Just moved to new location and in yard have several hickory trees. I have tried to plant and re-plant pentas under the hickory's but the pentas are not doing well. Pentas are not difficult to grow and I have grown them for many years. Away from the hickorys the pentas are flourishing in the yard. Even the pentas which are not directly under the canopy of the hickory trees but just close are not doing well. I am wondering about the PH level from the hickorys. Can the hickorys create a high or low PH level from all the leaves and nuts that have fallen?
Pentas like sun. My best guess is the simplest one - the shade cast by your hickory tress is keeping the pentas from getting the light that they need.
There's another less likely but not impossible cause. Hickory nut shells exude a small amount of a chemical called juglone. You can read about it here:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/mulch/using-nut-hulls-as-mulch.htm
Juglone can be toxic to some plants. If the trees have been dropping nuts for years, there's a chance the juglone in the soil has reached a level that's toxic to your pentas.
I have three old hickory trees what grow under them like flower ect'?
Hickory trees produce the same toxin as walnut trees but to a lesser degree. The toxin juglone from these trees causes a dramatic wilting of susceptible plants. This article contains a list of plants that are not affected. https://extension.psu.edu/landscaping-and-gardening-around-walnuts-and-other-juglone-producing-plants
If you live in another region, search online for a list of juglone-resistent flowers in your state.
why does a hickory tree nuts explode on the tree when dropping?
You must be referring to the outer shell covering. These fall off or are easily removed leaving the nut.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/nut-trees/hickory/harvesting-hickory-nuts.htm
We have just purchased a home that has a humongous hickory tree. We literally have a million hickory nuts on the ground. Some have been there a very long time. Can you tell me what I need to do at this point to try to salvage the good ones?
As far as a nutcracker goes... That will be almost completely up to preference. Now, for picking and storing... This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/nut-trees/hickory/harvesting-hickory-nuts.htm
The hickory tree is next door, in North Carolina .
You can, but keep in mind that it will be over 40 years to see the first nuts, from seed! It is easier to start with a grafted tree.
Still, you will want to plant the nut where it will stay. It will not need much help from there.
Here are some articles that will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/nut-trees/hickory/shagbark-hickory-trees.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/nut-trees/hickory/harvesting-hickory-nuts.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/nut-trees/hickory/about-hickory-trees.htm
We have about eight mature hickory trees, so I started looking for information as they are bearing this year. I ran across your website first. Then I ran across a second website that had more than one paragraph that appears to have been lifted directly from your site. I think your site article was probably written first though updated more recently. I am a writer, so I hate to see any person take credit for another person's work. https://www.underatinroof.com/blog/2019/9/9/collecting-hickory-nuts-amp-how-to-use-them
That is a rampant problem on the Internet and not much you can do about it. Thanks for your concern, though.