I never heard of it. If it is related to Hass will not grow well here

 
Seminar: Using DRONES for early detection of laurel wilt affected
trees and early intervention
 
Date: April 18th, 2017
Time: 2PM-4PM
Location: Miami-Dade County Extension Service
18905 SW 280 St.
Homestead, FL 33031
 
RSVPs are requested, but not required. Please RSVP to Jeff Wasielewski,
jwasielewski@ufl.edu or 305-248-3311, ext. 227.

Seminar program agenda
Time  Speaker/title  Title of presentation
2:00PM-2:05PM Jeff Wasielewski, Commercial Tropical Fruit Crops Agent, Miami-Dade Co. Extension
Welcome and introduction
2:05PM-2:15PM

Jonathan Crane, Tropical Fruit Crop
Specialist, UF/IFAS/TREC
Purpose, uses, and potential
benefits of drone detection of laurel
wilt

2:15PM-2:45PM
Amanda Quevedo, Aviation Safety Technician, FAA UAS 101

2:45PM-3:10PM
Daniel Rodriguez, Owner, ALIVE LLC
The use of drones in avocado groves to detect laurel wilt

3:10PM-3:40PM
Carlos de la Torre, Grove Owner-Operator Example of scouting for laurel wilt with a drone

3:40PM-4:00PM
John Mills, Owner, iDC
Our experience with the use of drone detection of laurel wilt

Was not a very good looking tree to start with.
Best to get a new one and do not water every day

Mark nice ON.  ON in Homestead come in with dry weight of 25-26% For Comparison Monroe  at 19%, Buck 3, 27%  (this is a very dry fruit),  Semil 23%.  I think that the flavors can be different in such a different environment. Most of my ON were off by mid January.

Regarding the question of which is the best avocado in Florida: The one you like.   

Since the beginning of avocado culture, innovative growers have sought the ideal avocado tree and then tried to reproduce it.
Unfortunately, early attempts were not very successful since every seed is different and the resulting trees and fruit were not particularly uniform.
More recent, the technique of grafting seedlings with buds from clones that produce superior crops has been the accepted practice. The results are the Hass, Pinkerton, Bacon, and other well-known varieties.
At Brokaw Nursery we have taken this concept a step further and applied it to developing uniform rootstocks that display a wide range of benefits. We call these clonal rootstocks. These stocks are genetically identical and exhibit uniform behavior when plated in identical situations.
The availability of Brokaw’s clonally rooted avocados lets you plant the best avocado tree for your particular situation. In short, you can custom design an avocado tree from the ground up.
Clonal propagation of rootstocks makes it possible to choose the most appropriate characteristics for your special conditions, whether these are disease-prone soils, chlorosis problems, soil and/or water saltiness or even tree size requirements.
In many cases clonal rootstocks are selected for their known tolerance to Phytophthora cinnamomi (Pc), a fungus that causes the devastating Avocado Root Rot. While it is true that a percentage of plants grown from seeds of certain varieties like Duke and G-6 possess some variable and uncertain root rot resistance, only plants that have clonal rootstocks offer definite and consistent resistance.
Duke 7, our first clonal rootstock, is moderately root rot resistant and displays the finest of growing characteristics. It has vigorous, but not rank, growth and has dark winter color and a fine record of fruit production. It is consistently a favorite among growers.

Christine which is the recommended Brokaw's root stock for hi PH rocky soil like we have in So. Florida?

How to Plant Pitahaya Cuttings - University of California Cooperative Extension - San Diego

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GmuSTx7IHo

Note cutting at 2:30 in video.

Yeap that looks like mine. I think I will put it in the field may be that will shake it up.

What I do know:
We in So. Florida sell a lot of Waldin seeds to places like Peru where they are planting a lot of Hass. They have water salinity issues not sure about their PH.  Some California propagator get seeds from So. Florida as well. If they can get Waldin they preferred it. Lula a close second

Har is correct. Some basic precautions and common sense. I have been brewing, handling various formulation with out a problem. Also follow label recommendation for protection.

Interesting a lot of for and against. Will like to find a factual article

You are in Fl as well I see them in my DF not sure is pathogenic. I hope some one with experience tell us what it is.

An article came in the Miami Herald on this "news". Here is the article and my reply to the reporter who wrote the piece.
This is the article:www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article134592774.html
This is my reply:
I’m a commercial avocado grower in Homestead, Florida. Thanks you for bringing the plight of the industry to the public’s attention.  I will like to point out certain inaccuracies in your piece.
First  Xyleborus glabratus  or the Red Bay Ambrosia Beetle  is not a problem in Homestead’s avocado groves. I believe only a few have been found in the last 12 months. There are at least two other beetles locally that have now become vectors of the Laurel wilt fungus. These other beetles have a different mode of action. These two are more attracted to stressed avocado trees.  Unless these materials are tested and work on a broad spectrum of borers this announcement can give people unrealistic expectation that the solution is near. The fact that it only repels 90% of one species can give people a wrong sense of security. It takes only one beetle to inoculated an kill the tree.
 
Right now I would say that most trees in commercial groves are dying from root transmission of the pathogen rather that beetle inoculation. Trees that were infected by beetles allowed to stay dead on the ground for too long or just cut and roots left in place. The pathogen stays underground for a long time moving from tree to tree.  An improperly  attended infected tree can set in motion a chain of events that can take dozens of trees.
 
I personally find the problem very manageable.  in my 20 acres with 2700 trees I lost 1 tree in February 2016 and 4 from a lightning strike in September 2016, with subsequent inoculation from beetles. (lightning strike assures beetle attraction and boring activity)  these events if handled properly end right there. The is a protocol from UF in handling these events I adhere to it, strictly, and enhance  it with a nutritional program design to  keep my trees in optimal condition. So you see, there is more a grower can do than just wait for the tree to die and then remove it.
These beetles are not going away, we just have to learn how to deal with the problem effectively. So far beetles are winning, but not in my grove.
 
Regards
 
Carlos

I would activate 5% inocucor, 5% molasses to the volume of water. Place in a closed container with an air lock or just vent daily. Is ready to use when the PH reaches  3.7 or less. 
Since  Inocucor is a very active culture it may accumulate residues in the container I always strain it. 
At the beginning apply 1 gal per acre 2-3 times a month, add a qt of new mollases to the water at application time.  Good luck, let me know if you see a difference in 3 months.

Nice pets Mark