The Tropical Fruit Forum
Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: nullzero on April 14, 2013, 04:15:58 PM
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Thought it would be a good idea to start a post on Reed avocado. There has been a lot of interest on this excellent avocado selection. Would be good to start with who is growing it? Where is it growing? When do you harvest? Any other info regarding tree habits, fruit characteristics, and fertilizing schedule.
There is a Reed avocado in ground at the rented home over here. The landlord planted it more then 5 years ago. The growth habit is compact with a height of about 8 feet. The fruit is large and round about the size of 2 Hass. Green skin when ripe. Its growing in clay sand mix in Inland Orange county CA.
Fruit is high in oils has a great smooth creamy flavor. Its great fresh in sandwich/salads, use in guacamole, and use in shakes, putting, and pies.
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was top quality in San Diego so thought it would do well in Hawaii. It has not!! Last year was the best with an average crop of smallish avos This year NOT ONE.
But a chance seedling fallen next to the mother plant has an impressive number of blooms [ actual fruit set & quality yet to be determined].
I highly recommend for So Cal
rich
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I recently bought a 15 gallon reed ~6ft tall, and i heard its a very good variety nutty taste good flavor etc.. you name it. Its flowering like a like a mad man lol. looking forward to harvest my first reed avocado. ;D
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I am just about to race off fishing.It is the biggest tree of avo types here and I keep mine pruned to 15 feet.I have seen grafted reeds at 40 ft.They are heavy bearers ever second year.The fruit are alot like hass is taste and do not blacken when cut.A thick skin/shell means less pest damage.
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Any one tried it in Florida?
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Mine in Ventura County (Somis) is a 3 year old tree. It bears huge fruit which I pick around Aug-Oct. The fruit is lovely green, and the tree is narrow in growth pattern. The one thing to consider when choosing this variety is: it is very frost sensitive. This tree burns before Hass or any others I have.
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I love Reed avocados! They are large, buttery, have high oil content and the tree does not take up as large a footprint as Hass. One of the best things is that they don't oxidize as fast as most other avocado varieties. I have a small Reed here in San Diego that I planted about 7 months ago. It is only about 5 feet tall and it just finished its bloom. It is currently holding about a dozen very small fruit that I will remove this year.
I recently purchased some scions from Oscar and grafted Kahaluu avocado onto my Reed so that they can cross pollinate each other. I hear that many varieties of avocados are sensitive to salt and also require good drainage. I planted my Reed on a very small mound to help with drainage. I got about 4 nights of light frost this winter and my Reed is still hanging tough. I actually had to scrape ice off my windshield during those several nights of frost.
I hear that Reed is one of the varieties of avocados that will still set a decent amount of fruit even without another flower type around. I originally wanted to graft Sharwil onto my Reed but I just read up on Kahaluu and it is supposed to be one of the varieties with the highest oil content and is preferred by some people. I can't wait to do a comparison between Reed and Kahaluu.
Simon
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was top quality in San Diego so thought it would do well in Hawaii. It has not!! Last year was the best with an average crop of smallish avos This year NOT ONE.
But a chance seedling fallen next to the mother plant has an impressive number of blooms [ actual fruit set & quality yet to be determined].
I highly recommend for So Cal
rich
Sad to hear Reed did not do well on Maui. :'( Are you on the dry or wet side of Maui?
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Last year was the best with an average crop of smallish avos This year NOT ONE.
.They are heavy bearers ever second year
So may i conclude that Reed avocado's only give crop every second year? And is this only for Reed or for all avocado's?
I don't know much about avocado tree's and want to learn.
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here is a large reed next to a holiday for comparison. I've had quite a few of my reeds and holidays drop they are 2-3 months early.
(http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af304/culov/Tropica%20fruits/IMG_5312.jpg)
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Last year was the best with an average crop of smallish avos This year NOT ONE.
.They are heavy bearers ever second year
So may i conclude that Reed avocado's only give crop every second year? And is this only for Reed or for all avocado's?
I don't know much about avocado tree's and want to learn.
Yeah its bears heavy every second year. This year I only got 1 Reed... last I had about 15-20. This is from a smaller 6-7ft tall backyard tree.
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Reeds are more biennial than most.Thinning heavy crops and fertilizing well straight after harvest can help combat this.
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I have a tree but has not bore any fruit yet, I have it to be one of the easiest varieties of Avocado to graft never had a scion fail of Reed. Thanks for tip Mike.
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Any one tried it in Florida?
Bump.
This seems to be worth taking a look, based on the comments of TX and CA growers.
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I just posted this an hour ago in another avocado thread:
BTW, had our first Reed shipped from McManigle Grove, Fallbrook, last night and all we could say is OMG! That has got to be the richest, creamiest, most nutty avocado we've ever eaten in our life. We almost didn't get the slices to a serving plate for eating it right out of the peel with a spoon.
Mark
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Reeds are awesome Avocados and they are nearing the end of the season here in San Diego. The Farmers Markets and Nijiya Market still have some but they won't be here much longer. I hear that Nabal, one of the parents of the Reed is also very good. Reed is one of the parents of the Holiday variety. Reed is a must have Avocado variety in my book.
Simon
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I have a Reed, Bacon and Hass trees. The Reed was the first to give flowers and fruiting but they didn't hold... but this year i have hope! :)
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Anyone have any trees for sale that can deliver to CA? I'm also looking for one too. Thanks. :D
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If you're in SoCal just contact your local nursery and ask. Even have the home depot garden people order one for you. I believe they have several in their catalog.
If you're patient then get scions from this month's weekend scion exchanges and wait a few years. Use any cheap avocado for rootstock, preferably with several branches you can multigraft onto. Best if you bought the rootstock last spring and topped it so it would have grown several nice and strong branches to work with now.
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Excuse me, fyliu, where is this "weekend scion exchanges" going to be held at?
Do you have any more info., maybe a link?
Thanks!
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samu, you can find more information on http://www.ocfruit.com/Events.html (http://www.ocfruit.com/Events.html)
Jan. 17th from 9:00am-11:00am our annual Greatwestern Scion Wood Exchange will be held in the Millenium Barn at the OC Fairgrounds.
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OC will have the most avocado scions and overall scions since people from all over socal, and even a few from norcal will bring stuff there to share.
Other exchanges around LA:
Jan 25th, 10am
- LA Chapter http://crfg-la.org/calendar.html (http://crfg-la.org/calendar.html)
- Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino
Feb 7, 9:30am
- Foothill Chapter http://www.foothillcrfg.org/calendar-of-events/ (http://www.foothillcrfg.org/calendar-of-events/)
- Los Angeles County Arboretum, The Palm Room, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia
The easiest access is straight through the Gift Shop, then down the stairs to the right in the adjacent building. You do not need to buy admission to the Arboretum to get in. Let them know you are going to the CRFG meeting.
Feb 14
- West LA Chapter https://crfgwla.wordpress.com (https://crfgwla.wordpress.com)
- Probably this place @ 10am: Veterans Memorial Building, Kaizuka Room, 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City 90230
Annual scion exchange and grafting demonstrations
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Wow..., so many activities coming up in our area too!
I will definitely plan to show up, at least to a couple of them,
trying to not get too far behind from all of you guys... :D
Thank you socal10b and fyliu!
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Several nurseries in Ca have Reed Avocado. You can find it at Atkins nursery and Epicentre Avocado. Epicentre also has other rare and high quality avocados.
Simon
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Here's a link: http://www.epicenteravocados.com (http://www.epicenteravocados.com)
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ok, thanks guys for the info! I'll check them out and see if I can get one! ;D
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I wanted to resurrect this old post instead of starting a new one. Reed is absolutely one of the best tasting avocados in SoCal. I have one that is going in the ground soon. I know they are tall and skinny trees but how wide do they get?
Bill
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Where can I get a reed tree in Florida?
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Where can I get a reed tree in Florida?
I can send you bud wood from my tree at the grove.
Joe.
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I may get to taste if if the tree can hold on to the fruit it set. It does have a history in South Florida with a picking date of December 10. I'm not sure why they stop growing it commercially.
http://www.myavocadotrees.com/reed-avocado.html (http://www.myavocadotrees.com/reed-avocado.html)
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I may get to taste if if the tree can hold on to the fruit it set. It does have a history in South Florida with a picking date of December 10. I'm not sure why they stop growing it commercially.
http://www.myavocadotrees.com/reed-avocado.html (http://www.myavocadotrees.com/reed-avocado.html)
I talked to Dr. Carlos Balerdi (retired) who told me they gave up on it in Florida because the fruit tends to be small. PIN also gave up on it regarding sales. Talk to Jim.
One I have in the greenhouse set fruit this year, very few but that may have been due to our VERY shady, rainy winter/spring El Nino event. The Reed is very vigorous and bloomed very late, probably weather related.
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I wanted to resurrect this old post instead of starting a new one. Reed is absolutely one of the best tasting avocados in SoCal. I have one that is going in the ground soon. I know they are tall and skinny trees but how wide do they get?
Bill
Depends on how you prune/shape them, whether you tip (top) or not.
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I haven't found Reed to be exclusively tall and skinny despite its reputation. One of the ones I planted actually is actually wider than it is tall (it's still small, but probably 5-6 feet wide but only 4 feet tall). We haven't pruned it at all.
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Where can I get a reed tree in Florida?
I can send you bud wood from my tree at the grove.
Joe.
Awesome! I will work on rootstocks and get back with you in the early fall
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I haven't found Reed to be exclusively tall and skinny despite its reputation. One of the ones I planted actually is actually wider than it is tall (it's still small, but probably 5-6 feet wide but only 4 feet tall). We haven't pruned it at all.
Same here, but then again I'm keeping mine below 10' which causes it to branch. In 3 years since I grafted it received about 4 "haircuts".
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Trees get shape from the root stock as well. Specially high.
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My plan is to let it get up to twenty feet tall and try to keep it to eight to ten feet wide. Is that realistic?
Bill
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My plan is to let it get up to twenty feet tall and try to keep it to eight to ten feet wide. Is that realistic?
Bill
Bill,
Yes, that is realistic.
Literature on Reed says it gets to about 15 feet tall and spreads 8 to 12 feet wide in SoCal.
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Thanks Warren.
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Looking onto my Reed I planted out last year, it's 6 ft tall and pushing 8 ft wide.
Prune to shape! Leave the vertical leader and don't top.
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Hello all, I'm delighted my grafted reed branch is loaded with fruits. Bloom was from maybe December last year, and I am really uncertain when is suitable harvest time for reasonable oil content and flavor? I've heard August - September for harvest, but reading this...
Reed is one of my faves too, if, allowed to hang on the tree at least 16 months.
...am I one year too early?? Having no prior experience with reed, the fruits definitely still look small 9 months after bloom. Do I need to wait until May NEXT YEAR?
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Yes, you need to wait about 10+ more months. I will start eating them next May and they ripen here maybe a bit earlier than most places in CA. My reeds are about the size of tennis balls currently. They should be more like a grapefruit or softball size and then they still need many months to get the oil up. Last year my reeds were about 1lb 13oz in April
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Yes, you need to wait about 10+ more months. I will start eating them next May and they ripen here maybe a bit earlier than most places in CA. My reeds are about the size of tennis balls currently. They should be more like a grapefruit or softball size and then they still need many months to get the oil up. Last year my reeds were about 1lb 13oz in April
Thank you!! Good to know before I waste 'em!! Mine are about tennis ball size too.
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Yes, you need to wait about 10+ more months. I will start eating them next May and they ripen here maybe a bit earlier than most places in CA. My reeds are about the size of tennis balls currently. They should be more like a grapefruit or softball size and then they still need many months to get the oil up. Last year my reeds were about 1lb 13oz in April
Would you think reed will still thin its fruits from now on? Branch is heavily loaded already, if the fruits will gain weight significantly I'd worry about support. ???
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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
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My trees have been dropping fruit the last month. Had to up my watering lately to every 4th day.
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My young tree dropped all.
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Same here, but it's in a pot (25 gallon, a good 10 feet tall, trunk about 1.5 inch thick) and took a beating with some of the winds we had in April and then some of the heat we've had, so... on the whole I'm pleased with it and trying to get it to become more bushy. Planning to put it in the ground this fall.
My avocado trees that hold onto fruit have their Avos hidden under leaves. The trees that have them out in the open al end up dropping the fruit or losing then to the elements.
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Would you think reed will still thin its fruits from now on? Branch is heavily loaded already, if the fruits will gain weight significantly I'd worry about support. ???
This year's heavy fruit set are dropping like rain, can't figure it out. Tree is very healthy with plenty of foliage. About 10' tall. I started with about 100 on the tree with the March blossom set and am probably down to about 20 still hanging on.
Now.......last year's fruit set is unreal. We've been eating super rich Reeds since May. Have about 8 or so still hanging on the tree. May sound strange but they are getting so rich that leaving them on another month would be bad. The fruit stands on its own and shouldn't be ruined with a lot of "stuff". We like it sliced with a small squirt of key limes and S/P. On sandwiches, guacamole', whatever.....it is just over the top in all respects.
(https://s23.postimg.cc/d8c5l2cmv/Reed_April.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/d8c5l2cmv/)
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Mark, I thought I was a big fan of Reeds, but you win.
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CA Hockey, avocados do sooooo much better in the ground. They are one of those plants that really don't like being in pots. Put it in the ground as soon as possible.
My six foot tall Reed tried to hold 50 fruit! I thinned it down to three since I want it to spend its energy on growth. I do love Reed avocados. In my book they are one of the best varieties.
Bill
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My dad has a reed seedling on his property that is 35 or more years old. As kids we used to all climb up in it. It is a very large tree and crops well with very large and decent fruit (though most of them are out of reach). They look like a slightly more textured reed. I'll take a pic next time I'm there.
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My favorite way to eat a Reed is as a personal bowl of guacamole. You guys ever do this? My son demonstrates:
(https://s24.postimg.cc/jq52o0l1d/IMG_20170622_162447.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/jq52o0l1d/)
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Now.......last year's fruit set is unreal. We've been eating super rich Reeds since May.
I truly regret picking my few reeds earlier this year, mistakenly thought they ripen together with fuerte.
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Has anyone grown Reed in southern Florida or any other tropical climate? I tasted Reeds in California and thought they were really excellent. Would like to grow them here, but wonder if they would produce well here?
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My favorite way to eat a Reed is as a personal bowl of guacamole. You guys ever do this? My son demonstrates:
(https://s24.postimg.cc/jq52o0l1d/IMG_20170622_162447.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/jq52o0l1d/)
Very cool, he's having some nutritious fun! Another reason why I love Reed, the natural hard bowl.
Left side is the bowl, right is the whole half.
(https://s11.postimg.cc/5qcef53bz/Reed_Fruit.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/5qcef53bz/)
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CA Hockey, avocados do sooooo much better in the ground. They are one of those plants that really don't like being in pots. Put it in the ground as soon as possible.
True. However...... I have a 10' X 10' Reed tree in a large bottomless RootBuilder pot. We're eating fruit that are now 17 mos. old. Even when I started tasting them back in May they were rich and delicious. Only 7 left. :'(
(https://s24.postimg.cc/d6j0akjch/Reed_Fruit_July30.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/d6j0akjch/)
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Has anyone grown Reed in southern Florida or any other tropical climate? I tasted Reeds in California and thought they were really excellent. Would like to grow them here, but wonder if they would produce well here?
Pure Guatemalan, natural to the fairly cool tropical highlands. If that's you're elevation and type of area, I'd go for it. I can think of lots of places in Hawaii where Reed should do real well, like the uplands of Haleakala, Mauna mts. areas, Parker Ranch.....
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True. However...... I have a 10' X 10' Reed tree in a large bottomless RootBuilder pot. We're eating fruit that are now 17 mos. old. Even when I started tasting them back in May they were rich and delicious. Only 7 left. :'(
So, then it's rooted through the bottom into the ground, right?
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note to Oscar
got one in Hana & grows well but production not exceptional . Has grown out of control & there fore hard to harvest .
Has dropped a seedling that may be better .
We shall see.
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So, then it's rooted through the bottom into the ground, right?
Yes, by design.
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I hear you on putting them in the ground. When I first started this hobby and wasn't as good with nutrition and the various needs of potted plants, everyone so often I would notice my plants (especially avocados) would sprout a foot or 2 out of nowhere and I wouldn't have to water as often. That usually meant that the roots had popped through the bottom and i hated having to rip them out to move he pots around.
K
CA Hockey, avocados do sooooo much better in the ground. They are one of those plants that really don't like being in pots. Put it in the ground as soon as possible.
My six foot tall Reed tried to hold 50 fruit! I thinned it down to three since I want it to spend its energy on growth. I do love Reed avocados. In my book they are one of the best varieties.
Bill
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so I have a 2 year old reed bought it as a 7 gallon. The 1st year I liked the way it grew. It shot up to about 3 and half feet tall and about 2.5 feet wide. Exactly what I wanted. I didn't let it fruit so the next year it shot up to about 7 feet but it stayed just as wide, 2.5 maybe 3ft. Should I just let it be? My ideal is 10 by 10. or should I top it? Also thinking about leaving one fruit on lol good idea? or just take it off and let it fruit next year.....the trunk is a lil over 1.5inchs thick and still needs support
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Last year mine was 7'. I kept removing the leader's new leaves. It grew 6" taller.
This year I cut the leader. Tree is about 7.5'. Waiting for it to grow wider.
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Last year mine was 7'. I kept removing the leader's new leaves. It grew 6" taller.
This year I cut the leader. Tree is about 7.5'. Waiting for it to grow wider.
how old is your tree?
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3rd year in the ground.
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Topping screws up reeds shape. Just let it grow up thats how it wants to grow. Otherwise it branches at the very top and you get a screwed up shape tree. I have 6 reeds and a couple of them are screwed up because I topped them or they started screwed up from the nursery. You want 1 central leader. I saw a high desity planting where they put a 10ft T post in the ground and train each tree up that never topping.
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It sounds like I need to remove new leaves on 2 leaders instead of 1.
If you remove young leaves on leader the leader grow very slow.
Mine grew 6" after 2 flushes.
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Why would you remove leaves on a leader? Just cut it off if you dont want it. Removing leaves on avocado is going to leave the bark exposed and burnt.
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Removing new leaves on the leader slow down the growth of the leader...less tall.
When there were no new leaves on the leader, the leader got thin.
Tree was growing 2-3' per year. Got it reduced to 6".
When it was in pot I draped it with shade netting.
The heat from the netting burned all the tender leaves underneath.
Leader grew 1-2".
It's weird that some side branches got sun burn but not the leader. IDK y.
This is how I slow down my Reed tree.
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If you want to slow down your Reed by defoliating it which deprives it of food and it's getting you what you want, OK. My Reed is also very vigorous but I control that with pruning, an application or two of Bonzi, a plant growth regulator, which if done during mid bloom increases fruit set and size according to field studies. A tree without fruit will be vigorous with more vegetation.
My Reed is now in mid bloom and 2 months late. At least the bees and other pollinators finally found it. We had a helluva flush of wildflowers in Texas this spring which I think side tracked pollinators. I also think my two applications of potassium sulphate and Solubor helped initiate the blooming response earlier this year. Here it is last month. It has hit the top of the greenhouse roof since then and is wider. 3 leaders/trunks, about 3" in girth, after freezing back to a stub Jan. 2018.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bZkxDzdx/Reed-April8.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bZkxDzdx)
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If you want to slow down your Reed by defoliating it which deprives it of food and it's getting you what you want, OK. My Reed is also very vigorous but I control that with pruning, an application or two of Bonzi, a plant growth regulator, which if done during mid bloom increases fruit set and size according to field studies. A tree without fruit will be vigorous with more vegetation.
My Reed is now in mid bloom and 2 months late. At least the bees and other pollinators finally found it. We had a helluva flush of wildflowers in Texas this spring which I think side tracked pollinators. I also think my two applications of potassium sulphate and Solubor helped initiate the blooming response earlier this year. Here it is last month. It has hit the top of the greenhouse roof since then and is wider. 3 leaders/trunks, about 3" in girth, after freezing back to a stub Jan. 2018.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bZkxDzdx/Reed-April8.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bZkxDzdx)
Dang Mark that Reed looks like nothing ever happened to it!
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Topping screws up reeds shape. Just let it grow up thats how it wants to grow. Otherwise it branches at the very top and you get a screwed up shape tree. I have 6 reeds and a couple of them are screwed up because I topped them or they started screwed up from the nursery. You want 1 central leader. I saw a high desity planting where they put a 10ft T post in the ground and train each tree up that never topping.
Brad thanks for the heads up! i thought i recall somebody saying that they topped it and it screwed up the shape but couldn't find the thread so i thought i asked. I also figured i better ask now because some trees need it done early enough. I was actually planning to pug it to knee height and see if i can create a bush rather then a vertical tree. But i will let it be it's healthy and happy. :)
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Once the tree sets fruit it will slow way down.
My reeds set pretty much every flower. They drop most but still hold 2-3X more than they can. I go in around July or august and do some thinning. When they are young they will drop the fruits early(this time next year) if you dont thin down to the proper fruit load.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Bn0RbN3R/20190514-082432.jpg)
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Topping screws up reeds shape. Just let it grow up thats how it wants to grow. Otherwise it branches at the very top and you get a screwed up shape tree. I have 6 reeds and a couple of them are screwed up because I topped them or they started screwed up from the nursery. You want 1 central leader. I saw a high desity planting where they put a 10ft T post in the ground and train each tree up that never topping.
Mark thanks for the heads up! i thought i recall somebody saying that they topped it and it screwed up the shape but couldn't find the thread so i thought i asked. I also figured i better ask now because some trees need it done early enough. I was actually planning to pug it to knee height and see if i can create a bush rather then a vertical tree. But i will let it be it's healthy and happy. :)
Like Brad advised. It happened to me. I topped very low and it turned out with a goal post shape, hollow in the center. I chose 3 shoots to become the new trunks March of 2018:
(https://i.postimg.cc/mcKvvzrx/Reed-March6.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mcKvvzrx)
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Once the tree sets fruit it will slow way down.
My reeds set pretty much every flower. They drop most but still hold 2-3X more than they can. I go in around July or august and do some thinning. When they are young they will drop the fruits early(this time next year) if you dont thin down to the proper fruit load.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Bn0RbN3R/20190514-082432.jpg)
Man, that is just crazy. Here's some great advice regarding thinning and the ones to choose and the ones to let stay. Agree with this?
No question, avos shed a lot of fruit, especially those fruitlets set late in the bloom period, when competition for energy and water arises between developing fruitlets and new shoot growth. Bigger, older, earlier-set fruit have an advantage. With an avocado, it’s last hired, first fired. If the late-set fruit is all self pollinated because the pollen partner is done blooming, that fruit will drop at a much higher rate than the more established (and possibly cross-pollinated) fruit. It will drop not because it is self-pollinated, but because it’s smaller, and the tree has less invested in it. If this fact is overlooked, then analyzing the dropped fruit for paternity would skew your impression of the need for cross-pollination.
Newer, more nuanced DNA research has shown no correlation between cross-pollination and yield.
http://www.epicenteravocados.com/faq/ (http://www.epicenteravocados.com/faq/)
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I just let it drop what it wants then come in mid to late summer and remove more when they are like golf ball size. At that point the tree has already ditched the losers. Right now when they are pea sized, I might go shake the tree a little and speed things up and knock half of them off. What I dont want is the tree to put a ton of energy into fruit thats not going to be there for the long haul.
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I just let it drop what it wants then come in mid to late summer and remove more when they are like golf ball size. ......
What I dont want is the tree to put a ton of energy into fruit thats not going to be there for the long haul.
I'm surprised you let them get up to golf ball size. Peach growers and that includes me thin their trees up to 40% when the fruit is pea size.
Fruit on the left is from a peach growing friend. Betcha can't guess who grew the wimp on the right. ;D Same variety.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SJCvZ6jC/Harvester-Peach-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SJCvZ6jC)
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You can shake the tree and make it drop a lot of fruit but its still too much to thin by hand at pea size. Look how many fruit there are. Thats just a tiny branch. Easier to just wait a couple months and let the tree do its own thinning and then decide if it needs more. By the time they are golf balls, the tree will have already shed 99% of the fruit.
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My tree
(https://i.postimg.cc/2qTDdqSn/image.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2qTDdqSn)
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Yep, that would be a PITA. Friend has some cheap labor which helps.
Nice profile on that Reed Seanny.
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My tree
(https://i.postimg.cc/2qTDdqSn/image.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2qTDdqSn)
Thats a perfect looking tree.
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....and this is not. :(
One 10' long trunk out of 3 larger ones started tanking over the last 2 days. It started right after I drenched it with a lot of rainwater. If the flowers don't make am thinking about taking it down to a stub. Will tie it up to the rafters for now. It's about 1.5" thick and healthy with some woodiness going on.
Thoughts?
(https://i.postimg.cc/GT98hh9F/Reed-Dropping-May20.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/GT98hh9F)
Pinkerton grafts/branches in the separate bed on the right, one cleft and one side veneer.
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One strategy is to reduce height by 1 node per year.
If you cut 4' off today, next year you cut 1 node down from today's cut.
I'm going a different route.
I'll put shade cloth on an umbrella. Tie umbrella to leader.
I'll remove new leaves on any branches that grow straight up. Then cut it off in Winter.
Hope to maintain my Reed at 7.5'
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I took 5' off and braced the remaining 7' with a board under a branch running to the ground. It'll branch like crazy below that cut.
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Heres some pics of a couple baby trees I planted these 1.5 years ago. They are already 6-8ft tall. If I had to redo it, I would have trained all my reed trees on a 10ft T post.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mtT0sjb8/20190520-095106.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mtT0sjb8)
(https://i.postimg.cc/HjwfRRCr/20190520-095420.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HjwfRRCr)
(https://i.postimg.cc/zHr43STD/20190520-095717.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zHr43STD)
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If you want to slow down your Reed by defoliating it which deprives it of food and it's getting you what you want, OK. My Reed is also very vigorous but I control that with pruning, an application or two of Bonzi, a plant growth regulator, which if done during mid bloom increases fruit set and size according to field studies. A tree without fruit will be vigorous with more vegetation.
My Reed is now in mid bloom and 2 months late. At least the bees and other pollinators finally found it. We had a helluva flush of wildflowers in Texas this spring which I think side tracked pollinators. I also think my two applications of potassium sulphate and Solubor helped initiate the blooming response earlier this year. Here it is last month. It has hit the top of the greenhouse roof since then and is wider. 3 leaders/trunks, about 3" in girth, after freezing back to a stub Jan. 2018.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bZkxDzdx/Reed-April8.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bZkxDzdx)
Hi Mark, I'm curious where you source your "Bonzi" (is it Paclobutrazol)? I looked for some a while back for my side-yard project, but I couldn't find an accessible source for a suburban consumer.
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Hi Mark, I'm curious where you source your "Bonzi" (is it Paclobutrazol)? I looked for some a while back for my side-yard project, but I couldn't find an accessible source for a suburban consumer.
I don't remember where I got it, probably ebay. I've seen it under the PGR category at ag vendor sites. Google is your friend. There's quite a few field studies out there on its application. http://www.avocadosource.com/WAC2/WAC2_p227.pdf (http://www.avocadosource.com/WAC2/WAC2_p227.pdf)
It really helps to shorten leggy mangos too.
This one is really packed with some good info for you commercial growers. http://ir4.rutgers.edu/FoodUse/PerfData/3280.pdf (http://ir4.rutgers.edu/FoodUse/PerfData/3280.pdf)
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Heres some pics of a couple baby trees I planted these 1.5 years ago. They are already 6-8ft tall. If I had to redo it, I would have trained all my reed trees on a 10ft T post.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mtT0sjb8/20190520-095106.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mtT0sjb8)
(https://i.postimg.cc/HjwfRRCr/20190520-095420.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HjwfRRCr)
(https://i.postimg.cc/zHr43STD/20190520-095717.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zHr43STD)
Hey Brad have you prune any of your reed? are you planning to? mine is like yours tall and slender. At least I was able to take off the crunches this year. My neighbor gave me a couple today. I was surprised are they really ready? anybody in so cal have same experience? My neighbors tree is like 15years old tho.
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Reeds aren't in season until at least April or May and are best after June. Unless they have been on the tree 20 months instead of 8? Either way the season seems really opposite of normal.
I'm a big fan of reed avocados but really the tree isn't that great. It has medium vigor and sets a lot of fruit for its size. Then it can tend to be weak and top heavy and not very tolerant of wind. And they don't take very well to pruning. You end up with a tree that gets sun burnt.
I haven't topped my newer reeds because of this and they are leaning over because of the strong wind here. I'm going to planting another acre of avocados and because of the issues mentioned will not be planting any more reeds.
If you want to manage your trees height you could try what Seanny posted above just remove leaves on the leader.
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Reeds aren't in season until at least April or May and are best after June. Unless they have been on the tree 20 months instead of 8? Either way the season seems really opposite of normal.
I'm a big fan of reed avocados but really the tree isn't that great. It has medium vigor and sets a lot of fruit for its size. Then it can tend to be weak and top heavy and not very tolerant of wind. And they don't take very well to pruning. You end up with a tree that gets sun burnt.
I haven't topped my newer reeds because of this and they are leaning over because of the strong wind here. I'm going to planting another acre of avocados and because of the issues mentioned will not be planting any more reeds.
If you want to manage your trees height you could try what Seanny posted above just remove leaves on the leader.
Yeah Mark warned me about topping it so i havent. I took off the stake end of summer and it's doing well even with all the crazy high winds we been getting. I definitely will hit up Seanny lol looks like he lives in my hood. :p
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These posts show how much your "terroir", location, temps can influence vigor. My Reed is extremely vigorous requiring at least 2 haircuts annually to keep it 12-14'. It's very woody and tough too. Probably seen this before but here it is 7 months after being frozen to the ground. Needless to say I'm heavy on the N.
Crazy but 2 months ahead of schedule a mango and Pinkerton are showing flower buds.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1VRmBQHz/Reed-Oct28-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1VRmBQHz)
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These posts show how much your "terroir", location, temps can influence vigor. My Reed is extremely vigorous requiring at least 2 haircuts annually to keep it 12-14'. It's very woody and tough too. Probably seen this before but here it is 7 months after being frozen to the ground. Needless to say I'm heavy on the N.
Crazy but 2 months ahead of schedule a mango and Pinkerton are showing flower buds.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1VRmBQHz/Reed-Oct28-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1VRmBQHz)
Happy Holiday Mark! dang jelly how your trees always look so good :) any suggestion on prunning and getting my reed to widen out? so i tip the side branches?
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Mark, hope you get a lot of reeds set this year. A few avocado trees are starting to bloom here as well. Seems like the Mexican types will be first to bloom. Was over at GregA's last week and his reed was loaded with year old fruit! I got maybe 20 of them on my trees and am hoping my biggest reed will set a bunch this year. It took last year off. Santa ana winds almost took it out a few months ago. Now it's got a couple T posts and rope holding it upright.
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Happy Holiday Mark! dang jelly how your trees always look so good :) any suggestion on prunning and getting my reed to widen out? so i tip the side branches?
Right back atcha, happy new year.
If you want your tree to widen out play with the auxins, the growth hormones and apical dominance. Meaning, top which should redistribute the apical dominance to those areas below and behind the cuts and hopefully for you to the side branches.
Here's yesterday's shot. Next treatment is to hit it with Bonzi, boron and a food prill.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nMnRSSVj/ReedJan3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/nMnRSSVj)
Here's the stump from the Jan. 2018 die back. I retained 3 trunks and they are about 2" or so diameter now.
(https://i.postimg.cc/62Mdm0zn/Reed-Trunk.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/62Mdm0zn)
For some strange reason the Pinkerton and GEM never shut down for the winter. Daily lows are in the 30's frequently. Low was 36F this morn, 39F now. This monitor sits at the 2nd floor level and miraculously goes thru so walls, over a aluminum building to a wireless transmitter 500' away.
1st row is outside ambient air. 2nd row is greenhouse temp now 38F, outside RH and Dew Point. Alarm is set at 34F for the greenhouse.
(https://i.postimg.cc/hXHzhYZ2/Greenhouse-Temp-Jan3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/hXHzhYZ2)
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Mark, hope you get a lot of reeds set this year. A few avocado trees are starting to bloom here as well. Seems like the Mexican types will be first to bloom. Was over at GregA's last week and his reed was loaded with year old fruit! I got maybe 20 of them on my trees and am hoping my biggest reed will set a bunch this year. It took last year off. Santa ana winds almost took it out a few months ago. Now it's got a couple T posts and rope holding it upright.
Sounds like a winner. Santa Anna winds must be nasty. Damn glad I'm not in Australia. I feel so sorry for the orchards, people and 1,000's of wildlife. :-[
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I hope it's okay for me to add to this older thread. I read on here that avocados should be self-thinning. But these fruitlets don't seem to be falling. Should I go ahead and remove some of fruit? If so, how many should I leave on each branch?
By the way, this is on a Reed branch that I grafted onto my Sir Prize avocado tree. Sir Prize didn't have much fruit set, but the Reed branch has a ton! Makes me wish I just had a pure Reed tree instead. :)
(https://i.postimg.cc/NypqJmTQ/IMG-20200515-083933.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/NypqJmTQ)
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I let Reed self thinning to slow down the growth.
My friend's tree has less fruits so the fruits are huge, 50% bigger than mines.
Trade off.
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That will drop fruits still but you can help it and shake it or pick off the small ones. Its probably only going to keep a couple on each branch anyway.
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I let my avos thin themselves.
When is everyone picking the reeds? I was told to wait until end of June, but have started seeing mature size fruits on the ground with sunburn.
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I let my avos thin themselves.
When is everyone picking the reeds? I was told to wait until end of June, but have started seeing mature size fruits on the ground with sunburn.
I read online: "Reed avocados are not ready to eat until late summer…July through October in southern California."
The last time I had fruit I actually waited until October, and they were great then.
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Reds are good by June here. They are super good around August. Sometimes they fall off this time of year when the tree drops it's old leaves. The drops aren't very good, the ones that make it into summer are much better.
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I ate one a few days ago. Crap.
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Had one drop off and we ate it for dinner. Was pretty good but they need another month to get more oil.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sQ15grqk/20200518-182916.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sQ15grqk)
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Had one drop off and we ate it for dinner. Was pretty good but they need another month to get more oil.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sQ15grqk/20200518-182916.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sQ15grqk)
Mine is just beginning to break flower buds, 3 months late. Craziest thing I've ever seen. Weather is all screwed up with repeated night temps in the 40's which has induced a 2nd bloom on Pinkerton and Ardith.
Have a fun weekend. Put on a Prime brisket at 5:00 this morn.
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Check out the fruit set on the reeds here, looks like every flower set a fruitlet.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mhPtqysF/20200525-144138.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mhPtqysF)
(https://i.postimg.cc/sQQsnKhj/20200525-144119.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sQQsnKhj)
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Wow amazing set Brad your going to have mucho reeds :o ;)
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Crazy Reed
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What are good options for cross pollination for reed that flower about the same time?
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It doesnt require any pollinator.
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My first (and only) mature reed avocado is humongous right now.
(https://i.postimg.cc/w3twBVP4/20200510-111709.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/w3twBVP4)
I also have a lot of small ones developing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Vr9HWBQP/20200604-102949.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Vr9HWBQP)
Does the big fruit really need more time hanging on the tree?
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Yes wait until mid July to pick it, it's not ready yet.
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Same question about Lamb-Hass Avocados. Does anyone happen to know their picking timeframe? I have two that look ready to go.
(https://i.postimg.cc/crVD8525/20200510-110536.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/crVD8525)
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I think May thru summer.
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Hi! I usually harvest them from the beginning of April until late June
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Yuppy it's been 4 years since i put my reed in ground and this year looks like its holding onto 16 fruits! The fruits are about baseball size now :)
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I didn't realize that Reed was such a popular variety that had merited it's own thread. I guess my post is just eye candy or to create a bit of jealousy, lol just kidding. I've seen several quite old avocado trees in socal. Here's my tree that several people confirm to be Reed. It's an old tree and I don't know how old. I never water it. Every other year it would produce at least 500 - 600 hundred fruits. I tried counting the fruit before but would stop at about 500 before giving up. Someone said it looked closer to a thousand fruit, hahah.
(https://i.ibb.co/10TgcgC/Screenshot-20211023-135138-Gallery.jpg) (https://ibb.co/10TgcgC)
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I think what you have is a nabal (reed is an offspring of nabal). Nabal has alternate bearing habit whereas Reed produced every year.
I didn't realize that Reed was such a popular variety that had merited it's own thread. I guess my post is just eye candy or to create a bit of jealousy, lol just kidding. I've seen several quite old avocado trees in socal. Here's my tree that several people confirm to be Reed. It's an old tree and I don't know how old. I never water it. Every other year it would produce at least 500 - 600 hundred fruits. I tried counting the fruit before but would stop at about 500 before giving up. Someone said it looked closer to a thousand fruit, hahah.
(https://i.ibb.co/10TgcgC/Screenshot-20211023-135138-Gallery.jpg) (https://ibb.co/10TgcgC)
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Thanks jtnguyen, it looks like your right. I'm not very familiar with avocados. Thanks so much for the info!
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How do you know if they are ready to pick? I still got a couple hanging from my first crop last year. I had 1 a week ago and it was kinda salty. Not as creamy as a couple of them that dropped in mid July.
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It should be ready to pick now. Thry are tasting amazing. Having one with corn ship and hot sauce for breakfast today.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BtkdgRfq/20220805-095335.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/BtkdgRfq)
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It should be ready to pick now. Thry are tasting amazing. Having one with corn ship and hot sauce for breakfast today.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BtkdgRfq/20220805-095335.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/BtkdgRfq)
I picked one after July 4th and it was watery. It also took two weeks to ripen on the counter. I will try again in September. I wonder how longer it has to hang here in Norcal compared to Socal.
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Thats because of the latitude like you are saying. Not as much heat and sunshine as here. Wait until October. Hopefully they are ready by your cold season otherwise its going to be a 2 year deal to ripen them. You are probably better off growing types with a shorter span like Carmen.
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Thats because of the latitude like you are saying. Not as much heat and sunshine as here. Wait until October. Hopefully they are ready by your cold season otherwise its going to be a 2 year deal to ripen them. You are probably better off growing types with a shorter span like Carmen.
Yup, but I am not too worried. There are plenty of people who have fruited tasty Reeds here and even further north. I just was anxious and picked too early. I need to do some trial error tests to see when the perfect time to pick my Reed here in my yard.
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It should be ready to pick now. Thry are tasting amazing. Having one with corn ship and hot sauce for breakfast today.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BtkdgRfq/20220805-095335.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/BtkdgRfq)
How long should it ripen on the counter after you pick it?
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i think they take about 8-9 days
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>
i think they take about 8-9 days
Thanks Brad lol I thought there was something more to it then waiting over year for them lol 😆
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Check out the fruit set on the reeds here, looks like every flower set a fruitlet.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mhPtqysF/20200525-144138.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mhPtqysF)
(https://i.postimg.cc/sQQsnKhj/20200525-144119.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sQQsnKhj)
I know this is old thread but I couldn't hold back my laughter after seeing the pic. I happened to be stumbled across this thread. Reed is surely productive.
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This year I have one tree with last years fruits that is about to break a really large branch full of fruit. That is a bad thing about reed. The branches weep and break if thry get too full of fruit. Even after heavy thinning, it is still too much.
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This year I have one tree with last years fruits that is about to break a really large branch full of fruit. That is a bad thing about reed. The branches weep and break if thry get too full of fruit. Even after heavy thinning, it is still too much.
I think "too much" is still better than too little ;D
My friend has a large Fuerte avocado tree and the avocado has great taste but it notoriously alternates its production. He told me it produced only 16 or 17 avocado last year.
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I got rid of fuerte because it was a huge tree and would ake no fruit for years in a row. I think fuerte is very dependent on perfect weather to set fruit or something. It was maube the least dependable avocado tree i grew.
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I now know that Reed is one of the most productive avocado varieties if not the best. I wonder what its taste like?
Can someone tell me how it tastes?
My reed avocado tree is blooming for the second year. Last year it dropped all its fruits. I guess I have to remove all fruits this year manually if it does not drop them for its growth.