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« on: December 03, 2021, 01:24:20 AM »
Hello. This spring I will be grafting some Stewart avocado seedlings with Mexicola and Mexicola Grande scions. My previous attempts to plant seedlings grown from store bought fruits (Guatemalan most likely) in ground have failed as the trees froze to the ground every winter. It is not that cold here, but the cold spells can be prolonged and I don't have any sheltered spots on the property (some cousins have store bought seedlings doing fine in sheltered areas). Now, I know that Stewart is less cold hardy than Mexicola and assuming the seedlings could end up inheriting this trait, I would like to make some precautions to protect the rootstock part.
I have read online that in California, the West Indies rootstocks are being used for their tolerance of many things, but because they are the most cold sensitive type of avocado, the graft union gets buried under ground.
Has anyone had any experience with this burying of the graft union? I know that avocados really don't like being water logged, so this burying kind of sounds like it would increase the chance of the trunk rotting away.
Or maybe someone has other ideas on how to protect the rootstock?