Softmentor: I don't know why the link says the photo was deleted because the pictures are still there... But anyway there are some avocado trees in the area but I don't know if they are flowering or not. That tree has grown like a weed and the trunk is like 15cm diameter already. I so can't wait for fruit. If the tree gets too much bigger than it is now I am going to have to rack it back a bit and let it grow back to a more manageable size. Patiently waiting!

Simon: Thanks I got a fertilizer with with a much lower nitrogen level...we'll see how that goes.

Harry: thanks for the info. I am going to wait and see what I get and if after a few years things are fruiting or the fruit is gross I can reconsider my love of the tree and possibly make room for something more fun!
Marin

Nice avocado tree! By the size of it, it might fruit pretty soon if it's happy enough. I saw a 9 year old tree growing avocado fruits on the internet. I have a two year old avocado seedling that is about 15 ft tall. The lace bugs have been attacking the older leaves, but it keeps growing.

hello marinfla, i was wondering if your avocado tree produced any fruit yet?

Hi, I am also curious as I did just the same about 5 years ago and it looks very healthy. I am waiting for it to fruit as well. Please let us know if your one had fruit yet?

stubborn fruit trees can be induced to flower by girdling or nailing.

I had a pit grown Avocado flower at 5 years,it wasn't until the 7th that it really bore big fruit the size of softballs. Creamy buttery Guatamalen type i think.

Then died 3 years after that from some root fungus. That fungus killed the Avocado tree- much larger- across the street also.

Hello from South Africa. I have to find out how big your tree have become and have you been lucky with fruit.

It's not the size of the tree, more the age of the tree, before producing fruit. Generally it's at least 7 years from seed to fruit, much less for grafted trees.

3/9/16

For totally invented reasons that are as untrue as they are nonsensical, we are not allowed to import the black and very thin-skinned "aguacate" fruit that dominates the Mexican market. We are told that's because the seed and/or the fruit from this variety carry diseases, harbor dangerous pests, etc., etc. The real reason lies in the fact that ANY seed grown from this tree will produce delicious fruit in about 5-7 years. You can eat the whole thing, skin and all, and the seed is smaller by comparison to, say, a Haas avocado (the variety that dominates the North American market). When you travel in Mexico and eat aguacate (their name for it) you will note the difference immediately.

It is more dense and has a deeper flavor than the Haas and all others. It is a prolific bearer and can survive as far north as San Antonio, especially when planted on the east side of the home (it pretty much wants only half-day sun) and especially if it has the benefit of larger trees growing on either side of it (preferably at a 25' distance) to act as protection from the wind (which it hates even more than it does the cold).

I am personally aware of (and have documented since 1976) a Mexican aguacate tree grown in Laredo, Texas, whose owners have grown hundreds of its seeds and given them to friends who in turn have grown seeds from the fruit of their own trees and given them to still other friends, who confirm prolific harvests as well. Bottom line, the U.S. is not about to allow this variety into the United States because the California, Florida and South Texas growers of varieties like Haas enjoy a $3 billion industry. But the Mexican variety can be grown in any back yard (far north as San Antonio). It no doubt observes some winter line, though I don't know where that might be. I can add that I tried cultivating one in Austin, Texas. It grew beautifully the first few months and then "something" got it. Don't know if was a disease or an insect, but when attacked it went quickly. The Mexican variety is tall and thin and quite asymmetrical. It has an "enchanting" tropical look about it that North American varieties do not. If you ever taste one you won't believe how much more delicious still the Mexican aguacate is than the North American avocado, awesome as it is.

Farmers probably don't grow it because it will get bruised up before it reaches the market. In addition, it also gets bruised when people are squeezing the fruit to see if it is rip. People don't like buying bruised fruit. The farmers in my area are getting rid of their avocado trees because they are not making any money off them. Avocados are really cheap.

We got public parks with avocado tree and the people don't even bother picking the fruit. There are not a lot of people that like avocados.

I read the original post again. How did she pick an Avocado from a Mango tree?..lol.

Can anyone tell by looking at this tree what kind it is

if it's a seedling it is its own new variety because they are sexually reproduced children. Mine, the tree this thread is about, finally bore a big crop of fruit in 2015 for the first time... 10 years from planting in the ground. The avocados were awesome. It's a keeper!!

You would have to wait for flowering to see if it's an A or B type, from closely observing the flowers with a binocular and watching them early in the morning and late in the afternoon I could determine that mine is a B type and as is turns out is a late season variety....fruit ready for harvest from Late August until December. I could do DNA testing but I don't think it's that important to me considering I can narrow the parentage down to 2 or 3 based on that info with the size, shape and characteristics of the fruit.

Is that a West Indian/ Caribbean type Avocado? Or grown from a California Mexican type?

It is a Florida type...late season B flowering type like Brogdon or similar

Jim Lacey, where in San Antonio could someone buy such a tree that you speak of? I live in Hawaii and my mom lives in San Antonio. I would love to send her a Hawaiian Malama or Kahaluu, but our Dept of Ag has strict rules against this. My second choice is to buy her a tree local to the San Antonio area. I heard there's an avocado farm in Devine, but I haven't had any luck finding the correct contact info for him- all the info on the Internet is incorrect (maybe he closed?). Anyhow, if you could let me know where I can buy my mom an avocado tree for her house in San Antonio, it would be greatly appreciated!

figsinhawaii, This is the info on the avocado farm/company you were asking about.

Devine Avocados Phone: (830) 663-2492
Name: Bill Schneider, Owner

BTW folks, aguacate, is Spanish for avocado.

Sorry about reviving an older thread... But it's on topic of seedling avos.

At my last house, I had an unknown seedling that was small and gnarly in
stature but gave me TONS of delicious fruit. But, thieves backed a
flatbed truck up to it every year for several years while I was at work
and cleaned it out, so I chopped it down. I did not want to care for
something I did not get to enjoy and certainly not for the profit of others.

In my current house I had a binary "water cado" pair of trees in my yard that the PO planted from seed I guess in 2005 based on their size when I moved in here in 2007 and by 2012 they were HUGE and completely dominating my back yard. Despite my ruthlessly hacking them down in size, they came back with revenge.

By 2013 they were BOTH producing so much absolutely delicious fruit they were breaking under the weight of fruit despite my heavy thinning of the flowers and young fruit regularly.

In 2015 it broke again and crashed into my prized Geffner atemoya and almost killed it. I chopped it down because I value my other trees more than the avo. My coworkers were so miffed at me because they loved the avos more than any other they had and didn't care about my Geffner :-)

Three years ago (2014) a friend had a wonderful old dwarfish (no more than 10' tall and some 20+ years old) unknown avo tree that was to give its last year of fruit in 2015. She gave it no care... no water, fertilizer, trimming or pest control and it got some wood borers and other issues and it's now dying.

In mid summer 2015 I grew a dozen seedlings from her tree and grafted ten of her scions to 10 of my seedlings but all of the grafts failed. The last two seedlings I still have and they are thriving in pots. I plan on leaving them and not grafting to them, and eventually give one to my friend.

I'm pretty sure it won't matter to her whether or not the fruit are the same when it does fruit, but I am wondering if the seedlings will keep the dwarfish growth habit.

The seedlings as of now (April) 2017 are two years old and are S-L-O-W growers and are at 6' and 4.5' so they seem to be following what she described her tree as slow growing.

So I just re-potted them today and I plan on "pugging" them at 7' and next year I'll gift one to her as her tree is beyond hope now.

I posted this not so much to debunk the "Don't grow avo from seed" opinion but to share that if you have the time it's a fun endeavor.

If Marin is still visiting in here, I'd like to hear how her avo is doing.

Seedling and grafting doesn't do to we'll in pots due to the long tap root which causes a major root knot.

Understood, but for now they're small and I have no plan on leaving them in a pot.

This gives me hope because I just stared my avocado tree only a year ago. So far it's been really slow in growing it's only gotten to 7-8 in tall from when it sprouted. This year it has two stem growing at once so it's stunning the tree but new leaves are growing very well it's starting to flourish. I love watching this tree grow. I had bought an avocado tree from a nursery but it died. I think I under water the tree so it died. This tree on the other is flourishing because I'm making sure it gets a lot of water to keep it looking healthy. Even after the attack it got from our husky it's still doing well.

A
lot of interesting and informative posts here. The fact remains that if you buy
a grafted tree you get avocados in a few of years. With the long wait for
production from a seed, and a good chance it may be killed by the red bay ambrosia
beetle, spreading rapidly throughout Florida, before fruiting. To deprive yourself from picking ripe fruit relatively soon, makes little sense, even though there is a satisfaction from growing one from seed. I have 4 mango trees grown from seed. 3 have small highly fiberous fruit, but one has outstanding, nice sized fruit, with no fiber. One from seed may be the next great cultivar! Take a look at the Wilson Avocado, one of the best I've tasted, named after the gifted, horticulturist, Wilson Popenoe

This is a 5 yr old hass it was a grafted tree when it was 3 made one hass last yr 4 yr. old ate 19 this yr has over 200 but start of June drop. Lost about 20 so far only June 4.next to it have a hass from seed 5 yr. old bloomed this yr no fruit. L hope on my grafted tre I make at least 50 this yr.

I've got an avo seedling that I got from a friend's fruit quite awhile ago. Had to destroy pot to get it out to plant in yard. Had the prettiest, shiny leaves until my cats nibbled on them...hoping it will recover. I appreciate all the info shared here. I'm in central east Fla, Zone 10. Got a mango tree going from a sapling transplant, but I think I'll move it to be sure it has enough room to spread as it grows. -- Neighbor has one that is huge, probably been growing for 25 years and the # of fruit is unreal. ..... but she's not friendly at all so I doubt she shares . Thanks again to everyone on this thread.

I'm
continually surprised to read about people growing avocados from a seed. With
few exceptions it can take 10 years for seed grown trees to start to produce.
You have three choices, if your young wait the 10 years, or try to obtain a
slip from a friend with a avocado tree and graft it, or go to a nursery and buy
a known cultivar and get avocados, generally within 3 years. With the latter
you know the cultivar of your tree, and you enjoy avocados
relatively soon!

Some of us are optimists, I guess ... I'm 62 years old! I intend to go the buy one route shortly, but this is the first time I've had much luck sprouting a seed ... and I've got a bare back yard.

@rustyroller: I share your optimism. But I would also go out and buy a tree as well, I can't wait 10 years! I remember last year seeing avocado trees at Costco for like 20 bucks. Perhaps you should try planting passionfruit, they make amazing juice and pretty easy to grow but remember to trellis the vines really well once they start growing long and strong.

Those Laredo avocados is what my mom has talked about fondly for decades. Thanks for sharing that information, Jim Lacey.

At least some of what Jim Lacey posted is complete nonsense. Unless he has had access to a new type of avocado [aguacate] that no one else seems to know about. All avocado seeds are hybrids. They will not breed true to the mother tree. The reason being that avos are classified as type A or B from the way their flowers open. One type opens female in the morning and male in the afternoon. The other just the opposite. Pollination takes place only between types A and B when one has female flowers open and the other has male flowers open. Some cultivars are type A, some type B. None are both. Some avocados could possibly be self pollinated or cross pollinated by other trees of the same cultivar. But, it would be an anomaly affecting only a few individual fruit, not all the fruit from a tree, season after season.

AS far as the restrictions on importing Mexican avos, I have bought imported Mexican avos in Norther Tier states. I now only buy avos at farmer's markets or pick them from my own trees. But, my understanding is that the importation restrictions have been lifted.

@ rustyroller

I'm now 74. I've been planting grafted fruit trees in our new location for the last 4 years. They are now beginning to produce. We have Sharwil, Ota and Lamb-Hass avos, plus Honey, Satsuma and Dancy Tangerines, all with fruit on the trees. I expect Longan fruit next year and Lychee in a couple more. I just put in a lime and a mulberry tree recently. I'm still looking for a Rambutan tree. There are also a couple of preexisting lemon trees. You're never too old to plant a tree. Waiting for them to bear fruit will give you something to live for.

I love the attitude here. Very positive and even as I am passing middle age..I still regret not planting Santa Rosa plums and Apricot tree's. Mostly I just planted unusual ornamental plants.

Maybe I will still plant the stone fruits. Home grown sure beats store.

I bought the SR plum!

Also on YouTube there is a comparison of Florida's big tropical Avocado's and Hass. Two things I remember when I tried the Florida type. Watery and not much flavor. I do remember that the pit grew into a beautiful small tree of mine in a pot. I lost it when Home repairs got in my way of watering it.

So- they are very watery needy- more then a Hass.

What an awesome thread. I planted a bunch of avocado seeds in the corner of my home 5 years ago, and two of the seedlings planted right next to each other did very well and I ended up just letting them grow together. 5 years later and they are doing great (looks like one tree) and only had to protect the trees from some intense heat waves during summers and that's about it.

Earlier this spring was the first year one of the trees flowered and I think a small amount of flowers on the other, but nothing stuck. I'm hoping next spring will be the year I get some fruit set. I'm pretty sure the seeds came from basic supermarket Hass varieties.

I'm optimistic that I'll get some good fruit from this. I planted white sapote seedlings 3 or 4 years ago and was told I'd get inferior quality fruit, but it seems to taste and look great and the trees have some very interesting, nice qualities the parent tree doesn't have, and also bigger fruit since the seedling trees have already outgrown the parent plant. I've done the same with apricots, peaches and cherimoya so I feel good about it and excited to see what I get.

I will post some pics of my avocado trees later on

These trees really took off this year. Actually this year was the first year I ever used fertilizer and a few bags of Espoma throughout the year really made a big difference. No shortage of new growth, even when the sun fries the leaves (they seem to grow back with a vengeance) -- and just for reference- the top of the ghetto above ground pool border that is shared with my neighbor is 6ft high

and this last one is a grafted Hass I picked up at my local nursery over spring and it could be better but it's doing great nonetheless

I've bought grafted tree's that turned out be so bad in quality,I wonder if they faked a graft?-lol. I've had Cherimoya do fine from Safeway seeds. Seedlings have a place!

btw D greene- Avocados do that. First flowering is practice...second will give you some fruit..after that is when they crank up the output to orchard like levels.

My avocado plants, guava and mango trees all love being in between houses the best. That location seems to let them thrive, along with living in an area that used to be orange orchards a while ago and still very fertile soil.

stan- I just read what you previously wrote. I guess I'm in the same situation as you were in, I just hope I get lucky like you with the quality of the fruit.

I wouldn't be surprised if some nurseries just top their seedling plants and call the new growth the graft since not everyone could tell the difference lol. That would be pretty shady though.

i have a 34 yr old avocado tree that has never produced, the sucker has frozen twice to the ground and comes back, but no fruit, i live in south texas

If you graft a store grown avo from pit onto another store grown avo from pit but different veriety, like hass botton and bacon grafted on top will it bear friut faster than just a regular grown n tree from a pip and having to wait so long.

I have a avocado tree aged about 7 years. It started flowering from 5 years but didn’t bear fruits. In 2nd time I saw only one fruit and this year also same . I am wondering why my avocado tree bear single fruit?

So did it bear fruit eventually?

Hu,I have had three Avocado trees flower with no fruit the first time. After that? Some had one..then another year a dozen and then the third year many.many fruits and about 10 years from seed on that one. Five year from grafts.

You might water yours more. It also helps if there is a another avocado nearby very much for heavy bearing years.

I planted a Hass three years ago. This year? One fruit in its first year. I expect more next year..on and on..

I have had fruit from 4/11 of my avocado varieties. They will all flower in the season as mine are grafted. Not all hold fruit if they are to young and drop them. But that is not true for everyone. There are many factors that play into a tree holding fruit set including weather, temperature, pollination etc.......

I've known people who have had 2-3 year old trees that were grafted produce fruit and hold on the tree. I'm one of them who did so in containers with a Mexicola and Wurtz. You can see them in the Avocado forum under container trees. My Wurtz ( Little Cado ) has 30 plus fruit on it this year and is in a 24inch box and my Mexicola is in a raised bed now and I'm expecting it to fruit this year and several other trees that are now in the ground. I will update the group this summer. I'm expecting fruit from my Fuerte, Pinkerton, Stewart, Bacon, Mexicola and Wurtz. My other trees are still to young.

From online research of gardening sites, it seems that a plant grown from Hass variety seed will not produce Hass variety fruit, which requires grafting. I have a 3-year old plant from a Hass seed, and was disappointed to learn this... But it's still pretty to look at!

That's not all the story. I planted from seed Hass,that was large and tasted really good from the Supermarket. 7 years later I was picking HUGE Avocados..like little cannonballs as I used to say. Tasted great- very buttery. It was only another 2-3 years before it died for no known reason.

So..its all a roll of the dice from seed..I got even better fruit,and lost on it being not resistant to something that killed it.

@stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area Thats great to hear! You give me hope I’ll see some fruit!

Mine is also 5 years old, is tall (21 feet) and lean. Has not fruited yet.