The Reed avocado thread

[spaugh]

i think they take about 8-9 days

[boxturtle]

>

i think they take about 8-9 days

Thanks Brad lol I thought there was something more to it then waiting over year for them lol 😆

[Elijah]

Check out the fruit set on the reeds here, looks like every flower set a fruitlet.

I know this is old thread but I couldn't hold back my laughter after seeing the pic. I happened to be stumbled across this thread.  Reed is surely productive.

[spaugh]

This year I have one tree with last years fruits that is about to break a really large branch full of fruit.  That is a bad thing about reed.  The branches weep and break if thry get too full of fruit.  Even after heavy thinning, it is still too much.

[Elijah]

This year I have one tree with last years fruits that is about to break a really large branch full of fruit.  That is a bad thing about reed.  The branches weep and break if thry get too full of fruit.  Even after heavy thinning, it is still too much.

I think "too much" is still better than too little
My friend has a large Fuerte avocado tree and the avocado has great taste but it notoriously alternates its production.  He told me it produced only 16 or 17 avocado last year.

[spaugh]

I got rid of fuerte because it was a huge tree and would  ake no fruit for years in a row.  I think fuerte is very dependent on perfect weather to set fruit or something.  It was maube the least dependable avocado tree i grew. 

[Elijah]

I now know that Reed is one of the most productive avocado varieties if not the best. I wonder what its taste like?
Can someone tell me how it tastes?

My reed avocado tree is blooming for the second year. Last year it dropped all its fruits. I guess I have to remove all fruits this year manually if it does not drop them for its growth.

[CThurst83]

Hey Guys,

I’m looking for some advice on my Reed. I put in a 15 gal durling Reed from Home Depot at the beginning of 2022. The tree flowered heavily defoliated and was slow to grow new leaves. This year it’s the same story ( pics from this month). I was planning to reevaluate at the end of the summer and possibly replace it. Does anybody think I should wait and give this tree anymore time?

Thanks

[spaugh]

Did you strip the fruit set?

I have a lot of reed trees and noticed also that some of them do this.  They fruit so hard they can't make new leaves before summer hits and then get stunted.  Remove the fruit set and it will help but some trees just never really break the cycle and need replacing.  Reed fruits so hard when small like this it is a fairly high percentage that it can happen to.  I am seeing 20-25% of my reed trees doing this. 

[sc4001992]

Brad, does the rootstock help Reed to grow stronger, maybe use a Bacon or Aravaipa seedling as the rootstock?

I noticed my grafted Aravaipa branches are all very vigorous growers. Also, my new Russell grafts are fast growers. These fruits might be a good one to use as seedling rootstock trees.

[CThurst83]

Thanks Brad,

I didn’t see any fruit grow past the BB stage before the tree dropped them so no need to remove. The tree is getting a little singed on south west facing branches because of the lacking foliage so it looks like it’s going down hill.

[spaugh]

You need to strip the bb size fruit off so the tree can try and flush new leaves.  I guess it does not have them anymore?  They are all over in the last pic you posted.

Anyway, this is definitely a thing with reed trees.  Honestly I dont think it will resolve.  I have one tree thats 8 years old and it does it every year still.  I had planted 5 reeds at that time and one of them does it.  And now I planted and grafted another 20 or 30 of them 3 years ago and I see the same ratio of problem trees. 

Hass trees also can have the same issue.   Most likely the problem is related to the specific rootstock but that is just a guess.

I did plant some trees on clonal rootstocks a few years ago to try and understand if they would grow better and fruit better in general.  It will be interesting to see if any of them turn into one of these trees that gets stunted or not. 

[spaugh]

Brad, does the rootstock help Reed to grow stronger, maybe use a Bacon or Aravaipa seedling as the rootstock?

I noticed my grafted Aravaipa branches are all very vigorous growers. Also, my new Russell grafts are fast growers. These fruits might be a good one to use as seedling rootstock trees.

Zutano seeds seem to be better than bacon for me.  And the zutanos seem to do well except for some reason a fraction of the trees end up same as this guys tree.  I don't fully understand it.  I think it could be a bad individual rootstock but not certain.

I have trees in rows in a field getting the exact same treatment and some look like this and the ones right next to it look perfect. 

[Elijah]

Hey Guys,

I’m looking for some advice on my Reed. I put in a 15 gal durling Reed from Home Depot at the beginning of 2022. The tree flowered heavily defoliated and was slow to grow new leaves. This year it’s the same story ( pics from this month). I was planning to reevaluate at the end of the summer and possibly replace it. Does anybody think I should wait and give this tree anymore time?

Thanks

How old are your reed trees?
My reed tree is about 3-4 years old. Last year, it flowered and produced fruitlets, but they all dropped. This year, it had many flowers but hardly any leaves, so I manually removed them all. However, it still seems stunted, much like yours. It's frustrating to see it not growing. At least your trees have nice leaves. My tree is like a skeleton with some small leaves.

[Elijah]

Does anyone have a reed tree that is growing vigorously?
It seems like many of them struggle to grow well or even get stunted easily. I also suspected rootstock issues and checked for rootstock compatibility. Some research suggests that avocado trees grafted onto Dusa rootstock show better growth and resistance to saline and root rot, though the findings were not specifically focused on the Reed variety.

Before buying more reed trees, I'd like to know which rootstock is best for reed tree to grow vigorously.

[sc4001992]

As Brad mentioned, some trees just aren't as healthy even with the same rootstock in the exact same growing conditions.

I know of a person who has a large reed tree that grows vigorously and has nice large fruits on it now. When I go over there in another week, I'll ask him what rootstock it is on if he can remember. I'm planning to get cuttings from his tree and graft it on my large Hawaiian rootstock tree which has about 12 varieties grafted and all of them are growing strong.

[spaugh]

I have lots of nice reed trees that look great and produce well.  And others that do not look so great.  As mwntioned about 20-25% are duds.  Clonal rootstock might resolve it but not sure?  I don't really care a whole lot.  It is annoying but I just put more rootstocks in the geound and try again until thry are all good. 

[CThurst83]

Hey Guys,

I’m looking for some advice on my Reed. I put in a 15 gal durling Reed from Home Depot at the beginning of 2022. The tree flowered heavily defoliated and was slow to grow new leaves. This year it’s the same story ( pics from this month). I was planning to reevaluate at the end of the summer and possibly replace it. Does anybody think I should wait and give this tree anymore time?

Thanks

How old are your reed trees?
My reed tree is about 3-4 years old. Last year, it flowered and produced fruitlets, but they all dropped. This year, it had many flowers but hardly any leaves, so I manually removed them all. However, it still seems stunted, much like yours. It's frustrating to see it not growing. At least your trees have nice leaves. My tree is like a skeleton with some small leaves.

Elijah

Actually I planted this at the beginning of 2023 not 22. It was 15 gal size so it’s a couple years with one year in ground. If I keep the tree I will try removing the flowers also.

[CThurst83]

You need to strip the bb size fruit off so the tree can try and flush new leaves.  I guess it does not have them anymore?  They are all over in the last pic you posted.

Anyway, this is definitely a thing with reed trees.  Honestly I dont think it will resolve.  I have one tree thats 8 years old and it does it every year still.  I had planted 5 reeds at that time and one of them does it.  And now I planted and grafted another 20 or 30 of them 3 years ago and I see the same ratio of problem trees. 

Hass trees also can have the same issue.   Most likely the problem is related to the specific rootstock but that is just a guess.


Hey Brad,

If I keep the tree I will give that a try. Where did you find the clonal reeds? If I can get one I will probably just chop this one and throw the new tree in a little further up the slope.

Chris

I did plant some trees on clonal rootstocks a few years ago to try and understand if they would grow better and fruit better in general.  It will be interesting to see if any of them turn into one of these trees that gets stunted or not.

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

Does anyone have a reed tree that is growing vigorously?
It seems like many of them struggle to grow well or even get stunted easily. I also suspected rootstock issues and checked for rootstock compatibility. Some research suggests that avocado trees grafted onto Dusa rootstock show better growth and resistance to saline and root rot, though the findings were not specifically focused on the Reed variety.

Before buying more reed trees, I'd like to know which rootstock is best for reed tree to grow vigorously.

I have a Reed avocado tree that was planted in the ground in early 2021 from a #5 pot. Purchased from Green Thumb Nursery.

My Reed seems to growing Ok now but started off a bit slow for the 1st year. (See photo)

Johnny


Reed Avocado Tree (6-17-2024)

[Elijah]

Does anyone have a reed tree that is growing vigorously?
It seems like many of them struggle to grow well or even get stunted easily. I also suspected rootstock issues and checked for rootstock compatibility. Some research suggests that avocado trees grafted onto Dusa rootstock show better growth and resistance to saline and root rot, though the findings were not specifically focused on the Reed variety.

Before buying more reed trees, I'd like to know which rootstock is best for reed tree to grow vigorously.

I have a Reed avocado tree that was planted in the ground in early 2021 from a #5 pot. Purchased from Green Thumb Nursery.

My Reed seems to growing Ok now but started off a bit slow for the 1st year. (See photo)

Johnny


Reed Avocado Tree (6-17-2024)

Your reed tree is doing very well, actually. You got it in a 5-gallon pot, and after only 3 years, it looks like it's over 6 feet tall. That's awesome! I wonder what rootstock was used.

[spaugh]

You need to strip the bb size fruit off so the tree can try and flush new leaves.  I guess it does not have them anymore?  They are all over in the last pic you posted.

Anyway, this is definitely a thing with reed trees.  Honestly I dont think it will resolve.  I have one tree thats 8 years old and it does it every year still.  I had planted 5 reeds at that time and one of them does it.  And now I planted and grafted another 20 or 30 of them 3 years ago and I see the same ratio of problem trees. 

Hass trees also can have the same issue.   Most likely the problem is related to the specific rootstock but that is just a guess.


Hey Brad,

If I keep the tree I will give that a try. Where did you find the clonal reeds? If I can get one I will probably just chop this one and throw the new tree in a little further up the slope.

Chris

I did plant some trees on clonal rootstocks a few years ago to try and understand if they would grow better and fruit better in general.  It will be interesting to see if any of them turn into one of these trees that gets stunted or not.

Sorry I was not clear on that.  The clonal trees are hass trees.  My seedling grafted hass trees also have this same problem.  So we will see if the clonal rootstocks will help.  The clonal trees came from a nursery up in vista area.  ELis or something like that.  Someone else purchased them for me, I have not been to the nursery.  I got 10 of them and they were all in rough shape.  I can not really recommend their trees.  But after chopping them back and getting some soft wood growing again, most of them are starting to grow well.

I think theres something that happens to all avocado trees when they set too much fruit and then suffer sunburn.  The wood gets hard and stops growing well.  Its like permenant damage once it is done.

[CThurst83]

You need to strip the bb size fruit off so the tree can try and flush new leaves.  I guess it does not have them anymore?  They are all over in the last pic you posted.

Anyway, this is definitely a thing with reed trees.  Honestly I dont think it will resolve.  I have one tree thats 8 years old and it does it every year still.  I had planted 5 reeds at that time and one of them does it.  And now I planted and grafted another 20 or 30 of them 3 years ago and I see the same ratio of problem trees. 

Hass trees also can have the same issue.   Most likely the problem is related to the specific rootstock but that is just a guess.


Hey Brad,

If I keep the tree I will give that a try. Where did you find the clonal reeds? If I can get one I will probably just chop this one and throw the new tree in a little further up the slope.

Chris

I did plant some trees on clonal rootstocks a few years ago to try and understand if they would grow better and fruit better in general.  It will be interesting to see if any of them turn into one of these trees that gets stunted or not.

Sorry I was not clear on that.  The clonal trees are hass trees.  My seedling grafted hass trees also have this same problem.  So we will see if the clonal rootstocks will help.  The clonal trees came from a nursery up in vista area.  ELis or something like that.  Someone else purchased them for me, I have not been to the nursery.  I got 10 of them and they were all in rough shape.  I can not really recommend their trees.  But after chopping them back and getting some soft wood growing again, most of them are starting to grow well.

I think theres something that happens to all avocado trees when they set too much fruit and then suffer sunburn.  The wood gets hard and stops growing well.  Its like permenant damage once it is done.

 I am not liking the look of the sun burn on this Reed. I talked to subtropica in fallbrook and they have some reeds on Tami. I got a lamb on clonal from them in like 2015 and it did well so thinking this is the route I will go.

[spaugh]

Yes subtropica is the nursery mine were from.  Honestly their trees kind of not very healthy but maybe you will get something better.  His trees seem not very acclimated to sun.  The place with the best trees is Clausen's but theirs are on zutano seedling. 

[Elijah]

I spoke with a staff member at Brokaw Nursery today about buying some reed trees, and they informed me that they don't sell clonal rootstock avocado trees to individuals unless purchased in bulk. They recommended visiting their retail nurseries like Laguna Nursery or Memosa. I believe Brokaw Nursery's rootstocks are the most reliable, given their extensive experimentation across several farms with different rootstocks.