The Tropical Fruit Forum

Check out this article that talks of seedless avocados. Do you think they're referring to Fuerte cukes? And my gosh, do the Brits really find it that challenging to cut open an avocado that has a seed?

http://amp.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2017/12/cocktail_avocado_promoted_as_safer_version_by_british_grocer_selling_them.html

Mark,
Are the avocados in your greenhouse hand-pollinated or pollinated by insects?

Yes, a nasty day indeed.

My Fuerte and Pinkerton are also pushing a couple of flower buds, not yet open. But my aunt lives about a mile from the ocean in San Diego County and her Fuerte was already in near full bloom last week. I was surprised to find that.

I'm in SD county. My SirPrize has yet to bear, so I can't speak from experience, but I'm sure someone will. (Brad?) Everyone I've talked to says their season is about the same as Fuerte, which starts around November and gets better through winter and even into spring. I'd love to see a photo of your tree. Please share if you can.

I agree that the left one looks like it could be Fuerte, and the middle one could be Pinkerton, but the one on the right looks unfamiliar. Arc310, is it from a tree in your yard that you didn't plant? You're so lucky to have the varieties this month.

There's been no commercial citrus industry for decades (and so no monoculture) in the parts of Los Angeles county where trees infected with HLB were found.

I'm no fan of monoculture, but I have to acknowledge that fact. It scares me because it implies that my neighborhood and yard are vulnerable too.

There are California Keitts (Ava's not Wong's) at Whole Foods Market in Del Mar, San Diego (Via de la Valle exit off 5).

Curious to me to hear these positive things about Corona because I got one at the Carpinteria farmers market last summer (end of July) from a guy selling some uncommon avocado varieties and I found that Corona didn't taste very good; it tasted overly mature. I recognize that I shouldn't have judged it strongly based on that single fruit tasting though. This summer I also went to the Carp. farmers market looking for that guy, but he wasn't there.

If the info at the UCR database is right and it originated near Goleta, then someone in the Santa Barbara and Carpinteria areas might still have some Corona trees.

My favorite way to eat a Reed is as a personal bowl of guacamole. You guys ever do this? My son demonstrates:

My Reed continues to drop occasionally all year, but from now in August it doesn't shed many. Last year this month, I thinned about 15 fruit from one branch rather than support it. Reeds get so big and heavy that they'll really bend down branches. That means sunburn where I live. But I regret it. I miss those 15 Reeds now

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:

Cookie-

Thought you might like to see a study done in Southern California that showed both Fuerte and Sirprize doing a very good job of providing pollen for Hass. Here's the link: http://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/234-2475.pdf

In terms of tree proximity, the closer the A and B trees the better. The above study concluded that. Also, a study done in 1958 in Southern California focused on the Fuerte variety concluded the same. Here's the link to the Fuerte study: http://www.avocadosource.com/cas_yearbooks/cas_42_1958/cas_1958_pg_064-066.pdf

In general, from all the studies I've seen, a pollenizer tree more than about 50 feet away seems to have a very minor influence on yield. Conversely, two trees that are so close that branches touch or nearly touch make for a great increase in fruit set. If possible, commercial growers try to have every Hass "facing" a pollenizer tree for this reason.

On a personal note, I happen to have a Hass planted beside a Sirprize, and I also have another Hass planted beside a Fuerte. But, like others have said, you don't need a pollenizer tree to get plenty of fruit set on a Hass. My Sirprize barely flowered this spring but still my Hass set plenty of fruit.

I'd also go with everybody else recommending Reed. My Reed produces well, and I've never seen or heard of anyone with a Reed that doesn't get tons of fruit. Plus, Reeds taste awesome and complement the season of Hass. (Reeds are starting to taste really good about now in my yard in Southern California, late July.) If I could only have two avocados, I'd have a Hass and a Reed. You could cover the whole year with just those two trees.

Wow, too much writing. Sorry guys.