I was given this peach today, grown in Miami, smells delicious. Any one has experience growing these in So. Dade? Is called UF Sun. A one year old grafted tree had about 10 fruit.

March 10, 2014: I went to Lara Nursery at SW 200 ST in the Redlands. He has 3 trees and Julian  mentioned he finds the flavor of this fruit very nice, nutty, remind it him of almonds. Most of the fruit in the trees had droped, so this fruit will have to be picked by March 1. He gave me a fruit, picture in the album with today's date. Full of scab, really bad. I'm not sure how this will mature but I will give it a tray. This tree probably needs to be sprayed 4-5 in the season to get clean fruit. Encouraging is the fact that Lara does not spray, so I hope with a couple of sprays it will suppress the fungus. Lara Nursery has grafted trees for sale. .http://www.larafarms.com/


March 16, 2014: The fruit given to me by Lara, ripped on Friday the 15, I had it today. What a pleasant  surprise. A lot better than expected taking into consideration the exterior of the fruit. The fruit weight in at 21.3 oz, the seed at 4.9 and the skin at 3.5 oz. About 12.5 oz of pure creamy avocado. The seed although large, was king of flat, so there is meat on top and bottom. I would not grow it because of seed size. The texture was creamy, remind it me of a Catalina, or Oro Negro.  Very good flavor. Hits of canistel. No dark fibers of streaks inside, no fibers, all softness and buttery, The fruit peels very well, the skin is thick, probably a good quality to prevent the scab from damaging the inside. The thick skin was not an impediment to feel the readiness of the fruit or to cause peeling problems, it peeled very easily.
I would prefer this fruit over Supermarket chain, 7-8 oz Hass  Yes flavor wise!!. None of the exterior damage got inside the fruit. This is probably not a commercial variety. It did ripen 5 days after it was picked, not a good quality for a commercial fruit, probably good for a home environment where you could have fruit in January, February and first week of March.  It really does not matter if you spray it or not, the scab has no effect on fruit quality. Dr. Richard Campbell was correct in his assessment that this is a good alternative for late fruit for the home.
I have top worked a tree and will experiment spraying the tree, and feeding it to see if we can get cleaner and larger fruit. You can follow it in my web  http://www.myavocadotrees.com/kampong-2-avocado.html

I wonder in anyone has tried this cultivar. I was given 5-6 fruits and found them delicious. Fruit ranging in size from 8-13oz
Just like a pear texture and size, with guava taste. Not a lot of seeds and seed cavity small. I took a picture of the fruit with the seed cavity empty. (I ate the cavity, a lot of flesh there) No worms, the fruit is bagged, well worth it to bag. Commercially grown in Dade County Florida.

Hello Tropical Fruit Growers,
Please read the following for information on a mango pests workshop.
I hope to see you there,
Jeff

  Mango Pest Workshop

Tuesday, February 11, 2014
 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
With over 600 acres in production and many more being planted, the mango is fast becoming an important crop in south Florida. There are many pests which affect the mango and this workshop will familiarize you with all of those insects, as well as provide ideas for treatment of these pests.
There will also be an opportunity at the end of the workshop to get insects identified by the scientists of the TREC University of Florida Entomology Lab.

Two CEUs will be awarded for this workshop in either private applicator, ag row crop or ag tree crop.

 Registration is $12 and includes breakfast.

Jeff Wasielewski, M.S.
 Tropical Fruit Crops Extension Agent
 UF/Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension
 18710 S.W. 288 Street
 Homestead, FL  33030
305-248-3311, ext. 227
IFAS_Ext_MiamiDade_Horz_Combo - Copy

 

I need help in deciding.
I now have at home:
Rosie Gold - May-June
Coconut Cream - June to July
Glenn - June July
Keitt - August-November
St Maui - UNK (does any one know when this matures in Miami?

I have space to place 4 trees in the ground in the grove in Homestead.  I need advise on quality fruit that will complement the maturity dates that I now have.
Help is appreciated.
 

I have tried the inverted T on avocado with little success.  This year I'm doing a big canopy change, over 500 trees. I have been doing a lot of grafting since November. Usually I take a piece of bud wood, 3-5 inches long and do a veneer graft on the water shoots, 4-6 water shoots per tree.  Also I have been testing alternate systems using small pieces of bud wood.  I seem to be getting a high rate of success with 1 inch or so singe buds.
Like this old month one inch piece of Rockwood Avocado. More experiments on this later. This is the area where new flush meets old flush. Usually there are several pin size buds.


I did a test yesterday by taking one singe piece of Monroe bud wood and utilize it to top work a single tree. Normaly I would need 4-6 pieces like this. This was at late stage 510 or beginning 511.
 

Broke it up in a few pieces.


Was able to place 8 short "Wedge" grafts on the tree.




This is how they were laid out. I did cover the exposed areas with parafilm to protect them from the cooler nights we are having.




I will post periodic updates and would welcome comments from others who have experimented with this.

In my quest to expand my avocado collection, I find that I need to communicate and know the state of the bud wood in question. As some of you know, I’m of the opinion bud wood condition is critical to success. I have created a page that can be used to describe the state of the bud wood using a scientific category and have added my own twist and plenty of pictures to be able to associate with the bud wood you are offering or are hoping for.
Now,  to the question of how is the bud wood? You can look in the page and reply 510-1.  Is a work in progress I will add more categories with time.  For now is covering the ideal stage for grafting: reproductive buds.

Hope it can be of use.
http://www.myavocadotrees.com/stages-of-avocado-flowering-using-the-bbch-scale.html

TO: Tropical fruit growers/managers
FROM: Jonathan H. Crane, Tropical Fruit Crop Specialist

RE: Be on the lookout and prepared for cold/freezing temperatures

Cold weather is predicted for early to mid-next week (Jan. 6-8, 2014). So prepare and monitor the weather.

  Summary of Miami-Dade County Cold Protection Workshop (18 Dec., 2013)

          For those of you who missed this informative workshop here are some key points.

From Robert Molleda, NWS

1.     Weather models give equal chances for generally above, below or normal temperatures this winter.  The long-term models suggest more warm than cold but this does not mean we cannot have cold/freezing temperatures, their model suggests trends not day-to-day weather.
2.     We are in a neutral year (not El Niño, not La Niña).  Most of our devastating freezing events in the past have occurred during neutral winter years.
3.     Terms to understand when reading the NWS websites:
a.     Freeze outlook – forecast provided 3-5 days before potential freeze

b.     Freeze watch – forecast 12-48 hours before potential freeze

c.     Freeze warning – forecast 12-24 hours before potential freeze

d.     Hard freeze – prediction for 28°F (-2°C) or below for 4 or more hours

4.     Frost advisory – if frost is expected within 12-24 hours.  Frost conditions include:

a.     33°F-37°F (0. 4°C to 2.8°C) temperatures

b.     Clear skies

c.     Winds less than 5 mph

d.     Sufficient low level moisture to freeze

5.     Remember temperatures predicted for the urban areas are generally warmer than in the agricultural areas.
From Jonathan Crane, UF/IFAS/TREC (taken from local long-time experts in Homestead).  Is freezing weather a potential?

1.     Watch the jet stream – if it is looping/dipping south moving cold/freezing air from the N or NW to the S or SE.
2.     Is there a low pressure system over the SE U.S., around the Carolinas or W. Virginia.  The high pressure system(s) are over the N or NW (Arctic, Canada, North Central US).  Seems a lot of times there is a high pressure system just west of Minnesota.

3.     The North Central and Central US is covered in snow and/or freezing temperatures.

4.     We experience one or more days when the daytime temperature does NOT exceed 65°F (18°C).

5.     Days when the daytime temperatures is at or below 60°F (16°C) by 3:00PM or earlier.
6.     We experience two or more days and/or nights of cold but nonfreezing weather; especially if they are accompanied by wind.
7.     The forecast calls for low night-time due point temperatures (at or below 30°F).
8.     Surface winds are blowing from the north-northwest to the south-southeast.

Just a word about when a freeze or near freeze is predicted.  If south Florida/Homestead experiences 60°F (16°C) or less temperatures and low day-time dew point temperatures (at or below 40°F/4°C) and clear skies – at sundown the air temperature can drop really fast (like 2-3 degrees/hour) and instead of reaching freezing after mid-night or early morning we reach freezing or near freezing temperatures prior to 12:00AM (midnight); we’ve seen 10:00PM.

A word about dew point – this is a hugely important weather parameter for cold prediction and protection.  Definition - A measure of atmospheric moisture. It is the temperature to which air must be cooled in order to reach saturation (assuming air pressure and moisture content are constant). A higher dew point indicates more moisture present in the air.  In general, the dew point is the lowest temperature the atmosphere will reach; so temperatures stop dropping, at least temporarily when the dew point temperature is reached.  HOWEVER, dew point temperatures can change during the night if more cold dry air moves over the area and lowers it.  Here is an example – The dew point prediction for a cold night is 33°F (0.4°C).  Ok, so the air temperature drops and drops and then hits 33°F and the atmospheric temperatures stops dropping and may even increase a little (let us say to 35°F/1.7°C) – that is because when the atmospheric temperatures hits the dew point temperature the air is saturated with water (moisture) and when water changes from a gas to a liquid heat is given off and the air temperature steadies or warms.  HOWEVER, a little later that night more cold dry air moves into the Homestead area – NOW the dew point temperature drops again, only this time to 28°F (-2°C) and NOW the temperatures could drop below freezing (32°F/0°C).  So watch and monitor the dew point temperatures closely throughout the night.

There are a number of websites you may want to monitor before and during a freeze or near-freeze event these include:

1.     NWS 7-day outlook.  Perfect the prediction area by zooming in on the map and clicking your specific area. http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=FLZ173&zflg=1
a.     On this same site, scroll down to the Hourly Weather Graph and click on that – it gives the hr by hr weather; you can change it to a table by clicking the graph.
2.     NWS graphical forecast page http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/ 
3.     The real-time weather in the agricultural area offered by the Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service – 4 weather stations in the ag area http://miamidadewx.locherenv.com:8080/index.html

4.     UF FAWN weather station located at the Tropical Research and Education Center, 18905 SW 280 Street, Homestead.  We have relocated our weather station to an area much less likely to be influence by our irrigation systems - http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/
5.     A new website Robert Molleda, NWS made us aware of with current (or near current) and predicted weather (temperature, wind, wind direction, etc.) at  http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/roman/raws_ca_monitor.cgi?state=MFL&rawsflag=290
a.     ­­­­You will need to scroll down to see FL073: Inland Miami-Dade County data.­­

Lastly, I’d suggest during a predicted freeze night people occasionally go outside into the grove to see and feel what is actually happening in your grove.  Why, because sometimes the predictions and real-time weather data do not show a change in low-cloud cover or slight shift in wind speed or direction or whether your irrigation system is clogged!

          Please find enclosed a pdf with a PPT from the workshop.  Hope this helps.  Jonathan

 

Jonathan H. Crane, Tropical Fruit Crop Specialist
University of Florida, IFAS
Tropical Research and Education Center
18905 S.W. 280 St.
Homestead, FL 33031-3314
Tel: 305-246-7001 x.290
Fax: 305-246-7003
Email: jhcr@ufl.edu
Website: http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/crane

Website: http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/fruitscapes

I have been vary curious about the oil content of some of our Florida Varieties. I added a page in my blog just for this. How oil content is arrived at. For over 25 years the standard for maturity has not been oil content but dry wight.  Constantly you see people quoting XX% oil content but I suspect they may be referring to dry weight.  I have read"this avocado is 20% oil content". I have not seen any but I have read of Hass reaching 30% dry weight and 15% oil.  To read good articles go here: http://www.myavocadotrees.com/dry-weight-measurement-in-florida-avocados.html

The issue of this thread: I tested Oro Negro and Monroe avocados growing in my grove.
The Oro Negro came in at 26% dry weight that should translate to about 11-13% oil content as good as a mid season Hass. I guess that is why is good and creamy. I know these have at list another 4-6 weeks to go,  so I suspect that can get higher and better.

The Monroe came in at 19% dry weight a 9-10% oil content. Also these have a few more weeks to go. This is close to a mid season Hass. No wonder I call it the most elegant of our late fruit.

Comparing these for the California standards. Dry weight at acceptable taste was 20.0% for 'Bacon', 21.0% for 'Fuerte', 22.8% for 'Hass', 20.0% for 'Pinkerton', and 20.2% for 'Zutano'." Some of our Florida grown fruit is right there, if the correct variety is grown and allowed to mature property.

The reason I ask is because I sprayed my Key Lime with a citrus blooming spray product about 10 days ago and has started a massive flower flush. I want to know if it was the spray or they have a heavy bloom at this time of the year. Pictures tomorrow.

A couple of years ago I top worked about 150 trees to Monroe. This avocado apparently came with the bud wood of the Monroe. Now I have one tree with one branch Monroe and one branch what ever this is. I would like to find out what it is. I just saw it today for the first time. The branch in loaded with these 45 oz fruit, yes 2.8 lbs. Some are larger and darker in color. These I picked were low and getting too much sun but I'm sure some of the others reach 3 lbs.    I passed by PIN to pick up a sugar apple and Mike (Bendersgrove) was there. Has no idea what it is so does  Martha. The tree of us kind of agree that has the  shape of a catalina and the skin of a Monroe. Also same season. Or a Monroe on steroids.   If you know what it is let me know.  Have not tasted it. In the mean time let's call it Moncat.

Does anyone know where to find small granite chips for potting mix. In the Miami-Dade area.