Author Topic: Avocado thread  (Read 181907 times)

Greg A

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 95
    • San Diego County, California
    • View Profile
    • The Yard Posts
Avocado thread
« on: July 30, 2017, 01:41:39 PM »
Maybe first we can share which varieties we have in our yards?

Currently, I've got Reed, Lamb, Pinkerton, Holiday, Sharwil, Hass, Sirprize, and Fuerte.

Some of them I've deliberately planted in pairs, for example this Reed/Lamb pair at 7.5 feet apart:



And this Hass/Sirprize pair at 7.5 feet apart:



gregalder.com/yardposts/

CA Hockey

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 428
    • Orange, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2017, 09:20:13 PM »
Mine are all in pots and boxes but after almost 7 years I will finally get to out them in the ground this year (along with about 150 other trees).

I have:
Hass
Fuerte
Holiday
Reed
Sharwil x 3, one in dusa rootstock
Jan Boyce
Green gold
Queen
Sir prize
Lamb hass
Pinkerton
Kahalu'u
Hellen
Herd
Day
Oro negro
GEM
Carmen x 2


I lost the following:
Jim bacon (great pollinator, worth getting a 5 gallon and just moving the pot around to which we tree needs pollinating, has kids of both types of flowers at midday)
Mexicola grande

I e hear mixed reviews on duke and haven't pursued it. Other than oro negro which I got from Florida, not sure of any of the Florida avocados or other Hawaiian types would make a welcome addition on a mitigradted tree (think I'm done with single avocado trees for now)

Greg A

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 95
    • San Diego County, California
    • View Profile
    • The Yard Posts
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2017, 12:39:00 AM »
Why pots? And how do you keep avocados happy in pots long term considering So. Calif.'s salty water?

Do you have any multi-graft avos now? Hard to keep them balanced? I've always thought of trying one.
gregalder.com/yardposts/

CA Hockey

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 428
    • Orange, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2017, 05:46:27 AM »
Pots because I started while in school living in apartments with limited backyard space and knowing I would have to move every few years.

I do get some salt burn on leaves but not too bad. Always thought it was a mix of water and aggressive fertilizing. When I backed off and started using more time release stuff the salt burn improved. I hardly get tip burn now and when I see it it's usually after a particularly hot day. The Hardest part of growing the avocados in pots  is the trunk burn in summer. I lost 2 feet from my sir prize last year and about a foot from  my Pinkerton . Both are much bushier now and growing like crazy but this year my sharwil in 15 gallon and about 7 feet tall lost most of its leaves and had significant burning about a month ago. Starting to push more leaves out now. Nabal  is growing slowly this year after painting the bark last year but no burn. Holiday I pruned too aggressively last year and this year looks like a poodle with fluffy segments of growth.
That's how I lost my other trees - bad burns in the summer.

I don't have any multigrafted avocados at this point but tried my hand earlier this year. Only graft that took was an Ardith and that died after the first flush. I think I'm satisfied with what I have otherwise and am now looking forward to putting them all in the ground. The house we bought has a 10 year old hass tree that looks pretty healthy with minimal fuss compared to what I used to with the potted trees. Only thing that is better with the pots is fertilizing - much easier to do with pots and a lot easier on my knees :-).

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2017, 07:55:56 AM »
That's a helluva collection CA Hockey.

Frankencado grafted last year - Pinkerton, Ardith, Sir Prize, Holiday.  Other trees in bottomless RootBuilder pots - Reed, Gwen, Oro Negro.  Lost my Sharwil.  Grafted all trees except for the Oro Negro.

Sir Prize - is it supposed to be this bumpy?  Spaugh's SP taken a few days ago has a smooth skin.



Grafted Reed is getting some size and bears well - about 9' H X 12' W.  I topped and it turned out screwy with a football goal shape, big hole in the middle.  Am trying to fill it in with a branch.



Last of the Reeds.  Been giving them away, eating them since May.   What an excellent fruit!





spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5121
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2017, 01:37:45 PM »
I've got 24 trees going and just looing for a jan boyce to finish the grove at 25 trees.

Hass x 6
Reed x 6
Pinkerton x 2
Holiday x 2
Sir Prize hass x 2
Lamb hass
Fuerte
Sharwil
Mexicola
Stuart
Bacon

Will take some pics next time I go see the trees.

Brad Spaugh

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5121
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2017, 01:42:59 PM »
Mark, hers a nother shot of sir prizes on my tree.  They are a hass type so a little bumpy seems normal.  They have a little ridge on the side that goes away as they swell up.  They grow really fast and mature in just 7 or 8 months.  Thats a lot faster than some of the others.  I am pretty unimpressed with the strength and shape of the tree though. Hopefully that improves with age.

Brad Spaugh

wayne23

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 90
    • San Gabriel, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2017, 03:00:13 PM »
I have a lamb hass and Sharwil.  Both are in 15 gal container.  Just haven't figured out how to share with my neighbors (plant next to the fence)   ;D

CA Hockey

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 428
    • Orange, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2017, 11:53:49 PM »
Thanks- the bug caught me early and because I was growing in pots and had no clue what I was doing there was a lot of troubleshooting in the early years. Couldn't figure out why the plants weren't growing, or why they would drop leaves, or how to get fruit, etc. the troubleshooting was and still is the fun part. Lots of credit has to go to the YouTube videos made by several growers including Carlos.

When you multigraft, do you do it all at once? I can't get a straight answer for this (or maybe I've forgotten the answer...) I've asked around and it seems you can graft stonefruit all at once with reasonable rate of success. Can you multigraft mangoes and avocados all at the same time or do you divide it up by flush or season?

K
That's a helluva collection CA Hockey.

Frankencado grafted last year - Pinkerton, Ardith, Sir Prize, Holiday.  Other trees in bottomless RootBuilder pots - Reed, Gwen, Oro Negro.  Lost my Sharwil.  Grafted all trees except for the Oro Negro.

Sir Prize - is it supposed to be this bumpy?  Spaugh's SP taken a few days ago has a smooth skin.



Grafted Reed is getting some size and bears well - about 9' H X 12' W.  I topped and it turned out screwy with a football goal shape, big hole in the middle.  Am trying to fill it in with a branch.



Last of the Reeds.  Been giving them away, eating them since May.   What an excellent fruit!



Bush2Beach

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2137
    • Santa Cruz, California Sunset Zone 17
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2017, 10:52:04 AM »
You can graft all your Avocado water shoots at the same time.

Samu

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 722
    • North Tustin, So. California, Zone 10A
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2017, 12:11:46 AM »
"Sir Prize - is it supposed to be this bumpy?  Spaugh's SP taken a few days ago has a smooth skin."

Mark, I notice you keep wandering about the skin texture of your Sir prize. I posted a current photo of my fruit on the other post concurrent with this one, for your comparison. It case you missed it; let me repost it:



Sam

fyliu

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3216
    • Burbank/Covina, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2017, 12:17:41 AM »
I see people mention growing in pots. If you're good you can fruit 200 avocados from a 15gal pot.

http://htfg.org/conferences/2016/2016_JohnYoshimiYonemoto_GrowingandHarvestingtheBestAvocados.pdf

ScottR

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2219
    • USA,Arroyo Grande,Calif. 93420,zone 9b
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2017, 11:05:19 AM »
Wow, thanks for posting link Fang 8)

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5121
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #13 on: August 03, 2017, 03:54:43 PM »
Does anyone know if mid summer is acceptable time to do some grafting or is it too hot?
Brad Spaugh

Cookie0208

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 53
    • San Jose, CA, Zone 9B
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #14 on: August 04, 2017, 01:09:15 AM »
Guys, so if I only have a Haas, will I get fruit? Do I need to cover my Haas in my Bay Area 9B zone? It got down to 28 degree this past winter for couple days :-/.

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #15 on: August 04, 2017, 07:43:44 AM »
Mark, hers a nother shot of sir prizes on my tree.  They are a hass type so a little bumpy seems normal.  They have a little ridge on the side that goes away as they swell up.  They grow really fast and mature in just 7 or 8 months.  Thats a lot faster than some of the others.  I am pretty unimpressed with the strength and shape of the tree though. Hopefully that improves with age.

Thanks for the info!  I was wondering how long they took from blossom to harvest.  And yes right now the ridge if VERY pronounced.  It's like the stem is hanging on the side of the fruit at top.

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #16 on: August 04, 2017, 07:46:08 AM »
"Sir Prize - is it supposed to be this bumpy?  Spaugh's SP taken a few days ago has a smooth skin."

Mark, I notice you keep wandering about the skin texture of your Sir prize. I posted a current photo of my fruit on the other post concurrent with this one, for your comparison. It case you missed it; let me repost it:



Saw that Samu, thanks! 

Guess we need to decide which thread is THE avocado thread.  :D

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5121
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #17 on: August 04, 2017, 10:33:34 AM »
Mark, hers a nother shot of sir prizes on my tree.  They are a hass type so a little bumpy seems normal.  They have a little ridge on the side that goes away as they swell up.  They grow really fast and mature in just 7 or 8 months.  Thats a lot faster than some of the others.  I am pretty unimpressed with the strength and shape of the tree though. Hopefully that improves with age.

Thanks for the info!  I was wondering how long they took from blossom to harvest.  And yes right now the ridge if VERY pronounced.  It's like the stem is hanging on the side of the fruit at top.

 The bumps and the ridge will start to disappear when they get closer to full size.

If the ridges are still showing then you will need to wait until January or February to test your fruits would be my guess.  Your greenhouse is probably more comparable to someone on the coast or further north in CA.  I read a good article somewhere saying how the cooler coastal and northern/central CA locations take longer for avocados to mature and they also can hang a lot longer on the tree.   



Brad Spaugh

ScottR

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2219
    • USA,Arroyo Grande,Calif. 93420,zone 9b
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #18 on: August 04, 2017, 10:54:01 AM »
spaugh, the biggest problem with grafting in Summer at you area is trying to keep scion's from frying in you heat!! You could cover graft's with white paper bag's with slits at top of bag so it doesn't get to hot but that would be your call. the other is having the right scion condition and growth forcing on rootstock! I've tried summer graft's but have found that percentage of takes goes down for me at any other time than around Jan-March. But that is for me in my cooler coastal area! Give it a try all you will lose is scion wood and maybe a branch. Good luck ;)

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5121
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #19 on: August 04, 2017, 11:20:59 AM »
spaugh, the biggest problem with grafting in Summer at you area is trying to keep scion's from frying in you heat!! You could cover graft's with white paper bag's with slits at top of bag so it doesn't get to hot but that would be your call. the other is having the right scion condition and growth forcing on rootstock! I've tried summer graft's but have found that percentage of takes goes down for me at any other time than around Jan-March. But that is for me in my cooler coastal area! Give it a try all you will lose is scion wood and maybe a branch. Good luck ;)

Thanks yeah its super hot here now.  I was partly asking in case anyone wanted scions.  I need to prune the bottom of my trees to get them off the ground and allow the sprinklers to cover a good area.  Figured I would offer wood if anyone wanted it.  And have been toying with the idea of doing a couple frankencado trees like Marks just for fun.

I am thinking about putting some mexicola branches on a bacon tree.  They seem to have very similar growth habits.  I think it would be nice to look at a big tree covered in little black fruit along with big green fruits.
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #20 on: September 28, 2017, 09:09:44 AM »
I am thinking about putting some mexicola branches on a bacon tree.  They seem to have very similar growth habits.  I think it would be nice to look at a big tree covered in little black fruit along with big green fruits.

According to anecdotal evidence I've been listening to for decades Stewart is even a better choice.  Whatever, that match should be really nice.

I've got a Oro Negro seedling ready for grafting.  Will wait until late winter when the buds start to swell on the Sir Prize and graft to it.  I think spring is the best time to graft anything, just as the buds are just beginning to swell indicating they are ready to rock.

behlgarden

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2353
    • CA, Zone 10 B
    • View Profile
    • LED Bulbs for Landscape Lighting
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #21 on: September 28, 2017, 10:26:02 AM »
I am top working my Reed due to very poor production, same size two other trees, or grafted branches produce 10x more fruits than Reed, not sure if its my yard or others have same issue. I have grafted Jan Boyce and Pinkerton onto it, will keep one branch of reed intact.

what are the top 5 most productive and delicious cados in SO Cal?

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5121
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #22 on: September 28, 2017, 11:21:18 AM »
Behlgarden is the tree in the ground?  You were the guy with all the plants waiting to go into your new property?  If yes, you may want to leave the reed and get it planted first.  Reed may be the top producer pound per pound.  I have read of 80,000 lbs per acre on high density planting. 

Sir Prize and lamb hass also seem to be stud trees that set copious amounts of excellent fruits.

Sir Prize is super early fruit too, this years fruit will be ready in a few more months.

Brad Spaugh

behlgarden

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2353
    • CA, Zone 10 B
    • View Profile
    • LED Bulbs for Landscape Lighting
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #23 on: September 28, 2017, 01:04:18 PM »
no, I planted 15 gal plants 4 years ago. lamb hass and graft of sir price is holding over 100 cados. Reed each year produces a lot but drops and I end up with 5 to 10 only

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5121
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #24 on: September 28, 2017, 03:22:26 PM »
sorry that was CA hockey with all the potted avocados.  I can only guess the reed tree may need more water if fruit drop is the problem and not fruit set.  Seems like they set way more fruit than the trees can support.

My reed dropped fruit last year when it didn't get enough water.  This year I have been doing more frequent watering and not a single fruit has fallen off.  I had to thin them out intentionally.  When its hot like this and dry, they water 2 or 3X a week.  Its been in the 90s, windy and 15% humidity here.  Been watering every 2 or 3 days. 
Brad Spaugh