Author Topic: New to gardening: how can I care for mango and avocado trees in AU zone 11a?  (Read 356 times)

t

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Hello everyone! I am new to gardening (never planted or looked after anything before) and new to this forum so if I am doing anything wrong in my post please let me know and redirect me to the correct place/correct way to do things.

Ok so I‘ve always wanted a mango and avocado tree so I bought a grafted Kensington pride mango tree, a grafted dwarf shepard avocado tree and a grafted dwarf Pinkerton avocado tree. (Got the two avocado trees to have a type A and B).

So I would really love to know any and all information on how to care for these three trees! Where to keep them (sun/shade), when, how much and how often to water them. When and what kind of fertiliser to use. When and how much to prune. When and how often to repot. Any other information you can think of because I know nothing!

Also I believe I’m in a zone 11a in Australia, and I am planning to keep each of these trees in pots. I know the mango tree would probably do better planted in the ground but I’m planning to get it in a pot until I can move into my own house, so possibly 5-7 years. Is it okay to keep the mango tree in a pot for that long? Or does it have to grow in the ground? The two dwarf avocado trees are fine in pots forever right?

Thank you so much  :)

drymifolia

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The two dwarf avocado trees are fine in pots forever right?

No.

First, there's no such thing as dwarfing avocado rootstock. That's a myth that tree sellers use to sell more trees. There are some grafted varieties that grow more vigorously than others, or some that sprawl more, but none that are really "dwarf" like you can dwarf cherry or apple trees by selecting dwarfing rootstocks. Decades and decades were spent trying to breed dwarfing rootstocks at the University of California, and their ultimate conclusion was that avocados cannot be dwarfed that way. Instead, high density groves just aggressively prune their trees to keep them small enough for the density.

Second, I've never yet met someone who successfully fruits avocado in a container. It would need to be a really, really large container I think. Like 30 gal at a bare minimum, probably larger. Avocados have large root systems that don't do well in containers.

You can certainly keep them alive for 5-7 years in pots, but they will be hard to keep happy that long and are unlikely to bear fruit even though they may flower. You'd be better off just waiting 5 years and buy trees when you have a place to plant them in the ground right away.
« Last Edit: July 17, 2023, 10:02:54 AM by drymifolia »

Jordan321

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I got a brogdan last year that was one of many already fruiting at the nursery. I think they were in 30 gallons (but they went straight in the ground and my memory is not to be trusted). I say this only to say I've seen cados fruit while stuck in pots. In no way am I endorsing such cruelty.

T, the folks on here are top tier growers who give top tier advice and expect top tier performance from their plants.... Shoot, from what I could see, there's a guy on here that takes a chainsaw to an avocado tree a week, just to keep his other trees living in fear! 🤣 They'll throw you some good advice on keeping your new leaf babies happy. And when you get a place you'll be a top tier growers yourself.

 

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