Oro Negro fruit at Wal-Mart

[bsbullie]

Looks like Oro Negro to me

Agreed...

[JF]

The avocados were $2.50 each and every one in the bin looked like the same variety. all were green in the bin but ripened black.   Either Brooks has a rootstock that Oro Negro performs well on, or someone picked them from a tree thinking they were Monroe.
 I know with some fruits (apples), using the right rootstock with a given variety can make a huge difference in fruit quality and yield.

Yep, that the same slimcado sold at the hispanic markets here.

[TonyinCC]

Maybe they experimented and found a clonal rootstock it produces well on?
 Doesn't seem productive or precocious on whatever root most people are growing it on, the variety might just not be a good match on commonly used rootstock.
 Maybe it is more productive and precocious on the right one, but I wouldn't expect Brooks to tell us what they use... 
 Fruit ripened evenly and was very nice even though it was picked fully green. I think rootstock is very important for many fruits but I don't hear much about avocado rootstock in Florida except Lula and Waldin seedlings. Carlos said he uses Catalina seedlings  sometimes. I saw an old article somewhere online that said it was one of the most resistant to root rots, along with Pollock seedlings. The same article said Lula is extremely susceptible to root rot, I have lost every avocado tree variety on Lula seedling rootstock in my yard to root rot. (Even on 2 foot mounds with perfect drainage.)

[bsbullie]

Maybe they experimented and found a clonal rootstock it produces well on?
 Doesn't seem productive or precocious on whatever root most people are growing it on, the variety might just not be a good match on commonly used rootstock.
 Maybe it is more productive and precocious on the right one, but I wouldn't expect Brooks to tell us what they use... 
 Fruit ripened evenly and was very nice even though it was picked fully green. I think rootstock is very important for many fruits but I don't hear much about avocado rootstock in Florida except Lula and Waldin seedlings. Carlos said he uses Catalina seedlings  sometimes. I saw an old article somewhere online that said it was one of the most resistant to root rots, along with Pollock seedlings. The same article said Lula is extremely susceptible to root rot, I have lost every avocado tree variety on Lula seedling rootstock in my yard to root rot. (Even on 2 foot mounds with perfect drainage.)

I have seen Lula used as rootstock quite commonly with no root rot issues here.

[JF]

Maybe they experimented and found a clonal rootstock it produces well on?
 Doesn't seem productive or precocious on whatever root most people are growing it on, the variety might just not be a good match on commonly used rootstock.
 Maybe it is more productive and precocious on the right one, but I wouldn't expect Brooks to tell us what they use... 
 Fruit ripened evenly and was very nice even though it was picked fully green. I think rootstock is very important for many fruits but I don't hear much about avocado rootstock in Florida except Lula and Waldin seedlings. Carlos said he uses Catalina seedlings  sometimes. I saw an old article somewhere online that said it was one of the most resistant to root rots, along with Pollock seedlings. The same article said Lula is extremely susceptible to root rot, I have lost every avocado tree variety on Lula seedling rootstock in my yard to root rot. (Even on 2 foot mounds with perfect drainage.)

No, they came from homestead. Carlos recommended I use catalina as rootstock to help control phytophthora. It has worked well for me. I have grafted Catalina rootstock on  my Guatemalan, Mexican hybrids, west indian race avocados.

[TonyinCC]

I think a big part of my root rot problem was caused by removing 32 non fruiting trees of various types with stumps big enough to need grinding from a .37 acre overgrown lot soon after I bought my property.
 All of those roots reached into pretty much the whole yard area and started rotting the minute I started clearing the old trees. I even lost a few newly transplanted mango and jackfruit trees to root rot issues. I am stubborn enough that I will eventually have avocado trees in every spot I have set aside for them even if I have to screen hundreds of seedlings for resistance to root rot in my yard. Lula seedling rootstock is guaranteed to die in my yard at least...

[CTMIAMI]

Tony help your soil clean up. Do some research on these products that very economically, when you "activated" them you can turn one gallon into 20. Google activation instructions for EM-1, very simple and you will speed up the process. http://www.teraganix.com/Activated-EM1-s/261.htm   These instructions can be used with these 3 products.   I think that your problems is more than rotting old roots.
WE should open up a new thread called: Microbial Assisted Agriculture

EM-1 http://www.teraganix.com/EM-1-Microbial-Inoculant-Microbial-Inoculants-p/1000.htm
Pro Bio balance plus  http://www.scdprobiotics.com/ProBio-Balance-Plus-p/a152-1.htm
Inocucor  www.inocucor.com

[CTMIAMI]

The avocados were $2.50 each and every one in the bin looked like the same variety. all were green in the bin but ripened black.   Either Brooks has a rootstock that Oro Negro performs well on, or someone picked them from a tree thinking they were Monroe.
 I know with some fruits (apples), using the right rootstock with a given variety can make a huge difference in fruit quality and yield.

You purchased December 23, Even if picked 7-10 days before by early December most ON start turning dark. It would be very hard to have a bin full of green avocados that are ON because some  or most be partially black by then. You got two, did both look the same?

Has any one else seen these at Walmart?

[johnb51]

Does Monroe ever turn black when ripe?

[CTMIAMI]

No it stays green.if you let it go way over ripe some parts do turn black but is not the shinny bright black of ON

[JF]

Does Monroe ever turn black when ripe?

There is some discoloring but never turn black or red. I use to buy Monroe or Catalina for the holidays but Ismael has more than satisfy my craving for West Indian avocados.

[pineislander]

WE should open up a new thread called: Microbial Assisted Agriculture

I would enjoy hearing about your and other's experience. I have been looking into this subject, but have not used any of the ideas yet. This New Zealand study looked at EM-1 for treatment of Phytopora in avocado but found no effect. They didn't test the effectiveness of the product for prevention.

http://www.avocadosource.com/journals/nzaga/nzaga_2004/nzaga_2004_01.pdf

My interest focuses on getting the best soil condition for a new property when I first establish a new polyculture orchard on Florida Myakka sandy soil. I've been looking at the home-brewed products as well as commercial. Most of them seem to be lactobacillus bacterial cultures, and some also contain spores of  various species of fungi or are based on collection of local soil organisms.   

[adiel]

I haven't learned to graft yet.  What's my best resource for learning?  Does YouTube have any good videos on the subject?

John, check these out:


Avocado Grafting Videos:

Avocado Grafting Part 1


Avocado Grafting Part 2

[TonyinCC]

Bought 2 more at the Del Prado Walmart in Cape Coral, they are still at 2 different stores, this store had about 50 in bin, very uniform shape and size,all looked alike with a few just starting to turn black. Maybe they are imported? Someone must have found a way to make the trees more productive,maybe a really good pollinator match? Rootstock,growth regulators? The price was 2 bucks a piece now. Anyone else see these at Wal-marts in Florida or elsewhere?

[pineislander]

Ask the produce guy about the boxes. Usually that will tell you where they came from. Just a guess, Dominican Republic?

[CTMIAMI]

Bought 2 more at the Del Prado Walmart in Cape Coral, they are still at 2 different stores, this store had about 50 in bin, very uniform shape and size,all looked alike with a few just starting to turn black. Maybe they are imported? Someone must have found a way to make the trees more productive,maybe a really good pollinator match? Rootstock,growth regulators? The price was 2 bucks a piece now. Anyone else see these at Wal-marts in Florida or elsewhere?

Tony can you post good pictures of the outsife and then of the inside once you open.
Is there a sticker on the fruit?

[Mark in Texas]

The avocados were $2.50 each and every one in the bin looked like the same variety. all were green in the bin but ripened black.   Either Brooks has a rootstock that Oro Negro performs well on, or someone picked them from a tree thinking they were Monroe.
 I know with some fruits (apples), using the right rootstock with a given variety can make a huge difference in fruit quality and yield.

Does look like ON but doubtful due to your area's production, or rather, lack thereof.  Should turn black on the tree and hang a while longer. Here I don't harvest ON until Jan. - Feb.

Nov. 2016.  Most are now turning black.



Harvest Feb. 2016


Mark

[Mark in Texas]

WE should open up a new thread called: Microbial Assisted Agriculture

I would enjoy hearing about your and other's experience. I have been looking into this subject, but have not used any of the ideas yet. This New Zealand study looked at EM-1 for treatment of Phytopora in avocado but found no effect. They didn't test the effectiveness of the product for prevention.

http://www.avocadosource.com/journals/nzaga/nzaga_2004/nzaga_2004_01.pdf

My interest focuses on getting the best soil condition for a new property when I first establish a new polyculture orchard on Florida Myakka sandy soil. I've been looking at the home-brewed products as well as commercial. Most of them seem to be lactobacillus bacterial cultures, and some also contain spores of  various species of fungi or are based on collection of local soil organisms.   

If you have a healthy, "normal" soil teaming with microbes, it doesn't need any help or supplements. They're already there.  Another example is once you innoculate a legume and plant over 15 acres like I did, the innoculant, bacteria, is now indigenous to the soil (not that it wasn't indigenous in the first place).

I have planted thousands of trees and other stuff on my farm and everything has been drenched in a bucket of a myco mix or the mix is added as I backfill.  I use MycoApply Soluble Maxx.

Interesting results - CONCLUSIONS
Phosphorous acid injection is the most effective remedial treatment of avocado trees
showing canopy symptoms of Phytophthora root rot. Two applications, in spring and
autumn appear to give better results than a single treatment at either of these times.
None of the biological controls tested gave any significant remedial effect over the
course of this trial. However, the biocontrol were not tested as potential components of
preventative treatment in orchards, and their potential for this purpose cannot yet be
ruled out.

[johnb51]

Picked the last Oro Negro avocado from my tree a few days ago.  This one looks like the best, ripening properly without shriveling.  Would seem to indicate it's a very late variety in my location.  I'm not writing this variety off yet since I already have Day and Wertz.

[CTMIAMI]

John I still have a few in my trees I was hoping that 60 miles north it would carry to February 1.  Do you fertilize your trees a lot? Cut back on the nitrogen to see if you can extend the ON season to February

[johnb51]

John I still have a few in my trees I was hoping that 60 miles north it would carry to February 1.  Do you fertilize your trees a lot? Cut back on the nitrogen to see if you can extend the ON season to February

Thanks, Carlos.  The Oro Negro tree along with my other avocado trees has been growing very slowly so I can't cut back on the nitrogen yet, but once it approaches maturity I will keep that in mind in order to extend the season.  The last couple years the first growth flush of spring has been heavily chewed by insects, which has kept the trees from growing rapidly.  An obstacle, but nothing like laurel wilt!

[TravelingFriend]

I bought 2 avocados at one of the Cape Coral Florida stores on Dec23. They were labeled as Brooks slimcados with 4223 stickers but fruit was green and had right shape and size for Oro Negro. Sure enough they ripened black after a few days. I ate one this morning and it had the same buttery great taste. A very pleasant surprise. Worth a look at Florida Wal-Marts for a little while....

I live in north cape, and would like to know if you have any of the seeds?
Would be glad to share our yards abundance.

[AndyNZ]

I'm shocked what you guys pay for avocado.
Avocado in New Zealand are for sale for $1.75 ($1.25 USD) to $0.90 NZD ($0.64 USD) in the supermarket (special offer bag: 5 for $4).
And for about $0.50 NZD ($0.36 USD) at the next local honesty shop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honesty_box (usually organic).
But I never buy them in the supermarket because that's industrial produced ones.
I don't want avos from trees that had phosphorous acid injections.