Growing fruit-bearing Avocado trees.

G'day all!

I am interested in starting a few Avocado trees. I want these trees for consumable fruit production and I have read quite a bit on this subject, however, I am getting some conflicting statements. I am hoping there is someone on DG that has started fruit bearing trees to help me get started.

My questions are these:

1. If I start a tree from a pit from a grocery store avocado, will it produce quality, edible fruit? If not, what is the preferred method to start a tree for consumable fruit production?

2. How many years does a tree typically have to be growing before it bears edible avocados?

3. Does anyone know of where I can purchase established, potted trees? Anyone have any experience with Clifton's Nursery in Porterville, CA? They offer avocado trees online, however I have no experience with the company, plus they do not comment much on varieties. I am under the impression the Guatemalan variety produces the most flavourful, large fruit. Anyone know? I like the Hass variety that I buy locally in my grocery store (they are grown in CA), but not sure if it they are Guatemalan in origin.

Would appreciate any and all advice. I have four pits "starting" in glasses of water using the toothpick suspension method, but it's been over a month and they still do not look any closer to sprouting than the day I put them in water.

Cheers everyone,

Mac

McFla, Who knows what you will get from your sproated seeds? Might be a good producing tree but the odds are against it. I am told all commercially grown avocados are from grafted trees.

The Hass you mention is the most commonly grown commercial avocado here in So. Cal., because it has a combination of qualities that makes it profitable. It is a good tasting avocado, but not the best in my opinion. Fuerte and Reed are better (in my opinion) and have a higher oil content.

My trees started producing almost as soon as I planted them from five gallon pots. I strip the fruit the first year to let the strenght of the tree go into root and branch development. My hass produces prolifically, the fuerte is still not up to speed after five years, some say it takes up to seven years to get good fuerte production and that then it is not consistent every year. My reed is only two years old and it is producing some fruit. Actually a lot for a small tree. I think it is the best tasting of the three varieties.

If you buy potted trees, be sure you get an "A" and a "B" tree. That is a requirement for good cross pollination and good fruit production. Most avocado are self pollinating but produce substantially more fruit when properly cross pollinated.

There are lots of registered avocado varieties, I have heard numbers like 1,200 or so. I would suggest you do a little research to find out which varieties do best in your area. There are a number of commercial nurseries in the Fallbrook area of So. Cal., it is known as the avocado capital of the world. You might go on line and see what you can find.

Good luck with your efforts to grow your own. Avocados are a marvelous fruit and very healthy. Don



This message was edited Jun 3, 2009 10:38 AM

G'day Don!

Many thanks for the great info. This is EXACTLY the kind of info I am looking for! I appreciate your time spent replying!

I am into "instant gratification", (ha ha) so I may go with a Hass variety if they produce quickly, as I do like the Hass' flavour, - but I am also VERY interested in tasting a Reed Avo if you think it is the best. I am certain I have never had anything except for the Hass because Ive only bought them from a grocery store and that variety is most always Hass it seems. Do you know where the Reed avos can be purchased so I can try one? I will need to have it shipped to me most likely as I have never seen them here in SW Florida. Floridians please weigh in if you know otherwise.

Believe it or not, I lived in southern CA for 10 years and never really got into the avo except for having it in guacamole on occasion, but over the past 3-4 months I have become ADDICTED to them. I started eating them to lower my bad cholesterol before I kicked the bucket, but now I want to eat them constantly! At $1.99 in my local market, I am definitely going to have to grow them to keep up with my habit. I heard that a man who grew avocados commercially act them three times a day and he lived to be over 100 years old and remained in good health until he died in his sleep. I do know what a FANTASTIC fruit this is. It has already lowered my cholesterol by 35 points in 4 months and I have lost 12 pounds by implementing them into my diet. I love everything about them and simply cut them open and eat them with a spoon.

So, I understand the A or B refers to something about when the avocado flowers as a male or female and on what given day. I am not a formally educated gardener, but I would assume for cross pollination, I would have to get two or more of a specific cultivar, (A or B). Is this correct? Then would I simply plant them close to one another or is a manual pollination required?

I also assume the avo trees I will be buying from a nursery in a 5 gallon pots will have already been grafted to produce fruit, so it should be good as soon as it produces. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Any tips for type of soil, amendments, hole size, depth for planting? My soil is nearly 80% sand here, (if not more), so I would assume I have to amend my soil to some degree. Any tips would be appreciated from any FL growers also.

I appreciate all the help. I do intend to read up on this tree extensively, but I am always looking for hours during the day it seems these days!

Thanks for the input.

Cheers,

Mac

You may find these helpful:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG213
http://www.avocadosource.com/Journals/FSHSP/FSHSP_VOL_32_PG_110-112_1919.pdf

Bettydee:

THANK YOU!!! Both articles are superb helps for getting me started growing this incredible fruit!!

Many, many thanks!!

Cheers,

Mac

MacFl, That is good information that Bettydee put you onto. It answers most of your questions.The second was very interesting historically. One last thing I would add, or emphasize, is to adequately mulch around your trees. I let everything that falls from my trees stay where it falls and I have added additional bark mulch and compost.

I read that the trees in habitat grow to huge sizes and that sometimes the debris (mulch) under the trees accumulates to almost two feet thick. They thrive under this condition

When growers in California first planted avocados they cleaned up under their trees in order to keep their orchards neat. The trees did not thrive. Someone shared the growing conditions in habitat and growers started hauling in mulch and leaving the dropped leaves. The trees loved it and the rest is history. Don

This message was edited Jun 3, 2009 11:07 PM

Very interesting, Don!

I will certainly remember that when I get my trees. I am about to give up on the sprouting of the pits as it's been over a month and I see nothing happening. If the trees grown from seed won't likely produce fruit, then I am wasting my time. I will be ordering a couple of trees, (an A and a B) soon.

Do you know it they will produce quality fruit if they remain in large pots? I can go as big as necessary, but I am not sure I will be living in this house forever and I would like to be able to move them once I find out where it is that I will be staying long term.

Thanks for all of the advice and input,

Mac

G'day all!

Well, wouldn't ya know it, it would take me to make my previous post to get some action. I checked on my four seeds a couple of hours ago and two of them are starting to split on the sides! Maybe they knew they were headed to the rubbish can?! I am kind of proud I was patient enough to meticulously water them and actually see something happen! Normally, I am an impatient, "instant gratification" kind of guy, so good on me, hey?!

So... to the Avocado gurus out there.... any tips for potting these guys once they are ready? Any special technique for planting or special soil and/or prep? Fertilizer? Size of pot?

Thanks a million!

Mac

This message was edited Jun 6, 2009 1:56 AM

MacFL,
I researched avocados years ago when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale. Then, and I'd bet now, the avocados you want to plant are not the ones grown in CA. You local extension service can give you a booklet (or maybe point you to one on the internet) that tells FL residents how to grow avocados at home. They certainly grow well although we had a freeze in Orlando in 1984 or 85 that killed the 15 foot trees growing in my neighborhood to the ground, I'm sure Longboat key will be fine. I second the recomendation that you don't waste your time (or real estate) on seedlings - buy the recomended grafted trees from a good local nursery. Good luck - wish I was there instead of NC.

Paul
Uof F '64

I just read the booklet bettydee referenced, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG213. It looks complete and is for Florida avocados.

Paul,

Thanks for the advice!!

I am going to contact the extension service in my area to find out what variety I should grow and where to buy the trees.

I agree, the education referrals from BettyDee were spot on for what I need and just right.

Thanks again, Bettydee!!

Cheers,

Mac

A few misnomers about the above statements.

1. A seedling avocado WILL fruit, however it takes 8-10 years, a seedling tree will actualy out produce a grafted tree but it takes a long time to produce, a grafted tree can fruit almost right away but will never produce as much as a seedling.
2. An A and a B is NOT required to fruit, it helps to produce more fruit but again not required.
3. Avocado's do very well in containers and trimmed down to size.
4. The Mexican variety will do fine here in Florida however it does not give as many fruits as the dryer CA climate.
5. We sell both the Mexican and Indian variety and have been growing these for many years. We sell them worldwide.
6. I have many customers up north that tell me how much fruit they get as container trees with only one tree, if A and B were required they would never get fruit.
7. Soil should be well drained, add fine mulch that will break down slowly to the soil, it also helps to create small air pockets that will help to grow the root system
8. Use at least a 15 gallon container, preferably a 25, trim each fall to keep down the size.
9. A slow release general purpose fertilizer is all that is needed, if you are near a beach go collect sea weed, wash it and place around the tree for natural fertilizer.

nipahutgardens, nice free advertizing. But I don't understand why you used the word "misnomers" since most of what you had to say repeated almost exactly what others had already said, particularly about most avocados being self pollinating but an "A" and "B" tree cross pollinating will produce more fruit. Also don't think anyone said a seedling would not produce fruit. The issue was what would the fruit be like. Who knows what tree in the neighborhood might have pollinated the flower that produced a particular fruit/seed. Everybody's advice was..........if you want a particular variety buy a clone (grafted tree). Hope your advertizing impressed a lot of people and you sell a lot of trees. Don

Mac. Make sure your trees have the right balance of hydration. Avocado trees are very sensitive when it comes to soil moisture. They can easily suffer from root rot if there is not adequate drainage and will go down hill just as quickly from dry conditions.



Mike