Hello,
I recently encountered this excellent discussion forum while researching Avocado tree cultivation practices. I live in a suburb of Sacramento in Northern California where I have a small backyard with a somewhat larger north-west facing hillside. I hope to cultivate a vineyard on terraces that I've been slowly building up through the years, but this is a long term project. In the meantime, to keep my interests sated, I've planted various fruit trees, starting with Citrus, then stone, then olives, and now more avocados.
I currently have three potted avocado trees (~3-4 years of age), Mexicola, Fuerte, and Bacon. These have yet to set and hold fruit, though they seem to be surviving their time. I worry for their long term survival and health. I recently purchased six more 5-gal avocado trees (2x Holiday, 2x Lamb-Hass, Sir Prize, and Pinkerton). I'm need to work-out how best to situate these new arrivals, and I plan to create another post with questions therein related.
Other than fruit trees, I've been an vegetable gardener for many years with an emphasis on tomatoes (100+ plants in various raised beds). I fight fusarium/veritcillium soil fungi problems, and so I've spent a good deal of effort with grafting heirlooms onto resistant rootstock. I have yet to graft a fruit-tree scion, and that's an area of learning I'd really like to dive into.
I dream of building a greenhouse and growing exotic mangoes and other such tropicals, but I think that will be a project for a future home. Since I'm not ready to set my roots where we're currently living, I've taken great lengths to use pots and containers on many of my trees (though not all). I don't like the idea that this will shorten the lifespan of the trees and result in an untenable situation ultimately, so I've been researching RootBuilder/AirPot solutions, root air pruning methods, MicroKote, etc.
Before I start diving into details that are better reserved for a separate post, I'll end the introduction. Are there any others in the Sacramento Valley area on this forum/site? If so, I hope to meet you.
-naysen