Author Topic: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?  (Read 2431 times)

funlul

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Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« on: March 23, 2019, 02:48:25 AM »
Avocados from seeds...

In a series of discussions, someone (A) claimed he had grown multiple avocado trees from seed in SoCal and all of them fruited around year 5. Another (B) said his relative planted a costco avocado seed in East Asia and it fruited in year three.

I'm curious what you think. What is the likelihood of the above being all true? If you guesstimate, how likely is 5 avocado seedlings all fruiting at age 5, assuming excellent care? (We all know they don't grow true to seed, or even no fruit at all. So how risky is it, really?)
Looking for scionwoods: loquat, cherimoya, jujube, chocolate perssimon

Cookie Monster

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2019, 09:19:38 AM »
Here in FL, fruiting in 5 years is common. Have seen a tree fruit in less too.
Jeff  :-)

spaugh

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2019, 10:16:23 AM »
Yes they can fruit in 3 to 5 years.  Its not risky, its an avocado tree.  It can always be top worked. 
Brad Spaugh

funlul

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2019, 10:18:45 AM »
I know it's possible, just wondering about probability. Say 1/3 or more like 1/100?

Here in FL, fruiting in 5 years is common. Have seen a tree fruit in less too.
Looking for scionwoods: loquat, cherimoya, jujube, chocolate perssimon

buddy roo

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2019, 11:11:47 AM »
i would say more likely than not, I WOULD NOT BE SO QUICK TO CALL SOMEONE OUT IN DISBELIEF JUST BECAUSE THEY DID SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN YOU. understand all of these fruit trees where doing just fine and fruiting since the beginning of time without us or do you think Adam and Eve spent there whole day grafting??

Cookie Monster

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2019, 05:45:23 PM »
Could be a different story for mexican and / or guatemalan race. But the west indian race seedlings here in FL often fruit at 5 years from seed.
Jeff  :-)

tranxyzOC

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2019, 06:10:29 PM »
my seedling in 20 gal pot fruited after 5 years without much care . It gave me 5 fruits the first time but none last year. I paid a little attention this year like root trimming and add fertilizer it is now blooming

Doug

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2019, 09:13:20 PM »

Well, this is encouraging info! I've always heard it was 10 to 15 years to fruit for seedlings. And, at my age, that's not what I wanted to hear. I do have avocado seedlings up and running; but, what I want to know is if there are any "tricks" to speed up the fruiting process. Any suggestions?

JF

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2019, 10:13:34 PM »
I’ve seen some fruit in 4-5 years. I think Hansen red fruited in 5 years.

Greg A

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2019, 12:36:43 AM »
You might be interested in some of the observations of Bob Bergh, who ran the avocado breeding program of the University of California for decades. (The first paragraph deals with speeding up the fruit production of seedlings, and the second paragraph is about how many years it usually takes for seedlings to produce.)

"Perhaps the greatest problem of the avocado breeder is the length of time required, in conjunction with the large amount of space required. There are 2 ways that we are going at this problem of shortening the juvenility stage. One is to graft the seedlings onto large plants. This is an idea that we thought about vaguely and I finally was stimulated to try in a visit to Israel 2 years ago when I saw it in operation there. Often you can get fruiting the year after you graft or at least 2 years afterwards.

"The other way is to breed for more precocious seedlings. The new 'Pinkerton' variety is astonishingly precocious for us and it will be the basis of this precocity breeding. In California we say that the earliest cultivars will come into production in maybe 3 years with a few fruits and more in the fourth and fifth years. Seedlings come in maybe the fifth or sixth year and more in the eighth and ninth year. After 10 years we drop it. Seedlings of 'Pinkerton' have the remarkable ability to start bearing the second year from planting as seedlings. The little seedling is seemingly barely up, as we don't get as much growth in 2 years in California as in Florida or the more tropical areas, and can have maybe 20 or 30 fruits on it. This is just turning up now. The first fruiting is this year because we didn't know about the 'Pinkerton' until 2 years ago."

This is taken from: http://www.avocadosource.com/Journals/ITFSC/PROC_1976_PG_36-42.pdf
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pineislander

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2019, 07:38:36 PM »
Year six talk hard to it and threaten to cut it down. Every year after that drive a nail into it till she fruits. No kidding that's what the old Cuban man told me and he fought beside Camilo. I had two old seedlings 20 feet tall that I stumped in preparation for top working and one responded by blooming on me. I'm talking hard to #2.

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2019, 10:02:46 PM »
Slick! I'm planting out my pinkerton seeds this year!

You might be interested in some of the observations of Bob Bergh, who ran the avocado breeding program of the University of California for decades. (The first paragraph deals with speeding up the fruit production of seedlings, and the second paragraph is about how many years it usually takes for seedlings to produce.)

"Perhaps the greatest problem of the avocado breeder is the length of time required, in conjunction with the large amount of space required. There are 2 ways that we are going at this problem of shortening the juvenility stage. One is to graft the seedlings onto large plants. This is an idea that we thought about vaguely and I finally was stimulated to try in a visit to Israel 2 years ago when I saw it in operation there. Often you can get fruiting the year after you graft or at least 2 years afterwards.

"The other way is to breed for more precocious seedlings. The new 'Pinkerton' variety is astonishingly precocious for us and it will be the basis of this precocity breeding. In California we say that the earliest cultivars will come into production in maybe 3 years with a few fruits and more in the fourth and fifth years. Seedlings come in maybe the fifth or sixth year and more in the eighth and ninth year. After 10 years we drop it. Seedlings of 'Pinkerton' have the remarkable ability to start bearing the second year from planting as seedlings. The little seedling is seemingly barely up, as we don't get as much growth in 2 years in California as in Florida or the more tropical areas, and can have maybe 20 or 30 fruits on it. This is just turning up now. The first fruiting is this year because we didn't know about the 'Pinkerton' until 2 years ago."

This is taken from: http://www.avocadosource.com/Journals/ITFSC/PROC_1976_PG_36-42.pdf
Jeff  :-)

Doug

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Re: Probability of seedling avocado fruiting at year 5?
« Reply #12 on: March 25, 2019, 12:38:53 PM »
Year six talk hard to it and threaten to cut it down. Every year after that drive a nail into it till she fruits. No kidding that's what the old Cuban man told me and he fought beside Camilo. I had two old seedlings 20 feet tall that I stumped in preparation for top working and one responded by blooming on me. I'm talking hard to #2.

Great! Similarly, I've been advised by a Tico friend to give my larger seedlings a mild whack with my machete as I pass by them. LOL. I'm gonna do it!