At the end of my pole...Picking Lula Avocados in Late January.

[johnb51]

The mighty Lula tree in my neighborhood still has fruit at the top.  It was literally a stretch, but I managed to pick me a bucket!  I revere this tree.  I started picking in late September.

[johnb51]

Tree

[achetadomestica]

My friends Lula tree was loaded this year. What a fantastic avocado.
The last ones got picked  a week ago
Is there a better tasting late season avocado?

[johnb51]

My friends Lula tree was loaded this year. What a fantastic avocado.
The last ones got picked  a week ago
Is there a better tasting late season avocado?

I'm starting to think there isn't a better tasting late season Florida avocado!  I'm going to do a review of Lula as soon as the ones I picked today are ready to eat.  Tom at Lazy Lizard Avocado Farm in Redland/Homestead says Lula is his favorite avocado.  (I know there are better tasting California ones, but that's a given. )

[Galatians522]

Congrats! You just picked close to $50 worth of avocados in January!

[palmcity]

Lula avocado & I believe a bacon were my survivors from various diseases over the years.

I don't really do a proper fertilizing program with them.

The bacon rarely has an avocado. The lula is much more productive & I enjoy the taste. My lula looked smaller than yours picked but the bucket may be much smaller than mine for a reference.

This year I quit eliminating the rats/squirrels after Oct. 1 when mango season finished here; so the animals ate more than I this year and none made it to the end of Dec.

Agree, Lula seems to work for some South Florida avocados in the yard. I just wish my tree would grow faster and I also wish the fruit were larger.

[johnb51]

Congrats! You just picked close to $50 worth of avocados in January!

Easily, and much better than the Mexican avocados found in the supermarket!

[johnb51]

This year I quit eliminating the rats/squirrels after Oct. 1 when mango season finished here; so the animals ate more than I this year and none made it to the end of Dec.
Agree, Lula seems to work for some South Florida avocados in the yard. I just wish my tree would grow faster and I also wish the fruit were larger.

Almost all of the fruit had squirrel damage.  And you're right about the size.  My neighbor has a tree, a seedling of Lula it seems, which has fruit double the size of Lula and of equal eating quality.  The only problem with the tree is that it's growing straight up like an avocado skyscraper!  We're going to try grafting it on to Monroe and see what happens, whether that will control the growth characteristics.  But the squirrels love that avocado, too.  We need to cut the squirrel population in half around here. 

[johnb51]

Review of late-season Lula avocado:
Dense flesh.  Somewhat creamy, better than earlier in the season, but still a little watery at the stem end.  The flavor is sweet and mild--a very light cashew flavor.  Would I say it has more flavor than Monroe or Choquette?  Not really.  The seed is large.  Is it as richly flavored as a California avocado (such as Hass or Fuerte)?  Not by a mile.

I'd still like to taste the Kampong avocado that everyone raves about.  Also, Lara's Improved Pollock and Lolo out of Puerto Rico.

[drymifolia]

We need to cut the squirrel population in half around here. 

The tree in the first photo in this thread looks like a good candidate for some kind of squirrel prevention on the trunk, since it's standing alone, away from other trees, so if you can stop the squirrels from getting up the trunk they have no other way to get into tree. Maybe paint it with that super sticky stuff the rodents won't walk over? Or wrap in sheet metal for a few feet so they can't get a handhold or jump past it?

[Julie]

Your Lula avocadoes look amazing!  Normally the Lula I've bought have a lot of avocado scab but yours look very clean.

[johnb51]

We need to cut the squirrel population in half around here. 

The tree in the first photo in this thread looks like a good candidate for some kind of squirrel prevention on the trunk, since it's standing alone, away from other trees, so if you can stop the squirrels from getting up the trunk they have no other way to get into tree. Maybe paint it with that super sticky stuff the rodents won't walk over? Or wrap in sheet metal for a few feet so they can't get a handhold or jump past it?

Thank you.  I'm going to work on squirrel deterrence this year.  Last year they got more than half the mangos on my neighbor's tree.

[Plantinyum]

Those look amazing, thats a beautifful tree. Is the tree in someones yard or do you have problems when you pick fruit from random trees near peoples houses?
Thats a nice picking pole also!

[johnb51]

Those look amazing, thats a beautifful tree. Is the tree in someones yard or do you have problems when you pick fruit from random trees near peoples houses?
Thats a nice picking pole also!

I live in a senior (55+) community so we only own the land up to 4 feet from our houses, and there are no fences.  Everything else is community common property, and fruit trees are fair game.  I picked at least a half-dozen buckets from that tree, and I never saw anyone else picking the fruit other than the squirrels.  The pole came from Amazon.

[Plantinyum]

Those look amazing, thats a beautifful tree. Is the tree in someones yard or do you have problems when you pick fruit from random trees near peoples houses?
Thats a nice picking pole also!

I live in a senior (55+) community so we only own the land up to 4 feet from our houses, and there are no fences.  Everything else is community common property, and fruit trees are fair game.  I picked at least a half-dozen buckets from that tree, and I never saw anyone else picking the fruit other than the squirrels.  The pole came from Amazon.

wow nice, ive seen such big ones/avocado in the stores here and they are quite pricey. I would also totally harvest all of them ,given the circumstances.