The Tropical Fruit Forum

Hello!

I have a brogdon avocado tree that has been doing very well and yielded 8 avocados this year for the first time. I've noticed that many of the smaller branches have turned brown and died. Today, however, I noticed that one of the branches is half dead and half alive and i'm beginning to wonder if it is spreading. Otherwise, the tree looks very healthy (to me at least) and has grown exceptionally well for a little over 2 years. I'm hoping this is just a normal process but part of me wonders if this could be due to a fungal infection. Can any avocado experts take a look at the below image and let me know your thoughts? Thank you for your time!



Regards,

Will

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:

Hi! I planted a jackfruit (about 4 months ago) that has since taken off and is doing very well. I noticed in between the healthy looking green leaves there are a few yellowing leaves. I typically don't water more than once a week (and not at all if there is rain), so I can't imagine that I would be overwatering. I used happy frog soil when planting in the ground, which I've had a lot of success with when planting my other trees. I'm wondering if it is normal for a jackfruit tree to have yellow leaves occasionally, especially in the winter? I thought about spraying the leaves with liquid seaweed but I figured I would ask before I do anything. Regarding my plant hardiness zone, i'm in Merritt Island (officially 9b but more like 10a) and we've had a couple of nights where it did get down into the mid 40's for a couple of hours. Here's a picture of some of the leaves:




Any thoughts on what could cause this and what I can do to help it? I should also mention I do have a dog so it's possible the dog urinated next to it.

Thanks guys!

Will

I planted this tree right after hurricane Matthew and it has done really well. I’m excited to see that it is flowering and is still in good shape (though I’m fighting some lace bugs).

I have a Brogdon avocado in my backyard that has been doing very well until the hurricane. Despite the wind and damage, the tree has recovered well and is showing signs of new growth. One thing I have noticed, however, is that one of the branches on the bottom has some black spots on it. It doesn’t appear to be causing the branch to die back, and i only see it on one branch, but I’m concerned because it looks like it could be a fungus. I was told to treat it with Dithane, but I still have no idea what it is. I’ve attached some pictures to show the whole tree, the affected branch, and what the other branches look like. The black spot is only on the surface of the wood. You can scrape it with your nail, and it will pull up the very top layer of the wood. Underneath it is still green. Does anyone recognize what this black spot is?







Thanks in advance!

Will

So I purchased a blood orange earlier this year and planted it in my backyard. It produced quite a few flowers and I even got several fruit. However, later this year, I discovered yellowing leaves as well as small fruit that has turned yellow and fallen off the tree. After some research, I'm beginning to wonder if it has HLB / citrus greening (see attached pictures). What's interesting, however, is that most of what i've read indicates that symptoms don't appear for a couple of years. I'm seeing these symptoms the same year I planted the tree, which means it was probably infected before I bought it and just not showing any signs at the time of my purchase.

I was wondering if my tree is now a lost cause or if there is a way to still successfully get fruit. It looks like a grower named Maury Boyd has had some success with his trees by using a cocktail of nutritional supplements and pesticides. This tree has only been in my yard for almost a year and I would really like to save it. I have Bayer fruit systemic pesticide that I can apply to the roots as well as some horticulture oil. I also have a fish and kelp foliar spray that I can apply, but that's all I have at the moment. Can anyone point me to a resource that will help me treat the tree appropriately so that it might stand a chance? Thanks!

Just saw this beetle (I think that's what it is) on my avocado tree. I knocked him off but i've never seen anything like it. Anybody know what this little guy is?