The Tropical Fruit Forum
Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: johnsonw on July 15, 2019, 12:03:40 AM
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Hello! I've been on this forum for a few years now and asked many questions. Today, I'm happy to say that i'm ready to share my personal results with anyone who is interested in avocados 🥑. When I first moved into my house in 2015, the first thing I did was buy an Oro Negro and a Florida Hass avocado. I was interested in high density growing, so I planted the trees a few feet apart along with some happy frog soil. Everything looked good for the first few months and the Oro Negro even had a few baby avocados. However, I found that both of my trees succumbed to some type of fungus as the branches began to slowly die off from the top and work its way down. I treated with Agrifos but to no avail.
Later that year, I was visiting some family down in Miami (I live in Merritt Island) and realized Pine Island nursery was nearby. So I drove over and I told them I was looking for an avocado tree and they recommended the Brogdon. So I brought the tree home and planted it the next day in a new spot in my backyard. Unlike my previous experience, this tree rooted very quickly and grew like a weed. Not only did it grow well, but it's absolutely beautiful. In addition to the Brogdon, a friend of mine from Rockledge Gardens recommended that I pick up a Joey avocado as well (he is also a fan of Brogdon). I brought the Joey home and planted it on the side of my house. Both the Joey and the Brogdon weathered hurricane Irma well. The Brogdon was pulled a little bit but I was able to use a strap to pull it back without any issues. The joey split in half but recovered very quickly. Oddly enough, the joey put out 2 avocados that year; the Brogdon didn't set fruit at all.
Fast forward a year and I was pleasantly surprised by both trees. The Joey, shorter than the roof of my house, put out over 30 avocados this year. My initial impression was that they were OK, but not great. I let a couple of them sit out a bit longer than usual and pushed into the fruit a bit once a day to soften pulp. After doing this, I noticed the fruit was a big creamier, though not quite like a Hass. The taste is still good, but has a bit of a peppery and nutty flavor to it. I experimented with the Joey quite a bit since I had a decent harvest. Since I was debating on whether or not I should replace the tree, I thought I would try preparing the fruit in several ways before making a decision. It turns out, it's great in salads, especially with nuts and other berries. But then I discovered the best use for this avocado... grilling. The Joey is unique in that it comes off the tree in both the shape and size of a large egg. I remember my grandmother making deviled eggs, so I thought I could do something similar with the Joey. After cutting it in half, I stuffed it with goat cheese, wrapped it in prosciutto, and grilled it until it had light grill marks on both sides. I then topped it with a date sauce. I brought about 14 of these to a neighborhood party and every one of them was gone within an hour. The best part is that you don't have to peel the skin off. This skin honestly tastes pretty good, especially when grilled.
The Brogdon has a bit of a different story. While the tree is large and definitely denser than the Joey, I didn't get a single fruit the first year. This year I have about 10 fruit on the tree and the first one was ready to pick about 4 or 5 days ago. I was really excited to try this variety as i've heard a lot of mixed reviews and wanted to taste the fruit for myself. I have to say that it was worth the wait. I honestly can't believe the Brogdon doesn't get more attention. When I cut the fruit open I was surprised to see an oddly shaped seed but it was rather easy to remove. I've read that it is difficult to remove the skin, so I didn't even try; I was interested in just how creamy this variety would be. Using a spoon, it scooped out like removing ice cream from a carton. The flavor was rich and the texture was creamy. My wife and daughter both loved the flavor as well. Another thing that's interesting is the color. The skin on the outside is blackish purple and a little tougher than the Joey's (I believe they are edible but I haven't tried). The pulp has a beautiful yellow hue, that seems somewhat exotic in my opinion.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with both trees. The Brogdon is definitely my favorite, grows remarkably well and if I had to choose between a Hass or a Brogdon at the grocery store, I would pick the Brogdon every time. I can't wait to make some guac! Thinking into the future, I've heard Oro Negros are excellent so I would like to try grafting an Oro Negro onto my already established Brogdon tree. Well, I hope everyone found this review helpful, especially for those who are looking to plant their first avocado tree. And since pictures are worth a thousand words, i'll let them do the rest of the talking:
(https://i.postimg.cc/R3QFLRwv/brogdon1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/R3QFLRwv)
(https://i.postimg.cc/K1tvmNqt/brogdon2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/K1tvmNqt)
(https://i.postimg.cc/xqFd5qNN/brogdon3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/xqFd5qNN)
(https://i.postimg.cc/8FDkc699/joey-blankets1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/8FDkc699)
(https://i.postimg.cc/56h2cG3x/joey-blankets2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/56h2cG3x)
(https://i.postimg.cc/56Y2R187/joey-salad.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/56Y2R187)
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Whens the next BBQ? ;D Thanks for the review, looks delicious.
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Cool review, I picked up a Brogdon earlier this year at the recommendation of my nursery guy(Bob at Green Jungle) and it seems very tough. I also ordered and got California Sir Prize and Hass at roughly the same time. The Hass just flat out turned black and died inside of a month. The Sir Prize was mauled by a deer and came back, have since put a cage around it. The Brogdon was mauled by a deer, came back, I put a cage around it, we had a wind storm one night and the cage fell away from it and got mauled by a deer again down to the short trunk and still has put out new growth. I just picked up a Crochette to replace the Hass. I have high hopes for these even though I am not a big avocado fan myself.
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I've just started to see the first signs of blackness on my Brogdons.
here is a bowl of the other black avocado I have which is Mexicola.
My earliest they have been ripening the past moth, small size but the skin is edible like tomato skin.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4Km2KMsJ/DSC01764.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/4Km2KMsJ)
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Brogdon is a great avocado! I grafted one in the summer of 1981 and brought it to Florida Southern College with me when I came here to teach. It froze to the ground in the 1989 freeze, but otherwise has been quite carefree, and it bears a heavy crop nearly every year. The tree is now probably 40' tall by at least 25' wide. It is somewhat cold-hardy (mid- to upper 20s F), and is good at self-pollinating, as well as pollenizing any other avocado near it (Type A or B). If it has a fault, it is that it is so tall-growing. If you want it to spread, it is important to cut the top out now and then. We have a heavy crop this year, and the first of them have just begun to color up. They tend to peak for us in mid- to late August.
Malcolm Manners
Florida Southern College
Lakeland
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In Florida 9B how long will your Brogdons last into the season? I am having my first bumper crop of Brogdons and eating the ones the squirrels are cutting off the tree (which are a lot of them). They are good, but not at their prime yet probably. Should you wait for them to turn black before picking or picked green mature?
Also while I know Cados don't grow true my neighbors have asked about planting Brogdon seeds. I told them to go buy their own grafted trees, but they refuse to do so. Will a Brogdon seed eventually probably produce fruit SIMILAR to the parent?
Thanks.
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Thanks for this info! I live on the other side of the river in Rockledge and did buy a joey from them as well also a Day avacado. I have read nothing but horrible things about the Joey until you gave this info and was ready to look for grafts or put it up. It was damaged from the same hurricane and only grows on the south side of the tree yet is very healthy. Yet to get fruit since I cut the flowers off this year to let it mature more. Expect to have plenty of next year and hope they are good!
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Thanks for this info! I live on the other side of the river in Rockledge and did buy a joey from them as well also a Day avacado. I have read nothing but horrible things about the Joey until you gave this info and was ready to look for grafts or put it up. It was damaged from the same hurricane and only grows on the south side of the tree yet is very healthy. Yet to get fruit since I cut the flowers off this year to let it mature more. Expect to have plenty of next year and hope they are good!
The Joey is a surprise indeed. The first one I tried was rubbery and I almost cut the tree down. But then I thought I should be patient and let it ripen some more. They tend to fall off the tree so I usually go out every morning to see if any fell. They are often completely black by this time and still need some time to ripen. When it produces and you get them off the tree, press on them and experiment with how ripe ithe fruit is based on firmness. You will know when you get it right because the seed should come out without too much effort and the fruit should be somewhat creamy. Depending on ripeness, I’ve found several to have a rich creamy taste. I still prefer the Brogdon for guacamole but for salads and grilling the Joey is great. Additionally, it tends to make a lot of small fruit, which is good if you want something small. My tree is about 10 to 12 ft tall and only about 5ft wide and I had over 30 avocados in the second year. I should also mention that I had no trouble with pests either.
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In Florida 9B how long will your Brogdons last into the season? I am having my first bumper crop of Brogdons and eating the ones the squirrels are cutting off the tree (which are a lot of them). They are good, but not at their prime yet probably. Should you wait for them to turn black before picking or picked green mature?
Also while I know Cados don't grow true my neighbors have asked about planting Brogdon seeds. I told them to go buy their own grafted trees, but they refuse to do so. Will a Brogdon seed eventually probably produce fruit SIMILAR to the parent?
Thanks.
Definitely wait for them to turn black and also squeeze them to check firmness. It should dent easily when it’s ready. As for growing from seed, I’ve heard some people claim that they’ve grown from seed but my understanding is that it will not be the same variety. My neighbor asked the same thing and I told him to get a grafted one.