Hi Andrew:

Avocados are very easy to graft. I have done successful side veneer, cleft and chip bud grafts. I can send you budwood once it warms up. As far as grafting techinique, there are lots of "How to" videos on the internet. If you can't find one let me know. There is one by Julian Lara that is pretty good.

Harry

Once again Harry thanks for running to my aide! I just don't want to end up throwing my tree out, it is just way to healthy and happy! Is it possible to graft a mexican variety to a Florida seedling? Tonight I will have to google Julian Lara and see if I can find what you are talking about. I really would like to become proficient at grafting and it doesn't have to be with every kind of fruit tree, I know some are more difficult to graft then others. It is funny, when people came to my apartment before when all I had for tropical fruits was a ponderosa lemon and a pineapple plant people didn't say as much but now that I have branched out more people ask me "Oh wow, can you start me a mango?" I end up telling them that yeah I could from seed and it may never fruit(There enthusiasm is gone by that point!) for you. Honestly though I think it is a very important skill to learn. My father grafted most of the fruits that my parents have in there orchard. I know some grafting techniques are the same for trees but also know that tropicals have to be diffrent in some ways. Would I need to spend money on the grafting knives and other tools? I know there is grafting tape and wax. Harry what would be your suggestion for a variety? My avocado tree has numerous branches and I know the problem for me would be cutting the whole branch system out, meaning I would have to graft below where the tree starts branching. That would make me very nervous because if the graft doesnt take, then I would be left with a stump. Well I guess you have to learn some how, and the tree only cost me a couple dollars anyways. Thanks again Harry! Oh one more question I have been meaning to ask you. Bo sent me a bunch of bell carambola seeds in a damp paper towel in a zip lock baggy. As of yet there is no germination but also no rotten seeds. I check like every other day. If I do get germination to occur, will I end up with a tree that produces fruit that are bell carambola or will it be a less desirable fruit. If so, then out they go! I would rather wait till I get to FL this summer and buy a grafted tree instead. I don't have the time and space to be messing around with seedlings that are going to produce poor quality fruit. In general, I don't like seedling fruit trees PERIOD! I have made exceptions with a few sugar apples, soursop, and tangerines. I read that you can get tangerine seedlings to fruit in a few years from seed but again, if they take more then 3 years to produce and if then the fruit quality is lousy, out they go!
Andrew

Andrew:

I have never grafted a Mexican variety onto a Florida seedling, but I would assume there would be no incompatability. You don't have to destroy your rootstock to do the grafting (except if you want to do cleft grafts). You could do chip bud or side veneer and even graft different varieties onto different branches. If they take...then you cut the branch back to the graft point and grow the rest of that particular branch from the desired bud on the scion wood. If they don't take....all you have is a scar to heal on the branch but no leaves or length lost. You don't need fancy equipment or knives. Any sharp pocket knife can work and you can use anything from rubber bands, cut up bicycle inner tube strips, grafting tape or any plastic nursery tape to bind the graft. Wax is not needed. As far as variety, there are many. Brogdon is a good choice because it has both A and B type flowers and may set fruit for you without cross pollination.

As far as the carambola seeds. First, if those carambolas are ones I sent Bo....then they are not Bell. I didn't have extra Bell. I believe what I sent was probably either Possum Trot, Sri Kembangan, or Thai Night. As far as seedling variability.....there have been some discussions about this and some thought that carambolas came true to seed....or at least close. I have a seedling that is fruiting....I believe from Sri Kembangan. The fruits on this tasted horrible to me.....bitter with a bad after taste...certainly nothing like any of the other carambolas I have on the property. When Lycheeluva was visiting, he tried this tree's fruit and he thought it was as good as the others that he tried at my house that day(which were also, admittedly, not at peak ripeness). Overall, he was not impressed with any of the carambolas that he tried at my house. So...I am not sure what is the story. You could certainly grow the seedlings. They are very nice looking trees with small, but beautiful blooms. Then, you could graft yourself when the tree got a little bit of size....like the size of a pencil. Carambolas are also very easy to graft.

Harry

Hello Harry,
What type is Brogden? Sounds like it would be a good fit for me but then again it will depend on the flavor. I am glad you straightened out the carambola situation for me. If I don't decide to graft I hope maybe you can ID it for me at some point. I am hoping to get a bell someday but maybe if I can get a good seedling then I can graft multiple varieties on it. I overall think carambolas are a good fruit. Maybe lycheeluva just doesn't care for them in general. I have to admit that the store carambolas tend to be watery in flavor but the last one I had was decent for being store bought. I do have to admit that if I can graft and get them to take, I could graft several and have a tree that would offer several varieties and save me quite a bit of space at the same time. Maybe by the time I get to your place I will have a seedling ready to graft.
Andrew

Harry,
Sorry it has taken me a while to respond. I haven't been moving around to great yet. Tomorrow I plan on buying that other tropical fruit tree I had mentioned to you before. When I actually have it ordered I will post it here. I was thinking about the avocado, even if Brgdon is a b type then I caould graft a cross pollinator right to the same tree. That way I would eliminate the need for another avocado tree and save myself some more precious space during the cold months when it would need to be indoors. I will have to take a picture of the seedling avocado. The tree is just growing a little to vigorous for me right now. The bad part is that it is not getting the best lighting and several leaves have blackened and are half dead. The new growth is long and spindly and very weak. I kind of propped up the newest growth onto my large gardenia tree for now. This spring I will whack it back again before it goes outdoors. I wonder if the rootstock is the source of the vigor. When I graft the budwwod, maybe it would continue to grow fast. I don't mind because this seedling has responded the best to pruning. I can't wait for spring to arrive so I can finally get these things outside.
Andrew

Hello

I look for seeds avocado tree resisting the cold if you possess it to contact I.

Thank you for your help(assistant)

Hi everyone

i live in NY and i do have few Hass avocado plants from deed

that are in a containers and are indoors in the winter time

i would like to buy bud wood for about 5 plans

any ideas