The Reed avocado thread

[BestDay]

CA Hockey, avocados do sooooo much better in the ground. They are one of those plants that really don't like being in pots. Put it in the ground as soon as possible.

My six foot tall Reed tried to hold 50 fruit!  I thinned it down to three since I want it to spend its energy on growth. I do love Reed avocados. In my book they are one of the best varieties.

Bill

[Ulfr]

My dad has a reed seedling on his property that is 35 or more years old. As kids we used to all climb up in it. It is a very large tree and crops well with very large and decent fruit (though most of them are out of reach). They look like a slightly more textured reed. I'll take a pic next time I'm there.

[Greg A]

My favorite way to eat a Reed is as a personal bowl of guacamole. You guys ever do this? My son demonstrates:

[funlul]

Now.......last year's fruit set is unreal.  We've been eating super rich Reeds since May. 

I truly regret picking my few reeds earlier this year, mistakenly thought they ripen together with fuerte.

[fruitlovers]

Has anyone grown Reed in southern Florida or any other tropical climate? I tasted Reeds in California and thought they were really excellent. Would like to grow them here, but wonder if they would produce well here?

[Mark in Texas]

My favorite way to eat a Reed is as a personal bowl of guacamole. You guys ever do this? My son demonstrates:

Very cool, he's having some nutritious fun!  Another reason why I love Reed, the natural hard bowl.

Left side is the bowl, right is the whole half.
 

[Mark in Texas]

CA Hockey, avocados do sooooo much better in the ground. They are one of those plants that really don't like being in pots. Put it in the ground as soon as possible.

True.   However...... I have a 10' X 10' Reed tree in a large bottomless RootBuilder pot. We're eating fruit that are now 17 mos. old.  Even when I started tasting them back in May they were rich and delicious.  Only 7 left.   

[Mark in Texas]

Has anyone grown Reed in southern Florida or any other tropical climate? I tasted Reeds in California and thought they were really excellent. Would like to grow them here, but wonder if they would produce well here?

Pure Guatemalan, natural to the fairly cool tropical highlands.  If that's you're elevation and type of area, I'd go for it.  I can think of lots of places in Hawaii where Reed should do real well, like the uplands of Haleakala, Mauna mts. areas, Parker Ranch.....

[venturabananas]

True.   However...... I have a 10' X 10' Reed tree in a large bottomless RootBuilder pot. We're eating fruit that are now 17 mos. old.  Even when I started tasting them back in May they were rich and delicious.  Only 7 left.   

So, then it's rooted through the bottom into the ground, right?

[cos]

note to Oscar
got one in Hana & grows well but production not exceptional . Has grown out of control & there fore  hard to harvest .
Has dropped a seedling that may be better .
We shall see.

[Mark in Texas]

So, then it's rooted through the bottom into the ground, right?

Yes, by design.

[CA Hockey]

I hear you on putting them in the ground. When I first started  this hobby and wasn't as good with nutrition and the various needs of potted plants, everyone so often I would notice my plants (especially avocados) would sprout a foot or 2 out of nowhere and I wouldn't have to water as often. That usually meant that the roots had popped through the bottom and i hated having to rip them out to move he pots around.

K

CA Hockey, avocados do sooooo much better in the ground. They are one of those plants that really don't like being in pots. Put it in the ground as soon as possible.

My six foot tall Reed tried to hold 50 fruit!  I thinned it down to three since I want it to spend its energy on growth. I do love Reed avocados. In my book they are one of the best varieties.

Bill

[boxturtle]

so I have a 2 year old reed  bought it as a 7 gallon.  The 1st year I liked the way it grew.  It shot up to about 3 and half feet tall and about 2.5 feet wide.  Exactly what I wanted.  I didn't let it fruit so the next year it shot up to about 7 feet but it stayed just as wide, 2.5 maybe 3ft.   Should I just let it be?  My ideal is 10 by 10.   or should I top it?  Also thinking about leaving one fruit on lol good idea? or just take it off and let it fruit next year.....the trunk is a lil over 1.5inchs thick and still needs support

[Seanny]

Last year mine was 7'. I kept removing the leader's new leaves. It grew 6" taller.
This year I cut the leader. Tree is about 7.5'. Waiting for it to grow wider.

[boxturtle]

Last year mine was 7'. I kept removing the leader's new leaves. It grew 6" taller.
This year I cut the leader. Tree is about 7.5'. Waiting for it to grow wider.

how old is your tree?

[Seanny]

3rd year in the ground.

[spaugh]

Topping screws up reeds shape.  Just let it grow up thats how it wants to grow.  Otherwise it branches at the very top and you get a screwed up shape tree.  I have 6 reeds and a couple of them are screwed up because I topped them or they started screwed up from the nursery.  You want 1 central leader.  I saw a high desity planting where they put a 10ft T post in the ground and train each tree up that never topping.

[Seanny]

It sounds like I need to remove new leaves on 2 leaders instead of 1.
If you remove young leaves on leader the leader grow very slow.
Mine grew 6" after 2 flushes.

[spaugh]

Why would you remove leaves on a leader?  Just cut it off if you dont want it.  Removing leaves on avocado is going to leave the bark exposed and burnt. 

[Seanny]

Removing new leaves on the leader slow down the growth of the leader...less tall.
When there were no new leaves on the leader, the leader got thin.
Tree was growing 2-3' per year. Got it reduced to 6".

When it was in pot I draped it with shade netting.
The heat from the netting burned all the tender leaves underneath.
Leader grew 1-2".

It's weird that some side branches got sun burn but not the leader. IDK y.

This is how I slow down my Reed tree.

[Mark in Texas]

If you want to slow down your Reed by defoliating it which deprives it of food and it's getting you what you want, OK.  My Reed is also very vigorous but I control that with pruning, an application or two of Bonzi, a plant growth regulator, which if done during mid bloom increases fruit set and size according to field studies.  A tree without fruit will be vigorous with more vegetation.

My Reed is now in mid bloom and 2 months late.  At least the bees and other pollinators finally found it.  We had a helluva flush of wildflowers in Texas this spring which I think side tracked pollinators.  I also think my two applications of potassium sulphate and Solubor helped initiate the blooming response earlier this year.  Here it is last month.  It has hit the top of the greenhouse roof since then and is wider.  3 leaders/trunks, about 3" in girth, after freezing back to a stub Jan. 2018.

[boxturtle]

If you want to slow down your Reed by defoliating it which deprives it of food and it's getting you what you want, OK.  My Reed is also very vigorous but I control that with pruning, an application or two of Bonzi, a plant growth regulator, which if done during mid bloom increases fruit set and size according to field studies.  A tree without fruit will be vigorous with more vegetation.

My Reed is now in mid bloom and 2 months late.  At least the bees and other pollinators finally found it.  We had a helluva flush of wildflowers in Texas this spring which I think side tracked pollinators.  I also think my two applications of potassium sulphate and Solubor helped initiate the blooming response earlier this year.  Here it is last month.  It has hit the top of the greenhouse roof since then and is wider.  3 leaders/trunks, about 3" in girth, after freezing back to a stub Jan. 2018.

Dang Mark that Reed looks like nothing ever happened to it!

[boxturtle]

Topping screws up reeds shape.  Just let it grow up thats how it wants to grow.  Otherwise it branches at the very top and you get a screwed up shape tree.  I have 6 reeds and a couple of them are screwed up because I topped them or they started screwed up from the nursery.  You want 1 central leader.  I saw a high desity planting where they put a 10ft T post in the ground and train each tree up that never topping.

Brad thanks for the heads up! i thought i recall somebody  saying that they topped it and it screwed up the shape but couldn't find the thread so i thought i asked.  I also figured i better ask now because some trees need it done early enough.  I was actually planning to pug it to knee height and see if i can create a bush rather then a vertical tree.   But i will let it be it's healthy and happy.

[spaugh]

Once the tree sets fruit it will slow way down. 

My reeds set pretty much every flower.  They drop most but still hold 2-3X more than they can.  I go in around July or august and do some thinning. When they are young they will drop the fruits early(this time next year) if you dont thin down to the proper fruit load.

[Mark in Texas]

Topping screws up reeds shape.  Just let it grow up thats how it wants to grow.  Otherwise it branches at the very top and you get a screwed up shape tree.  I have 6 reeds and a couple of them are screwed up because I topped them or they started screwed up from the nursery.  You want 1 central leader.  I saw a high desity planting where they put a 10ft T post in the ground and train each tree up that never topping.

Mark thanks for the heads up! i thought i recall somebody  saying that they topped it and it screwed up the shape but couldn't find the thread so i thought i asked.  I also figured i better ask now because some trees need it done early enough.  I was actually planning to pug it to knee height and see if i can create a bush rather then a vertical tree.   But i will let it be it's healthy and happy.

Like Brad advised.  It happened to me.  I topped very low and it turned out with a goal post shape, hollow in the center.  I chose 3 shoots to become the new trunks March of 2018: