Author Topic: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?  (Read 761 times)

Pedroboy

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Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« on: July 22, 2021, 01:31:35 PM »
This is an open letter to any longtime avo grower out there.

Come Christmas - I'm looking to take a bit of height off the tallest, most vertical recent growth on my Mexicola Avocado for the first time. Up to now I've mostly been letting it run wild, except when I've found really cantilevered laterals or badly crossed branches - never any real hard pruning. Mostly, the tree has kept a pretty attractive harping 8' wide perimeter all on its own. At its tallest points it's probably pushing 12' and I'm hoping I can steadily work it to keep it at 10'.

Right now we're really only talking about three towering runs here, but is there a chance that in tackling all of them in one go I might really set the tree back unnecessarily? I kind of figured that a lost season might be a given, but I wasn't sure if, taken too far, this might result in alternate bearing for a longer period. I've gotten two increasingly productive years out of the tree thus far. This Thanksgiving should see its third.

Also, if I start with the idea of taking about 2' off of each limb, does anybody have recommendations about how I target my cuts - say, down to the nearest beefy 1/2" south facing lateral growth or...? Glancing at the tree just now, lopping at the 2' mark would have me cutting through a 1" thick portion of each limb.

Or am I overthinking this - and the tree won't miss a beat from what I have planned?

Thanks to any/all for your input.

Chris




spaugh

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2021, 01:54:20 PM »
You can stump avocsdo trees and thry just come back so no worries on cutting a lot off at once.  Just do it in winter when the sun isnt as intense and then paint the newly exposed wood with white paint. 
Brad Spaugh

Pedroboy

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2021, 02:06:00 PM »
Thanks for that Brad - will do.

Your JB and Reed scions are taking like gangbusters on my Kona Sharwil, BTW - even in the June/July gloom that these inland infernos have imposed on us.

zands

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2021, 03:58:18 PM »
You can stump avocsdo trees and thry just come back so no worries on cutting a lot off at once.  Just do it in winter when the sun isnt as intense and then paint the newly exposed wood with white paint.

Hmmmm..... Thanks I think I have an avocado stumping candidate.

Gone tropo

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2021, 07:44:21 PM »
I have a seedling avacado that was too tall so i cut it back to 20cm (6inches) from the ground and it has sprouted back aggressive and thickened right up which is exactly what i wanted. Pretty tough plant really its not even under any shade cloth.

zands

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2021, 03:45:42 PM »
You can stump avocsdo trees and thry just come back so no worries on cutting a lot off at once.  Just do it in winter when the sun isnt as intense and then paint the newly exposed wood with white paint.

Did I stump this Lula enough? The cut is at 40" high. Diameter at top is 4". At the bottom trunk looks 5.5" diameter







Before stumping




« Last Edit: July 23, 2021, 10:45:26 PM by zands »

Orkine

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2021, 04:01:35 PM »
Zzzz that was quick.  Had you planed on stumping the tree before you saw this post and this was the trigger to go for it?

zands

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2021, 04:19:16 PM »
Zzzz that was quick.  Had you planed on stumping the tree before you saw this post and this was the trigger to go for it?

Yes I had not been thinking about such drastic action. When Spaugh said stump it to someone else, I got triggered. To do the same. I had been mulling over how to remove the tree and plant something else. But now I will give it a fresh start with fertilizing and watering. Hopefully all goes well.

The tree had been looking awful. It shed all leaves three months ago, the new ones that grew back were smaller.

Pedroboy

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2021, 06:03:29 PM »
So had the Lula been producing for you? Looks like it must've - judging by that diameter. A neighbor of mine hacked a Jim Bacon way back
like you've just done - probably 5 or 6 years ago. Looks pretty much the size of my 12' Mexicola today. Good luck with Lula v.2.0

zands

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Re: Hard Pruning My Mexicola - Advice?
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2021, 10:38:43 PM »
So had the Lula been producing for you? Looks like it must've - judging by that diameter. A neighbor of mine hacked a Jim Bacon way back
like you've just done - probably 5 or 6 years ago. Looks pretty much the size of my 12' Mexicola today. Good luck with Lula v.2.0

Btw -- Trunk diameter about 4 inches....I had spotty production from this Lula. I never liked the way it looked/was shaped anyhow. So off to a new start, and good luck to you with your Mexicola avocado tree.