Encourages deeper roots too.

Drill 3-4 holes every time I mow. After a year you get good coverage all around the tree.