Author Topic: Avocado thread  (Read 183445 times)

spaugh

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1025 on: March 25, 2023, 05:37:32 PM »
Brad, do you think this long cold, wet winter may have affected the fruit quality on the Malama? 

At this point, I think I'm finished collecting avocados.  Hopefully the scions I got from you in January take, this long winter has kept them dormant.

Looking forward to trying your varieties, but I've also come to the conclusion I need to streamline.  I'm tired and overwhelmed from too many projects and variety trials. 

Janet

I think it just doesn't grow well in CA and the fruit don't taste good.  It's not worth growing here.  The weather probably doesn't help but the fruit did get large and were not really watery but they have a grassy flavor that's off.  It's got a thinn skin also.  I have too many projects too, it's annoying.  Why do we do it to ourselves?

Hopefully your grafts are going soon.  Mine have all started growing now.  But it has taken a lot longer than expected.

Here's the top picks for me
Sharwil, Hass, Reed, Nabal

2nd tier but still great are
Pinkerton, fujikawa, Gwen
« Last Edit: March 25, 2023, 05:48:03 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

spaugh

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1026 on: March 25, 2023, 06:43:16 PM »
Here's how the tree from the video in December turned out.  Even with our long winter they are growing ok.  Not ideal but it seems like they will make it.  Gray Martin says my early grafting is frowned upon.  But it seems to work ok.  Now way I could have done so many bark grafts otherwise.  It would still not slip yet with all the cold.  I top worked 15 or 20 trees and they all seem to be growing out in this weather.



Brad Spaugh

drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1027 on: March 26, 2023, 01:06:14 AM »
We got some of the "Teeny Tiny Avocados" from Trader Joe's this week, and even though all the avocados were similarly small, they were evenly split between normal-ish sized seeds and itsy bitsy seeds (1 inch long).

What might cause this to happen to an avocado? I assume these are from Hass groves. Note the egg in the empty avocado skin, that's a "large" size egg. The seed looked viable so I'm germinating it. The seed coat was extremely hard and thick, like a pecan shell, I ended up cutting the top just to start cracking off the "shell."







Samu

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1028 on: March 27, 2023, 02:41:29 AM »
Here's how the tree from the video in December turned out.  Even with our long winter they are growing ok.  Not ideal but it seems like they will make it.  Gray Martin says my early grafting is frowned upon.  But it seems to work ok.  Now way I could have done so many bark grafts otherwise.  It would still not slip yet with all the cold.  I top worked 15 or 20 trees and they all seem to be growing out in this weather.




My 10 scions I got from Brad in January, started to breaking the buddy tapes 3 weeks ago; so yes, seems this super wet Winter season may caused the avocado grafts to linger longer than I experienced in the past. I was   little worry of why this was taking so long, and doubting myself of what I did wrong in grafting them. They mostly look good now, thanks again for the extras you sent me Brad!  ;)
Sam

jtnguyen333

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1029 on: March 27, 2023, 01:00:44 PM »
Brad, do you think this long cold, wet winter may have affected the fruit quality on the Malama? 

At this point, I think I'm finished collecting avocados.  Hopefully the scions I got from you in January take, this long winter has kept them dormant.

Looking forward to trying your varieties, but I've also come to the conclusion I need to streamline.  I'm tired and overwhelmed from too many projects and variety trials. 

Janet

Are you growing the Linda in your collection?

I think it just doesn't grow well in CA and the fruit don't taste good.  It's not worth growing here.  The weather probably doesn't help but the fruit did get large and were not really watery but they have a grassy flavor that's off.  It's got a thinn skin also.  I have too many projects too, it's annoying.  Why do we do it to ourselves?

Hopefully your grafts are going soon.  Mine have all started growing now.  But it has taken a lot longer than expected.

Here's the top picks for me
Sharwil, Hass, Reed, Nabal

2nd tier but still great are
Pinkerton, fujikawa, Gwen

love_Tropic

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1030 on: March 28, 2023, 11:40:56 PM »
I bought sir prize and pinkerton few months ago from maddock nursery and planted in 18 gal containers. They are doing good… on my understanding “sir prize” will not flower until few years (some case 5 years) also these leaves having similar undulate structure see attached pics…  (I do have reed , gwen shirwil having different leave structure ) Just want to know from your experience, Are they nothing but Pinkertons? Or sir prize can flower first year itself…








drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1031 on: March 30, 2023, 10:11:38 PM »
First open flower of the year in my greenhouse! This is Duke:


spaugh

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1032 on: April 01, 2023, 02:22:02 PM »
This Nimlioh fruit fell off early but was still pretty nice.  I can tell it will be really good in a few months.  The tree produced a few fruit for the first time this year and is still holding a couple.


Brad Spaugh

jtnguyen333

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1033 on: April 03, 2023, 02:03:42 PM »
Brad..how does it compare to a reed? 
This Nimlioh fruit fell off early but was still pretty nice.  I can tell it will be really good in a few months.  The tree produced a few fruit for the first time this year and is still holding a couple.



spaugh

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1034 on: April 03, 2023, 04:27:20 PM »
Similar.  It wasn't fully ripe so hard to say how good it will get but it's definitely a lot like a Reed.  Fruit size is a little larger also. 
Brad Spaugh

drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1035 on: April 03, 2023, 07:52:04 PM »
Does anyone know of any online/mail order nursery that sells ungrafted bundles of any of the clonal rootstocks that are popular for commercial avocado growers? I don't mean the newest/unreleased/patented ones, I mean stuff like Toro Canyon, Thomas, Duke7, etc.

I don't mind if there's a reasonable minimum order requirement, but I couldn't find anyone who is selling them, period, other than local deliveries to commercial orchards in CA as part of custom graft orders.

I'd love to add a dozen or two of those to my cold hardiness trials here, along with the seedlings I've been starting, but for some reason clonal rootstocks seem to be kept under lock and key.

drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1036 on: April 07, 2023, 02:18:09 PM »
While waiting for the Mexicola Grande graft to stop trying to flower and start growing leaves, I let the rootstock grow a new branch. I've never seen leaf coloration like this. Almost pink variegation? I assume the pink will fade when the leaves harden, though.




Could this be a sign of viral infection or something? Or just a new bud sport? The rootstock is a seedling of Bacon that had normal looking leaves prior to grafting. Here it was last summer:

spaugh

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1037 on: April 07, 2023, 04:36:50 PM »
Letting the rootstock grow suckers is not good for the graft. You should be removing all suckered and only let the graft grow.   
Brad Spaugh

drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1038 on: April 07, 2023, 05:47:36 PM »
Letting the rootstock grow suckers is not good for the graft. You should be removing all suckered and only let the graft grow.

Most of my trees have both a rootstock branch and a grafted branch, since I'm hoping to evaluate the hardiness of both the seedling and grafted variety. I've seen no problems with vigor on grafts where I allow the rootstock to grow, too. I do pinch the terminal bud until the graft gets going, as I've done to this one (it's hard to see in the photos, but the terminal bud is missing above the 4th leaf). Once the graft is growing well, I'll stop pinching buds on the rootstock branch, and then just keep them balanced via occasional pruning.


sc4001992

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1039 on: April 08, 2023, 02:29:02 AM »
drymifolia, looks like you have some variegated leaves on that avocado plant. I had some seedlings show variegated leaves but it eventually turn back to green color.

drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1040 on: April 13, 2023, 11:37:24 PM »
The extremely tight nodes on this Duke seedling seem to have helped protect it from the cold this winter, with the leaves so well overlapped that only the tips burned for many of the lower leaves:



It survived a multi-day freeze with a low of 17°F with just an upside down flower pot over it, and no protection at all for multiple nights in the 24°F to 27°F range.

I wonder if it'll end up dwarfed with such tight nodes, or if it'll stretch out more as it matures. Has anyone else grown any avocados with nodes this tight? Did they stay that way?

Rauf

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1041 on: April 14, 2023, 04:29:13 AM »
My Fantastic avocado, growing outdoors and grafted on seedling from store bought Hass avocado fruit, looks the same and has the same tight nodes. I have another Fantastic in my greenhouse with a more internode distance, but still tight


eez0

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1042 on: April 16, 2023, 05:46:14 PM »
Flower pruning day on this Reed. It had more than my Hass and Fuerte combined when they flowered lol

This is already with a few dozens already removed:


Final result:



drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1043 on: April 20, 2023, 12:31:28 PM »
Does anyone have any tips for minimizing avocado fruit drop during the first weeks & months after fruit set, other than ensuring plentiful water?

My greenhouse trees are about 75% finished flowering, and after diligent 3x daily hand pollinating it looks like pretty significant initial fruit set (based on flowers that have not fallen off many days after closing, though no visible fruitlets swelling yet). I haven't tried to count, but it's around 20% of all flowers that have closed up that are holding tight.

Ideally I'd like for Duke to hold lots of fruit on both multi-graft trees, since that graft is too vigorous compared to the other varieties on the same trees, so I welcome anything to slow it down to let the others catch up. Last year it was pruned twice as much as the others and still is largest on each tree.

Some of the smaller grafts (1 year old) will need to have their fruit removed, but I might leave one on each just to try some cultivars I've never had, like Walter Hole and Ganter. But probably the wise thing is to remove them all.

johnb51

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1044 on: April 22, 2023, 09:55:02 AM »
This is what my two babies are looking like.
Monroe planted January 2022 as small 3-gal.

Simmonds planted August 2022, as very small 3-gal.

John

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1045 on: July 06, 2023, 10:05:37 PM »
Hey: what would you all do with a ~10 year old, 13-15ft tall avocado tree grown from seed in a thin-plastic pot that is 24 inches wide and about 20 inches tall?   Hasn't flowered or fruited yet, leaves look super healthy, it's very possible roots have grown through bottom of the pot into ground.

johnb51

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1046 on: July 07, 2023, 09:20:18 AM »
Hey: what would you all do with a ~10 year old, 13-15ft tall avocado tree grown from seed in a thin-plastic pot that is 24 inches wide and about 20 inches tall?   Hasn't flowered or fruited yet, leaves look super healthy, it's very possible roots have grown through bottom of the pot into ground.
Plant it, then topwork.
John

ScottR

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1047 on: July 07, 2023, 12:05:54 PM »
Hey: what would you all do with a ~10 year old, 13-15ft tall avocado tree grown from seed in a thin-plastic pot that is 24 inches wide and about 20 inches tall?   Hasn't flowered or fruited yet, leaves look super healthy, it's very possible roots have grown through bottom of the pot into ground.
You should plant in ground like John said then can girdle plant in fall that's how they get a lot of seedling in Mexico to fruit or top a mentioned before.

drymifolia

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1048 on: July 07, 2023, 12:43:41 PM »
When unpotting, you may need to untangle or cut the roots a bit, and if so then you probably should also prune back the top. I'm impressed that it lived that long in such a small pot. I suspect you're right and it's got roots out of the bottom. To minimize damaging any roots coming out the bottom, you may want to cut the pot off in place, then try to dig it out rather than pulling up.

spaugh

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Re: Avocado thread
« Reply #1049 on: July 07, 2023, 03:07:42 PM »
Cant you just pick up on the pot and see if its stuck in the ground? 

It sounds like it is and if you mess with it during summer it will kill the tree.  Wait until its cold and raining if you are going to break its roots to transplant it. 
Brad Spaugh