Author Topic: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?  (Read 2266 times)

Avoman

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Ive heard dusa rootstock is good for salt tolerance and root rot resistance but is clonal rootstock over hyped ? Someone told me some growers complain about clonal rootstock that the roots are too shallow that they dont have a deep growing tap root like a rootstock grown from a seed has is this true ? Also how hard is it to grow ones own clonal rootstock in a greenhouse? Can a beginer have success ? Or is air layering on a avocado tree a better way to go ?

buddy roo

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2019, 02:33:40 PM »
Avoman, are you in idaho??  if so just plant any seed you have and then graft it a few months later when it is about chopstick to pencil size this clonal root stalk is really for the large commercial growers are way different than what a backyard or green house grower would have. Regards    Patrick

Avoman

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2019, 02:57:58 PM »
I dont know if most of commercial growers( for newly planted groves) are using clonal rootstock or not, i suppose unless zutano seeds are performing as good or better in some ways than dusa, toro canyon etc. I think both brokaw and lynwood in new zealand are still using some portion of zutano seeds as rootstock but at least with brokaw im guessing seeds used in limited numbers mainly to save time and cheaper i would guess.

hawkfish007

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2019, 03:23:52 PM »
Another thing to consider is price, tiny grafted avocado on zutano or Dusa is $20 vs $32  on clonal rootstock. It was hard to get a gem on clonal rootstock due to demand at least for me.


tve

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2019, 08:52:43 PM »
I got some mislabeled Brokaw Hass trees a week ago at a retail nursery. The label said "clonal rootstock" but by talking to them I found out they're actually on zutano. They said that everything they sell to retail nurseries is on zutano. Whatever that means... probably price and keeping the clonal stuff out of widespread circulation.
After being miffed I ended up concluding that it really doesn't matter for me. I'm more than mile from any commercial Avo farm and on sandy soil, so the whole root rot and salinity stuff doesn't really apply. The issue is really replanting in infected soil. From the few papers I've read, it doesn't seem like the rootstock has much influence on productivity in Avos, I could be wrong though.

Avoman

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2019, 02:59:55 PM »
Thanks simon for link, thats sounds correct that brokaw sells seed rootstock to retail nurserys at a lower cost, im thinking to keep cost down and let nurserys have room for a little profit,i personaly have 3 diff clonal rootstock on order so i will learn first hand if perform better than on zutano seeds i normally use, they will be planted in the central valley of cali in virgin soil so it will take me a few years to figuare out if one does better over the other.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2019, 03:02:28 PM by Avoman »

spaugh

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2019, 03:34:46 PM »
If you are in the flat area of the central valley on clay soil the right clonal rootstock could make a big difference.  You probably still should raise your trees above grade either way though, clonal rootstocks are not root rot proof.  They are improvements not a cure.
Brad Spaugh

barath

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #8 on: May 12, 2019, 09:39:25 PM »
If you're in a colder part of the central valley, you might consider other seedling rootstocks like Duke or Aravaipa or Mexicola, because I've found Zutano isn't that cold tolerant (relative to the others).  I had planted Duke and Zutano seedlings in Concord a few years ago and in a cold winter the Zutano died back half way and the Duke showed no damage at all.

Avoman

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #9 on: May 15, 2019, 12:02:50 PM »
i will likely do some plantings on mounds but will also try some plantings at grade in amendended soil with sand, gravel and pumice,not on valley floor but in foothills, i would think zutano rootstock would be cold harty enough though i would try some duke seeds also if i can locate some in the fall,  the grafts and trees boths will be protected if any projected hard freeze comes.i would even try some lula seeds or walden seeds but find it hard to find any and i only know of 1 lula tree planted in cal and its too young to produce any fruit yet. Its unlikey i will have any salt issues but i hear clonal rootstock can also affect growth rate of trees and can have a direct influence on amount of fruit production.

hawkfish007

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2019, 01:22:37 PM »
I lost a 10 year old hass probably to root rot, not a good experience. It was planted in a slope at the back of my property.  Avocado with regular rootstock may do well and produce well but you never know what might happen in the future. Now I am going with clonal or whatever is the most root rot resistant rootsotck.

spaugh

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2019, 01:37:43 PM »
i will likely do some plantings on mounds but will also try some plantings at grade in amendended soil with sand, gravel and pumice,not on valley floor but in foothills, i would think zutano rootstock would be cold harty enough though i would try some duke seeds also if i can locate some in the fall,  the grafts and trees boths will be protected if any projected hard freeze comes.i would even try some lula seeds or walden seeds but find it hard to find any and i only know of 1 lula tree planted in cal and its too young to produce any fruit yet. Its unlikey i will have any salt issues but i hear clonal rootstock can also affect growth rate of trees and can have a direct influence on amount of fruit production.

You should try and locate duke or zutano scions now and get your trees started and use those for seed stock in the future.  Thats one thing I regret is not planting a zutano tree years ago.
Brad Spaugh

Avoman

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2019, 03:39:43 PM »
I have small duke trees now but to speed things up will get seeds in oroville this season for dukes in sept/oct. I tryed a mexicola seed the seedling very tiny and slow growing , will take a long time to get big enough to graft, my sister likes to use bacon seeds but i do better with zutanto for myself, a larger faster growing rootstock.

barath

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Re: avocado clonal rootstock compared to avocado seed rootstock ?
« Reply #13 on: May 15, 2019, 11:32:30 PM »
I have small duke trees now but to speed things up will get seeds in oroville this season for dukes in sept/oct. I tryed a mexicola seed the seedling very tiny and slow growing , will take a long time to get big enough to graft, my sister likes to use bacon seeds but i do better with zutanto for myself, a larger faster growing rootstock.

Duke isn't a small seedling but it is very very slow to germinate (usually it takes at least 6 months for me to get it to germinate, whereas I get Zutano germination in about 1 month).