I wanted to post this yesterday but it was April Fool's Day and I was afraid no one would believe me. I don't know if I really believe this myself.
Four years ago I put a number of avocado pits in a rather large flower pot and 4-5 came up. A year later we moved back to Houston and I brought the pot of growing avocados here. When I had the chance I moved them to my front flower bed where they have flourished. They have lost a few leaves from the frost and I have cut them back a couple of times hoping they would branch. I can no longer garden due to health restraints but the things I have planted are hardy and come back bigger and better each year even tho they are seriously neglected getting rain and auto-sprinkler watering and Osmocote and dry Epsom Salts being thrown out on the beds from time to time - no schedule. I still go out there and check on everything when I am able and see the flowers on the hibiscus, the tall ruella, buds on a The President Clematis and star jasmine and NOID angel trumpet and BOP (orange). The surprise was what the avocado tree gave me. Along w/new leaves at the tips of the branches there were things that looked as if they would be flowers. Sure enough, yesterday I checked and the tiny flowers have appeared. Can little 'cados be far behind? I'm holding my breath and really hoping they do produce at least one. I haven't a clue as to how long it takes such things to ripen and don't want to count my chickens before they hatch so I'll be patient and hopeful and see what happens. Wish me luck - Please! I need it.
Ann
A REAL surprise
That is exciting. Do you know what kind of avocado?
At HEB and all my stores they don't say where the avocados come from (usually) nor what kind they are. Just eatin' 'cados - rough skin, small, turn black and soft when they are ready to eat.
Does this ring any bells for you? Wish I DID know.
Ann
I think the bumpy ones are Haas Avocados and they are the more flavorful. The larger, smooth skined are California Avocados, are at least that's all I've ever heard them called. I wanted to plant a tree here, but had been told it took 7 to 10 years to bear fruit, so I gave up. Please let us know if you get fruit and maybe I'll be tempted to try it.
Crow
This tree is definitely from just a avocado pit that we used the flesh of. (What a contorted sentence!) We normally eat our avocados al fresco - cut in half, remove the pit and fill the pit hole w/french dressing, eat w/a spoon. We eat a lot of avocados. My DDH is from Green Bay and I am from Houston and I have eaten avocados all my life - Mother used to call them alligator pears until I went to college and educated her and made her very unhappy. and the love of them hasn't diminished over the years. I think we eat them at least 9months out of the year. We get them fromTX, and Mexico and Central ans South America. Some of them have a lot of fiber that makes them unuseable some months out of the year. I just hope that I get some avocados not because I can't afford them in the stores but just to say" I grew these myself" (even if just by just blind luck). If it's a Haas, so be it - probably is . NO biggie - I don't really care - I would just like to have some. It's kind of like when I grew artichokes down in Palacios. Most of the people down there had never heard of an artichoke. Tough! I knew what it was and I got a few of those goodies.
Ann
Plantlady, You need to post this on the Tropical Zone Gardening. I visited Braveheartsmom on Maui just a few weeks ago. She had fruit beyond belief. Thing is they had several avocado trees. One hanging directly over the lanai. She told us that they will never ripen on the tree. Must be picked and left to ripen a couple of days (at least in the islands). She would be so happy to give you more information. She has 22 varieties of exotic fruits on her 1/2 acre. Paradise for sure. Several varieties of banana. Always one "hand" hanging over the sink to pluck a ripe fruit for breakfast. Or just go out into the yard and get a ripe lime to squeeze on the ripe papaya.
Aloha,
Princess Kilikina aka Christi
Eat it? No way... if it makes a fruit, I would want to frame it ~ LOL
The gal next door at work popped three seeds in soil and all three sprouted. I can't wait to tell her about your blooms, she will be excited.
Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed here for your success with your avocado venture.
LouC, we grow bananas here, too.They are small - about half the size of a regular banana - and very good. We will get a big bunch off the "tree" when they just begin to turn yellowish and put them in the garage or take them into the house. They ripen slowly in the AC so we can eat them slowly day by day. (If they decide to start ripening quickly, we stick them in the fridge to slow them down ) The only time we get bananas is when we don't have a bad frost or freeze because they need a full year to "make". When they produce and the fruit is cut off you might as well cut down that "tree" as it will never produce again and most likely will die much as a bromiliad does after it blooms. There are always a bunch of pups at the base so you are just kind of thinning out the bananas.
Growing tropical fruit is fun but you aren't in it for profit - just for fun and the fruit is definitely a plus. That's the reason I am so thrilled to have blossoms on the avocado trees. Over the years I have planted the pits with no thought of actually getting fruit just light shade from the trees. We'll see..................
Ann
Ann, I am really excited about your avocado. My mother grew one once in a pot that lived about 5 years and got about 5' tall. Never anything to sing about. Of course the climate on Maui will grow toothpicks. Literally Jen has trimmed plants/trees and if she didn't pick up every little bit right away, it takes root. Just an aside, of course all of the islands are lava. I recently added soil that included lava sand and Texas green sand among other things to top dress my beds and start the veggie garden. I am amazed at the growth of everything. I don't have the climate for the fruit trees that you are growing but perhaps a little lava sand mixed here and there might give them a boost. Now who am I to suggest such a thing. Just mulling things around "out loud". You are correct about the bananas. Jen had stumps of banana all over (could hardly seed them for all of the growth). She explained about the produce then die. She has 5 different varieties of banana. None of them are the same size. Even one called and apple banana. Sorry to be so long winded this morning. I just get so excited about the islands. If you have not, you might want to check out the Tropical Zone forum and Tropical Plants. Let us know an update on your avocado.
LouC
LouC, I love growing tropicals of most kinds. Not into elephant ears and stuff that doesn't do anything but just sit there. I browse the Tropical forums everyday and love it there. I, too, have been exposed to Hawaii - also Central America and along the Canal and in Costa Rica. Just loved it there - all those places - because of the flora and soils found there. It was interesting to see the bananas all encased in blue plastic to protect them as they were waiting to be cut down and shipped. Unhappily I have had my turn w/orchids and killed many a beauty. I had an uncle who owned TV station KRIS in Corpus Christi and he could afford to have a big greenhouse dedicated to orchids. The orchids and ham radio were his outlets after a busy day at work. His orchids were really something.
Ann
This thread was started quite a while ago. Over time I have watched that tree and watched the flowers (so tiny) and the little branches go away. Don't know what happened but I suspect that either it wasn't ready to have fruit or the flowers didn't get fertilized or whatever. I am not too disappointed as I really didn't expect anything to come of it.
Now we will be moving onward and upward to a different house about 3 miles away and I'll plant some more avocado pits. Life goes on...........
Ann