Gee Lisa, I can not believe there is a fruit that you can't grow. You are so awesome with everything in the fruit world. I wish I could help you, babe. I had a beautiful Avocado that died because I was in no shape to water it and Dennis never put it in the ground for me so it died in it's pot. I started one once from seed before we built our home. It did good, but not fantastic after we put it in the ground at the new house. I think I watered it too much. It finally gave up after we had to move it to put in our pool. There are people in my neighborhood that have no talent for growing any other landscape plants or trees, but they are successfully growing avocados. I don't know the secret. I want to get another one and try again now that I am feeling better.

I agree Cindee, Lisa can grow anything and has proof too.

Only thing I can guess is, as with my scented geranium lesson, Plant the avocado in a place you wouldnt think it could grow and kinda ignore it for a long time.

The little I know about them is to not feed em hardly at all until they survive living in their spot in the ground for a yr and water only when leaves show a need.

I need to try growing one, like tomatos, I am not one bit interested in an avocado, but wifey is, so I will give it a shot. I just need to find a good one worth growing.

Veronika gave me one at Ricky's swap, but there will be a closed casket ceremony tomorrow at noon, it didnt make it, but will have an autopsy performed to see what's up.

Good luck with your new one(s)

Tony

TONY!!!!!!!! You murdered that Avocado I was willing to wrestle you for? shaking head....weeping in sorrow for it's loss........

Blame me, blame me!!!
The avocado lost some of its root mass when I was trying to dig it from all this wine surrounding it.It was a mess, it did not wanted to be potted. So I was not sure, about it's longevity from the very beginning of its sad potted life. Although, I was thinking if anybody can make it live, it would be Tony!!!
Anyways, I am going to start every seed of every avocado that we or the squirel will eat this season, so you guys have unlimited supply of avocado seedlings!!!
I don't know what variety we have (it is been here already before we moved in...), it is large smooth skin avocado, the very best I have ever eaten. I was not to big on avocados, until I tasted this one. I am guessing it is Miguel variety.
Veronika

Here is a link that might be useful: Miguel avocado

Veronika-I had bought a Pine Island Miguel last year at the Caloosa Exotic Fruit and Tree sale last year. I loved that tree!! I just wasn't able to take care of it. Save me one or two!

I will, Cindy!!!
I will plant every seed I will be able to put my hand on!!!
The only thing will be interesting, how will I be able to get all these future seedling to the next swap. I will need a truck! The tree is loaded.
:-)
Veronika

Lisa, I too am surprised. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, as with my fig trees planted in the ground, I took the seed from an avocado I got from the supermarket and grew my tree. I was told it probably wouldn't bear fruit but it does. It blew over in the hurricanes and Ralph jacked it back up after cutting the top half off to make it lighter. Today it is as tall as ever an loaded with fruit. Mine gets LOTS of water, since it's in with the rest of my tropicals and fertilizer. Since all else has failed why not try planting your new one in a wetter spot and see what happens. If you remember my back yard runs down hill and the tree is in the down hill part.

Lisa,
I want that avocado tree. But in YOUR yard! I don't know any secrets about them either.
Seems the ones I see growing and fruiting well are pretty much neglected.
I don't think they like rich soil or soil that holds moisture for too long. Fairly light fertilizing, like citrus.
The Black Prince sounds like it had anthracnose when you got it.
It is hard to believe that you can grow some of the most exotic and finniky fruits in the world, but the avocado eludes you.
Hope this one's the charm!

Lisa, plant it, give it a kiss and then tell it it is on its own to live or die and forget about it other than to water if the leaves show a need. Linda

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya Lisa. Oh and Peati says good luck!
Marion

Well, with all the good wishes directed at this dern tree, it shouldn't DARE croak! (G) Especially with Peati's endorsement!

It is awfully pretty, and I'm afraid to touch it, thinking that whatever I do will kill it.. It is in light afternoon shade now, with the Cashew and Noni for company. This time I'll cut the pot off, so I don't irritate the delicate roots(G).

Thank you all for your suggestions and ideas. I'll get a photo now, and more as time passes. I'll call it "The incredible, shrinking Avocado series, part 15."

Lisa

Lisa, once you situate the new avocado tree, get a stick and wack the trunk a few times. I have a hort friend that beileves wacking a tree makes it think it needs to strengthen it roots and survive, also the vibration is supposed to attract worms.

Wait, did I say that a tree could think?? yep I did and I do believe all plants have a mind and sense of being. OK I'm wacky!!!

Hahaha, Cindeea,
I was at my friend Audrey's this afternoon and she was wondering why her avocado tree hasn't bloomed yet. It's a nice looking 10 footer at least.
My comment to her was "It's time to get out the big stick."
Funny?!

All this avocado talk has prompted me to buy a couple fruits just for the seeds. I have one HAAS and one Florida avocados.

While in KS last week, we met up with someone that told us we would need to grow 'several' different seeds to be sure we have a female tree, other wise there would just be woodage and no fruit.

why does everything always have to be so complicated?

Froggy, you heard of the tree wacking treatment too??

I heard about hitting the tree trunk too, supposed to make it bloom. It causes the tree to sway, and stimulates a growth hormone for blooming. Or so I heard. :o)

I've heard that one and I've also heard of root pruning a shurb. Then fertilize it to stimulate growth.

Greetings,
After a friend's Brogdon avocado tree blew down during Hurricane Charlie, I was fortunate to get a bag of about 16 avocados for salads. I sprouted all the pits and handed the Brogdon trees to church friends and kept one for myself. The tree is about 14' tall right now and should start producing next year. I also started an "alligator pear avocado" from some pits of yummy, big avocados trees that were loaded out at some friend's Maitland condos. I sprouted about 10 pits, gave baby trees away and kept one for myself. Before I planted it the ground, I considered how tall it would get. I planted it a couple of yards from my house, with the hopes of having to climb onto the roof with my long handled fruit picker to harvest avocados someday.
My sprouting and planting methodology is certainly not fancy. I do the good, old toothpick sprouting in water technique. After a root forms out of the bottom (single, white and about 2" - 3" long,) I plant them in gallon pots of rich potting soil. After they get about 7" - 8" with trunk and foliage in height, I plant them in the ground. In the time period that it takes for them to be planted directly in the ground, I move the gallon pots around to see location preferences of the tree/plant. So far, I am at 90% success with sprouting and nurturing my avocados.
I have sprouted and planted a Haas from the grocery store. It grew to about 3' and started to decline. I consulted Tom MacCubbin. Tom said that Haas avocados do well in California and Mexico, but that they don't do very well in Florida.
A friend, who is a botanist, is serving 27 months in the Peace Corp in Guatemala cataloging plants. She came home this weekend and brought me a criollo avocado pit to start. It is already sitting on my kitchen windowsill.
Water, good dirt and bright light, not direct sunlight has worked well for me.
Happy guacamole,
Diana

Cindeea, 'Whacking' is something I'm familiar with, having grown up in an Italian neighborhood.
Not sure exactly if whacking the trees saved any intended targets slated to be 'whacked', but I'm sure it relieved a lot of tension. And we always had tons of fruit!

I have 2 seedlings right now. They are so cute. They seem to be enjoying their crowded clay pots right now.

I was told to plant 2 so they will bear fruit. My friend who gave me the fruit from her trees was telling me that years ago when they planted the first one it would not bear fruit. Then someone told them to plant a 2nd tree; the 1st one started bearing fruit. 6 or so years, i believe she said, they both fruit so much that she has to give them away...

I really hope these two make it... I almost lost the larger one during the winter... I think it was too hot :)

Growing from seed is extremely variable as to when it will begin production. 6-8 years is a decent average, but some have gone 10-12 years and longer without a flower or fruit. Fruit quality is also variable, but usually works out ok. On the other side of the coin, I know a woman with a Hass grown from seed in Florida which is producing. I have a grafted Hass, 2' tall which had fruit (which I picked off when pea sized) this spring. My Brogdon has around a dozen 3" fruit going right now, will be its first year in production. My Choquette has a couple fruit.

Below is from edis.ifas.ufl.edu on avocado pollination, about A and B type flowers:

Avocado flowers are bisexual, however, the female and male flower parts function at different times of the day. Varieties are classified into A and B types according to the time of day when the female and male flower parts become reproductively functional. New evidence indicates avocado flowers may be both self- and cross-pollinated under Florida conditions. Self-pollination occurs during the second flower opening when pollen from the anthers is transferred to the stigma of the female flower parts. Cross-pollination may occur when female and male flowers from A and B type varieties open simultaneously. Self-pollination appears to be primarily caused by wind, whereas cross-pollination is caused by large flying insects such as bees and wasps.
Varieties vary in the degree of self- or cross-pollination necessary for fruit set. Some varieties, such as 'Waldin', 'Lula', and 'Taylor' fruit well when planted alone. Others, such as 'Pollock' and 'Booth 8' (both B types) do not and it is probably advantageous to plant them with other varieties (A types) which bloom simultaneously to facilitate adequate pollination and fruit set. Before planting an avocado tree, homeowners should scout their neighborhood for other home landscapes with avocado trees. If other home landscapes possess avocado trees then most likely adequate pollination will occur by planting just one avocado tree, if no other avocado trees are within your immediate area, you may opt to plant two avocado trees, one an A-type, the other a B-type (see Table 2 ). This will help insure good pollination and fruit set.

Gary

Well, here is my Avocado experience...

Back in December '05, on a whim, I planted a few Hass seeds after a tasty round of guacamole.
By Summer of '06, I had one of these:

I planted it out in the Fall, in a mainly sunny place in the yard with plenty of room. It slept through the winter, with no ill effects from frost or freeze, thanks to some protection on my part. It's grown to about twice the size of what it was in that picture. I water the thing about every two or three days... Heat, drought and sun make it wilt by midday. Consistent water seems to help things.

I am hoping to see lots of new growth with the onset of the rainy season. Eventually I'll have me a variegated Avocado tree, and I don't think I would mind if I didn't get a single fruit.

~Ian

I had an avocado that was almost three feet tall. I fertilized it and the next thing I knew it was all dried up and the leaves never dropped. I was trying to help it along and instead I murdered it. Thanks to this post now I know NOT to fertilize. I am going to try growing another one. This time I will ignore it. Thanks

musicman the leaves are awesome! What a beauty. I hope you will let us know how it does over time. Sure looks happy.

I love those leaves. Very nice.

Are avocados true to seed?

Ariel, per EDIS, no, most Avocados are not true when grown from seed. But they *may* produce usable fruit, after a rather long juvenile period. My seedling tree was 5-7 years old, and never flowered or fruited.

But sometimes you get a decent, or even a good tree. Seedlings are unpredictable.

Nurseries should sell grafted trees. They produce at much younger ages.

My new Lula tree is still alive, so far.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Avocados

I'm happy to hear Lula is still alive, Lisa.
Now don't look at her again for a long time...
Some plants just don't want any pampering...
I just found a red sugar apple tree in a 3 gallon pot stuck in my "vine hedge" in the back corner of my yard the other day.
I must have put it there last winter on a particularly cold night and forgot it. No water, I mean NO water since then. It was a little droopy, but I set it in a bucket of water for a bit and it's just the happiest little tree today.
It's looking for a good home.
The ones in the ground are fruiting already.

I did have a nice sized avocado tree when I moved here 20 years ago. Musta been a seedling. Never produced a fruit despite being fertilized well and whacked soundly with a strap. After about 10 years of no response the chain saw came out. So I can't advise growing them from seed.
Others have had better results though.

TF, I'd be interested in the sugar apple. I'll be going to Fort Lauderdale for a training class starting 7/8. I have to trade black sapote, miracle fruit, various dragonfruit vars...

Gary

Do Avocado trees come in mini/patio version?
I love Avocados, but first of all I don't have room for a huge tree, and they do get huge, and second, I would not know what to do with all that many fruits if I just need a couple per weekend.

Evelyn

Gary, It's yours for the taking.
Stop by when you're in the area.

hmm, so I take it as a 'no' for patio avocado trees
too bad :-/

Evelyn

Evelyn, I didn't want to answer, since I killed mine,and many others, but there *is* a dwarf variety. Mine lived about 3 years in a pot, before I killed it by overwatering.

The Wurtz Avocado can be kept 10' or smaller.

They are slow growers.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Wurtz Avocado

Thanks Lisa, that is great news! But I can't believe you killed it, you are the fruit tree queen here! ...
I am thinking, if I plant it into the ground, it still should stay small but it will have a better survival chance. Plants in pots don't live long in my yard :-/

Evelyn

I agree with Tony, put it in a place you wouldn't think of and ignore it. I have several, some grafted, some from seed on the North side of my house that never get fertilizer or water. They are all lush and green and loaded with fruit. We are next door to a condo though on that side of the house, and I think the trees benefit from water and fertilizer that probably washes into our yard from the condo's grass . My husband, who is not the gardener of the family, wanted to plant them there because he said his grandmother had great avocados on the north side of her house. I said he was crazy, they wouldn't get enough sun (we have a very tall house). Well he was right! This is the first year the tree grown from seed has fruit, so I'm very curious as to the quality since I always heard they don't grow true from seed. It's about 7 years old I would guess.

A good thing I discovered last year after a bumper crop was that you can freeze avocado. You scoop it out and mash it up pretty well with several tablespoons of lemon juice, put it in ziplock baggies and put it in the freezer. I've been thawing baggies out all spring and the guacamole is as good as when made with fresh, and stays beautifully green. Can be used in creamy avocado buttermilk salad dressing (one of my favorites) or other recipes. It's true what they say about heating avocado makes it bitter though. I cooked an avocado soup recipe too long once and it really turned bitter.

I planted an avocado seed that was already split open while trying to make guacamole (oops!). It grew so fast and the leaves are so shiny, perky, and beautiful. Thanks for the info of growing at least 2 for it to fruit. Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone here ever put crystals in with their plants to help them grow. I was reading about that recently, and thought I'd give it a try. Anyone have any success with that?