Looking to plant the common Hass variety of avocado in your yard? Looking for the less common Reed? Searching for where to buy a rarely grown avocado variety like Nabal, GEM, or Jan Boyce?
Let me try to connect you with the grower or seller of the avocado variety of your choice.
Where to buy common avocado varieties
La Verne Nursery and Durling Nursery
Most retail nurseries throughout California don’t grow the avocado trees that they sell. Rather, they get their avocado trees from wholesale growers, especially Everde (formerly La Verne) Nursery and Durling Nursery. Between these two, about a dozen avocado varieties are made available to hundreds of retail outlets: Bacon, Fuerte, Hass, Holiday, Jim Bacon, Lamb Hass, Mexicola, Mexicola Grande, Pinkerton, Reed, Stewart (also sometimes spelled Stuart), Wurtz (also sometimes called Wertz, Little Cado, and Hybrid Dwarf), and Zutano.
(Click on any of the blue names to see my profile of that variety, which might help you decide if it’s the right variety for your yard. Or see my page of all avocado variety profiles here.)
(Everde/La Verne has recently started growing Sharwil, GEM, and Jan Boyce avocado trees also, but they show up in retail nurseries inconsistently.)
So if you want to buy one of these varieties you have many choices in retail outlets. Here a few of the larger outlets that sell Durling or Everde/La Verne avocado trees and have multiple locations. Maybe you already know one of these near you. (Click on the name to find the nearest store.)
If your local nursery doesn’t have one of the above avocado varieties in stock at any one time, they can almost certainly request it from the wholesale grower and get it for you within a couple months — sometimes longer. Just ask.
Over the years, I have bought avocado trees from all of the outlets mentioned above, and I can vouch for their quality generally.
Maddock Nursery
Maddock Nursery in Fallbrook is one final place that I’ll mention where you can find the most common varieties. The distinction of Maddock is that they grow their own trees. They have been doing so forever, they do it very well, and their prices are very reasonable. Also, just recently, Maddock has started offering trees of the GEM variety.
Where to buy uncommon avocado varieties
To find uncommon varieties of avocado trees for sale you might try these nurseries.
Subtropica Nurseries
Subtropica Nurseries is in Fallbrook, San Diego County. This is an operation that supplies farmers with orders of thousands of trees but also sells to home gardeners, and here you can buy avocado varieties that aren’t widely available, such as GEM, Gwen, Pinkerton, Sir-Prize, Sharwil, Edranol, Ettinger, Hellen, Queen, Puebla, Julia, Mayo / Covocado, and Carmen, in addition to Hass, Lamb, Reed, and Fuerte.
From Subtropica, you can also buy avocado trees on clonal rootstocks. These are specially propagated rootstocks that have demonstrated tolerance to problems that commonly affect avocados, such as salinity and root rot.
(See my post, “Avocado rootstocks: What do they matter?”)
Conveniently, Subtropica carries avocado trees in small 3.5-gallon plastic sleeves, which are very easy to plant, and they also carry some larger trees in 15-gallon containers.
If you’d like to buy a tree from Subtropica, the trees are sold at the adjacent Eli’s Farmstand, where you can also buy some of the excellent vegetables and fruits that Eli and his family grow. Sometimes they offer rare avocado fruit for sale at the stand too.
Subtropica Nursery and Eli’s Farmstand:
705 Shady Lane, Fallbrook, CA 92028
Louie’s Nursery
If you are in the Inland Empire, Louie’s Nursery in Riverside might have the variety you want. In the past, they’ve had some uncommon varieties such as Gwen and Jan Boyce.
Green Scene with CRFG of Orange County
If you are in L.A. or Orange County, consider visiting the yearly sale of the members of the California Rare Fruit Growers Orange County chapter. This used to happen at the Green Scene at the Fullerton Arboretum, but the last few years it has happened elsewhere. Check their website for announcements.
There you might be able to talk to the very person who grew the tree you want to buy.
Varieties I’ve seen available at Green Scene and almost nowhere else include: Herd, Koala, Magoon, Daily 11, Kahalu’u, Choquette, Jan Boyce, Esther, Linda, and Shindler.
Buying avocado trees online
Four Winds Growers
If you live outside of Southern California or don’t have a good retail nursery nearby, consider buying an avocado tree online to be shipped to your front door. The only such vendor that I have bought trees from and that I can recommend is Four Winds Growers.
Four Winds is located in Watsonville, California, and they offer more than a dozen, excellent avocado varieties for sale through their website (linked above). They even carry some hard-to-find varieties such as Carmen, Sharwil, Sir-Prize, and Gwen.
Etsy
Do not buy an avocado tree on Etsy. The sellers that I’ve seen on Etsy are fraudulent or deceptive at best. The trees that I’ve seen purchased on Etsy are not of the claimed varieties or are poor quality.
I hope this connects you to someone who has grown the avocado tree that you want to plant in your yard. Once you have your tree, have a look at my posts about planting and watering new avocado trees.
(Unsure of which avocado variety is best for you? See my post, “What’s the best kind of avocado to grow?”)
All of my Yard Posts are listed HERE
I just bought a 24 ” pot lamb hass and also wurtz n both, have fruits already can I leave them in their pot?
Hi Lorna,
Can you leave the trees in their pots? Sure. But they’ll be easier to care for and grow and produce faster in the ground.
Can you leave the fruit on the trees? Sure. Avocado trees usually regulate themselves well and won’t hold more fruit than they can handle, especially if staked up.
I bought 3 GEM AVOCADOS. I live in the Central Valley between Bakersfield and Fresno.
They are doing incredibly well.
I transplanted from the 5 gal into bigger container. Will leave them in that until next spring then put in the ground.I’ve sprayed them with I.V.Organics to keep pests from eating the leaves…worked beautifully…… They are doing very well.
Hi Joanne where did you buy your gems? I’ve been searching for such a long time haha
Adamtropics.com in Temecula..I had them shipped
thanks Joanne
Joanne Scott, many people who bought GEM avocado trees from Adam Tropics have found out that they are Hass Avocado. Myself included.
Hello,
I’m interested in buying a Hellen avocado tree do you guys know where I can buy one ? Thank you.
I’m located in Gardena CA
Hi Erick,
Both Atkins and Subtropica nurseries in Fallbrook have Hellen trees available sometimes. I think they are also occasionally available at the Green Scene sale. Let me know if you have no luck finding one.
Where did you buy the GEM Avocado trees ?
Hi Joanne, I live in the valley as well, McFarland. I have a few young plants including Gem. How did your Gem avocado’s do? Do you shade them? It’s 108 today.
Scotts24kgoldens@aol.com
Where did you find your GEM trees in McFarland? If you had them shipped, what’s the shipping charge?
I was near San Diego so I bought them at Maddock Ranch Nursery. Also Flower dale Nursery in Santa Ana has them for $50. (But don’t tell anyone)
Do you have a Jan Boyce in your collection?
Hi Ryan,
I do have a Jan Boyce, but it’s young and has yet to fruit.
Hello Greg,
Where can I buy GEM avocado tree in Los Angeles. Thanks
Hi Peru,
I’m working on it. At this time, I don’t know of anywhere in Los Angeles or elsewhere in Southern California where you can certainly, reliably buy a GEM avocado tree. But I’ll keep talking to people and update this comment in a few days.
The main problem is that GEM is a patented variety that can’t be propagated by anyone and everyone.
Update: GEM avocado trees are now available to home growers at Subtropica Nurseries in Fallbrook, San Diego County. Please see the body of the post above for details on visiting Subtropica/Eli’s Farm Stand and getting a GEM or one of their other excellent avocado trees.
I reached out to the nursery but the response I got was that they are only selling to wholesalers.
Hi Shyam,
Thanks for letting me know. Right now the demand for some varieties of avocado trees is extremely high. Nurseries can’t keep up. I’ll look into it.
Update: They are available for purchase from Eli’s farm stand. There was a mis-communication that has been cleared.
Hello
Where can I buy Gem avocado tree in California
Thanks
Hi Roya,
I’m working on this. Please see my answer to Peru above.
Hi Greg,
My GEM that I planted last fall lost all its leaves and I thought it was dying. Then recently, I started getting some new leaf growth, only to find out that those have shriveled up and dried up too. The few branches I have are looking dried up. I think it’s dead? I watered it regularly so I’m confused as to why my GEM didn’t do well. Do you have any thoughts?
Hi Shyam, thx for ur info. I’m looking to buy GEM avocado tree as well. Will give Eli’s Farm a call tmr. Also many thanks to Greg for putting this website & group chat together. I find this very helpful & grateful for the info posted here. Thank you everyone.
Hi Cheri,
Thanks for writing. I happened to stop by Subtropica Nursery and Eli’s Farm Stand today (June 22, 2019), and saw that there are many GEM trees currently available. They are closed tomorrow (Sunday) but open every other day of the week. I hope you get a great GEM avocado tree!
Hi Greg
How wonderful u happened to stop by there. Thank u so much for the info, I can’t thank u enough. Will give them a call on Mon. Have a wonderful wknd!
~Cheri
First time on this site. I’m in Hawaii and am looking for a GEM avocado tree. Does Eli’s Farm Stand want to or is able to ship trees to Hawaii?
Hi Newton,
As far as I know, unfortunately, Subtropica Nursery only ships large orders of 100 trees or more.
Hi Greg,
Thanks for all the great information! I contacted Eli a few months ago, and he said check back in June. I did and was able to pick up GEM, Kona Sharwill and Sir Prize all on clonal rootstock. I already had a Holiday I keep about 8’, so if I don’t kill the new ones, I have avocados all year on trees I’m planting close together and will keep small. For years I didn’t plant avocado because I thought it would grow uncontrollably to 40’ x 40’ and take up the whole yard. Thanks to you and Gary Matsuoka at Laguna Hills nursery, I know better and I’m taking the plunge.
That’s great to hear, Jane. I’ve been thinking lately that the most important message to get out there is the fact that we can grow our own avocados even in a small yard, and we’re not limited to varieties like Holiday. In fact, I can’t think of a single variety that I grow that can’t be held to 10 feet and still be satisfyingly productive. Let’s tell everyone about it.
Louis nursery in Riverside have 20 different varaiety as of yesterday…Alot of rare hard to find avocado…give them a call..
Anybody in Southern California sell Multi grafted Avocado trees?
i have limited yard space and would like a tree with two or more verities/seasons to the fruiting.
Hi Alan,
I have seen multi-grafted avocado trees from time to time at a few nurseries. I can’t recall for sure all of the places, but one was Walter Andersen’s in Poway, San Diego County. Usually, any retail nursery can attempt to special order such a tree from a wholesale grower such as LaVerne or Durling.
You might also consider going the route of planting two or three individual trees very close together. One huge advantage of planting multiple trees a foot or two apart rather than a single multi-graft tree is that you can choose the varieties.
Hi Greg,
Can you really plant 2 avocado trees that close to each other, one to two feet apart? I’m interested in planting two dwarfs close together (not as close as two feet though) and was wondering if I could in my limited space?
Hi Stacey,
You really can do this. The trees don’t care. They manage just as they would in nature, as if two seeds sprouted and started growing close to each other. Someday soon I’ll try to do a post dedicated to showing avocado trees that are planted very close to one another.
Alan, I also live in SoCal. I just recently grafted fuerte and bacon on my hass, I also have a lamb hass and a Mexicola Grande. If you live in ventura county message me.
Hi Herman, I also live in Oxnard. Really interested in Gwen (gem) variety avocado. Do you know any place selling it? I just recently plant wurst variety and like to add another avocado variety. Thank you
Did you find a GEM anywhere near Oxnard? I live in Goleta and also want a GEM or Gwen.
Hi Cham, Just to be clear, Gwen is not the same as Gem. I have both Wurst and Gem and Gem consistently produces heavy crops of wonderful fruit. With 70 trees, I am running out of good space so haven’t gotten a Gwen … yet.
Herman, I live in Goleta, and am searching for a GEM or Gwen for a small space. Do you know a nursery between Santa Maria and Thousand Oaks that might have one?
I’ve got a Fuerte that I grafted Hass and Reed to, but I don’t sell trees. Your best bet would be Armstrong. They are good about ordering trees. Give them a call. I bought my Reed tree at Walter Andersen about 4 years ago – they might be able to order it for you also.
I appreciate the helpfulness of your site, but before I start adding trees of any variety, I need to resolve an issue with my current tree.
I am in Simi Valley and have a beautiful 12 yo Fuerte avocado tree. It blossoms heavily each year and I’ve seen a lot of bees working very hard on it. Then it drops every flower and has only given me one avocado in the last three years. There are lots of other avocado trees within a quarter mile of here, but have room to plant other varieties that may complement it.
Not sure if there’s something more I can do or just cut it down and start over.
Any thoughts?
Hi Rick,
Oh, the fatal flaw of the Fuerte. This bearing problem has flummoxed and frustrated growers for a hundred years now.
It has been seen in some studies that Fuerte trees increase fruit yield when planted close to A-type trees, so you might try that. For my own Fuerte tree I’ve chosen Pinkerton and Lamb and Hass as pollenizers. Pinkerton especially seems like a good pollenizer since, in my yard anyway, I’ve noticed that they flower at mostly the same time. Any A-type avocado will help though.
That being said, many people have observed that some Fuerte trees just seem to be duds. They never bear much fruit.
In contrast, some Fuerte trees consistently bear a good amount of fruit even though they’re not near any A-type avocado trees. I’ve noticed this in some Fuerte trees that I’ve watched closely over the years in different locations. It’s a mystery to me.
If your tree is healthy, and you don’t need its space (both of which seem like your case), you might plant an A type nearby and give it a couple years to bloom and have a pollenizing effect. If still no fruit, cut down the Fuerte.
As for which A-type tree, I’d choose Lamb if you can only have one since the bloom time will somewhat overlap plus the Lamb’s harvest season is a good complement to the Fuerte’s (Pinkerton’s harvest season is almost the same as Fuerte). My second choice would be Hass.
Sounds like advice I can live with. I’ll try adding a couple varieties (probably Lamb and Hass based on your recs) and may play around with Herman’s grafting suggestion for the Pinkerton on the Fuerte itself.
Thanks for the response!
Greg gave you good advice. Here is my experience. In 2003 I planted a Hass and Fuerte close together in my yard. Being afraid of over watering I didn’t give the Hass enough water and it died. 2 years later my neighbor brought in soil and planted 2 Fuerte trees on common area. He died in 2011 and his wife didn’t want to care for the trees, so I got a common area license and took them over. My Fuerte tree produced a couple a year and was not doing well, so I grafted Hass and Reed to it and now it has many cados on it. The trunk of the Neighbors trees are 6″ dia. or more. As Greg stated some do better. One tree produced about 10 to 20 a year and the other was really pathetic. Then a few years ago the better tree was loaded and was pulling out of the ground since it was growing towards the sun down hill. I cut the trunk down to about 6′ high and grafted Hass to it. I also grafted Hass to the other Fuerte large tree. This year the poor performer had about 100 large Fuerte and the Hass has probably 150 cados. When you graft to a large healthy tree the grafts grow fast and big in size. I’m inland from the coast about 12 miles near SDSU. The neighbor who planted the Fuerte had lived in El Cajon and had many Fuerte trees that did very well there – it is a hotter climate. I hope that helps.
Thanks for that contribution, Richard. Good to hear that you’ve seen positive results from grafting in Hass and Reed onto those Fuerte trees.
I forgot to mention in my comment below – sprinkle epsom salts around the base of the tree and water it in. Also, as Greg stated, wood chip mulch – a nice thick layer.
Rick, Add iron as a fertilizer and put a cap of mulch around the base of the tree. I would suggest grafting an a type avocado like a hass, lamb hass or Pinkerton. I live in the Oxnard area and enjoy grafting let me know if you need help grafting in the spring time.
Hi Herman.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll give them a try. I’ve done a little grafting in the past, so will do that too. Thanks for the offer of your help. I’ll let you know if I run into trouble.
Hi ,this is Hyvens from South Florida do you know any online retailers that could ship to Florida?
Hi Hyvens,
I think Four Winds Growers ships avocado trees to Florida (they just don’t ship citrus to Florida).
Hi Greg! I love your site! I’ve been getting so much helpful info. I fave three kids under 6 and I have been raising them in the garden and they love it! So I especially love your site for the kid part of it. I just wanted to let you and your readers know that I ordered a tree from Four Winds and had to change the order and found out they charge a $10 fee to change orders or even cancel an order. Just thought it might be helpful info as it was not listed on their site. Thanks for all of your helpful info about gardening! Looking forward to future posts!
Hi Danielle,
Thank you for writing. My kids were grazing in the garden this morning, and I was thinking about how vital it is to our lives.
I appreciate the information about altering orders with Four Winds. Did you buy an avocado? I’d love to hear more about your tree once it arrives.
Where can I buy a Don Gillogly?
Hi Roy,
That’s a question I haven’t heard for some years. I have not heard of anyone selling that variety for a while.
May I ask what interests you about the Don Gillogly variety? I’m curious because some of the claims that were made in its patent and in its marketing are not reliable, in my observations.
Don Gillogly patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP11057P/en
For instance, the Gillogly tree that I know does not produce two distinct crops per year, as is claimed. I’ve heard of other Gillogly trees also not doing so.
And as for the tree being dwarf, the Gillogly I know is far larger than a Holiday avocado tree growing beside it. Holiday deserves the label dwarf. This Gillogly certainly does not. Similarly, other Gillogly trees I’ve heard of have also not been deserving of the label dwarf.
Not trying to discourage your interest in the Don Gillogly variety, but just want to make sure you have a good idea of what the tree might actually be like in your yard. If you’re still interested, let me know and I can see about getting you some scionwood — the patent on the variety has apparently expired.
Louie’s Nursery in Riverside has the Don G. Before mine died, it did exhibit a low branching tendency that would have a tendency to keep the tree on the shorter side. But beware, my Don G.even with a latex paint job and sunbrella could not survive its first summer near CSUN.
Roy,
I got a very young Don Gillogly from Laguna Hills Nursery about three years ago and it is growing very well. Low branching and flowers well. I got three fruit on it this year but not happy with the strings in the fruit. That was one that blew off early and the flavor was low quality. I had hoped to wait until May. The others may be better, but based on the two I’ve had, I would not recommend.
Hi Greg!
I recently bought a Gem avocado tree and was wondering if there is an easy way to identify that it is actually a true Gem avocado tree besides looking at the fruit. The tree looks almost exactly the same as both of my Hass avocado trees…. the way the leaves look and how they cluster together. I bought the tree from Adam Tropics nursery in California and had it shipped to me in Texas.
Hi Thomas,
GEM leaves do look very similar to Hass leaves. I’d say the only difference is that GEM leaves are a bit narrower than Hass, but that might not be the case with all GEM trees depending on the conditions they’re growing in.
Did the tree come with any tag referring to a patent? GEM is still under patent with the University of California, and anyone who propagates it must pay a patent royalty, and often — but not always — a tag is put on the tree to announce that.
You might also notice that the GEM grows in a slightly denser fashion than Hass. The leaves and branches tend to be more crowded together. But it might take some months to notice this growing habit.
The good news is that GEM is precocious, and it’s possible that you’ll get some fruit set next spring. So, in spring 2021, the mature fruit might tell the real story, finally!
Hi Grey,
Thank you for responding! The tree never came with a tag mentioning a patent. It only had a tag mentioning the nurseries name and the type of tree. It was very generic. Now that you mention the tree needs to be tagged, I recently bought a couple of orange trees and they were tagged with the patent number. This makes me wondering if it is a true GEM or if I got scammed and sold a Hass. The leaves look very similar to my Hass but some do look narrower. Time will tell once the tree bears fruit.
I also have another question. One of my Hass is suffering from root rot which is in a container. I know this because the the leaves were drooping badly and yellowing so I decided to uproot it. Once I took it out of the container the root ball was brown/black with every few normal colored roots. Do you think the tree can still be saved? I re-potted it into a smaller container with a soil mixture of potting soil and a lot of perlite. I was told that applying Organocide Plant Doctor would help to reverse the root rot. From your experience, do you think a tree can be saved from root rot?
Thank you for your time Greg. I appreciate it!
Hi Thomas,
I think it’s possible for your tree to improve without any special products applied but with proper watering. Sometimes with avocados in big containers you’ll find that the mix at the top dries out much faster than at the bottom so the bottom stays soggy and any roots there rot, as in your case.
Now with your smaller container and faster draining mix, you should be in a better position. Just try to give the tree light but frequent waterings, and only occasional long waterings to soak the whole mix and flush it out. And if possible, look into or poke your finger into the holes at the bottom to assess how wet it is down there. Don’t water if it’s still wet.
There’s also no big harm in waiting to water until you see the tree’s leaves wilt a bit.
I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my inquiry. I will just have to hope a nursery in Hawaii will one day ship in a Gwen or GEM avocado plant.
Hi Newton,
That’s probably your best bet. I’d ask them if they’ll consider it. They can buy those varieties from both Subtropica and Brokaw (in Ventura County, California), but they do have to buy in quantity, unfortunately.
I’m wondering if anyone is growing those varieties in Hawaii and how they perform there. I haven’t heard any reports. But my understanding is that Hass fruit stays on the small side and is not a great variety for Hawaii. Then again, there are many microclimates on the islands so it might be a matter of matching the microclimate to the variety.
Hi Greg, Is there any benefit to buying avocado trees on clonal rootstock if we are on city water (not recycled). I don’t believe there is a saline issue and I plant the trees on raised soil on a slope so drainage has been ok so far for my existing avocado trees. The clonal rootstocks from Subtropica seems to be about $10-12 more per tree so just checking if the extra investment makes sense for home growers. also if makes sense, what clonal rootstock do you recommend? Subtropica has a bunch of clonal rootstock types. Thanks Greg! Jean
Hi Jean,
I plan to write a post on avocado rootstocks in the near future. I grow most of my avocado trees on seedling rootstocks of various types and a few on different clonal rootstocks. I have a lot more to observe and learn about this topic though.
Without getting into detail, I’ll say that I doubt you’ll find a great benefit to any clonal rootstock in your situation. You might, but it’s certainly not a sure thing.
Hi there I am greatly interested in the Gem avocado tree and wondering if there’s anywhere in northern California (SF Bay Area) that I could buy from? Looks to be primarily Southern California. Would like to avoid a long road trip!
Thanks in advance!
Hi Austin,
As of now, I don’t know anyone up that way selling GEM avocado trees, sorry. I’ve gotten word that someone up there might start selling them soon (the wholesale grower told me so), and I promise to update this page immediately if that happens because I know many people in the Bay Area will be excited to finally buy some GEMs close to home.
Hi John,
Thanks for mentioning this. Golden Gate Palms is the nursery I was alluding to above. I’ll add this to the body of the post. Indeed, the GEM trees are much more expensive than we’d pay down here, but at least they’re available!
Hi Greg.
I have really enjoyed reading your comments and all of the great posts sent in by others. This page is one of the bright lights for California avocado seekers. I have been looking for 15 gallon Gem, Sir Prize, Reed and Lamb Hass plants for two months and have drawn a blank. I am astonished that it has been this difficult, deep in the bosom of the state that created the avocado that we now know worldwide. I live in Thousand Oaks and would welcome all the help i can get locating the varieties that i seek.
PS, Cudos to Home Depot, Simi Valley. As of this morning they had 5 gallon Mexicola Grande, Mexicola, Hass, Feurte, Holliday and Pinkerton plants for $25.
Hi Gordon,
It is usually easier to find smaller trees of uncommon varieties than 15-gallon trees. In fact, I’ve never seen a 15-gallon GEM tree for sale, and I’d be very surprised to hear of one. My recommendation would be to consider buying a smaller tree just so you can get the variety you want.
Another method is to try contacting nurseries to place an order for specific varieties. You can do this through your local retail nursery or directly with wholesale nurseries who also sell to the public, such as Atkins and Subtropica. You might have to wait until spring 2020 to get the trees, but at least you’ll get them.
I have (2) Sir Prize in my yard near CSUN. Bought in 15 gallon containers at Clausen Nursery (very good nursery and people too). They have been in the ground for 5 years and we have zero avocados from the two of them. My patience is being tested —-
Hi Kevin,
You’re not alone in having your patience tested by Sir-Prize. I gave a Sir-Prize tree five years and then cut it down because it hadn’t fruited.
where can I purchase your gem avocado ?
I’m in 94708 N.CA
I purchased two 15 gallon Gems June of 2018 from Adam Tropics, sold one and planted the other.
You have to pick them up at the farmers market by 11:00am on Saturday or they put them back on the truck until next Saturday.
VERY,VERY HEAVY!!!!
My tree is now about eight feet tall and has at least 24 avos hanging at present.
So to all in N. CA that wish for a Gem, they seem to be available for a shipping charge and only in the 5 gal size.
It says on web site they ship
AdamTropics.com
(look under exotic fruit)
Adam Tropics is located in the center of Temecula
Avocado – GEM – 3 – 4 feet tall
$64.00
Tree Size
3 to 4 feet, 5 Gallons No additional charge
6 to 8 feet, 15 Gallons +$75.00
5 Gallon shipping to Central and Northern California +$59.00
5 gallon shipping to Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico +$59.00
5 gallon shipping to Texas +$69.00
PS, only trying to help, I don’t work there or get any commission.
I, like most, have avoided planting avocado due to the (potential) large size. Now I’m ready, and having done the research, I (of course) want the tree that seems the hardest to find … GEM. I live in Thousand Oaks area (93065), does anyone know if I should even try to get one, are they like rocking horse doo doo? Is it the wrong time of year? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Hi Stephen,
If you’re set on GEM, then you’ll probably have to do some driving down to northern San Diego County to get one at Subtropica Nursery in Fallbrook. I don’t know of anyone else who will sell a single GEM avocado tree to a home grower that I can recommend.
This time of year (end of summer, beginning of fall) is a fine time to plant an avocado tree in your area as long as you’re willing to give it some protection this winter on exceptionally cold nights. In fact, I planted a GEM last October, protected it a few times over winter, and it’s doing great now.
So make a Saturday drive down to Subtropica, or choose a different variety that you can find at a closer location. GEM is a nice variety, but there are other excellent avocado varieties that have similar growth and production habits to GEM.
Home Depot on temecula parkway has a few avocado trees in 24” boxes for sale for 200$ right now. I think Pinkerton, Stewart. Mexicola grande. I’m not interested but I bet someone here is.
is clonal the best rootstock ?
if so how can find out before purchasing a tree ? doubt if Home Depot would know
Hi Vrinda,
This is a great question, and it’s one that I plan to write a post on soon. The short of it is that a clonally propagated rootstock is not necessarily the best rootstock in any given situation. Clonal rootstocks are all different except for the way they were created: through grafting (“cloning”). All one can say is that certain clonal rootstocks have shown advantages in certain soils with certain disease pressures and other growing conditions while grafted to certain scion varieties.
In my own yard, all of my mature trees are on seedling rootstocks (mostly Zutano seeds). Most of them have grown and fruited well. It’s possible that a few would do better on the right clonal rootstock; I’m exploring that now.
I also have a few young trees on different clonal rootstocks. They are growing well so far.
The main reasons that one might look for a clonal rootstock in California are to help combat root rot and water/soil salinity. If you have one of these challenges, then you might consider trying to buy a tree on the right clonal rootstock. (Home Depot would probably be of no help here. As far as I know, they have never sold avocado trees on clonal rootstocks.)
The only nursery that I know of who makes clonal rootstocks available to home gardeners is Subtropica in Fallbrook. Contact them if you think you’d like to get a tree on a clonal rootstock, but if you’re not near Fallbrook I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a tree on a seedling rootstock from somewhere closer to you. Millions of home gardeners in Southern California have been growing good avocado trees on seedling rootstocks for more than a century.
It’s funny you mentioned this subject. I was just thinking about the rootstocks. When I was at Subtropica recently I noticed they were using zutano rootstock for the GEM and Sharwil plants I looked at. The people at Maddock said they use mostly G6. Rootstock is a confusing topic for me and I’ve decided to try to make do with whatever rootstock my plant has, so I can get the fruit on the top.
Hi Walter,
The avocado rootstock topic gets more complicated and nuanced the more I learn about it. One reason for this is that the performance of a single rootstock seems to depend on the growing context.
For example, the rootstock called Dusa has been popular lately, and I’ve even heard some people simply call it “the best we have these days.” But I visited a grove in Ventura County about a month ago, and the manager said simply, “I don’t like Dusa. It doesn’t do well here.” Then he pointed to some GEM trees on Dusa that had yellow leaves and were barely growing. The soil pH in this grove is high, and apparently, GEM on Dusa gets chlorotic in such conditions. He had another block of GEM on Toro Canyon that looked great.
So you’ve got to tailor your rootstock selection to your growing conditions and the scion variety in order to really get the best possible whole tree. But farmers even have difficulty navigating this so imagine home gardeners trying to!
Thanks Greg for getting back to me about the Gem avocado. I’m still interested so if you have other people in N CA perhaps we can get together and order the number that we require to make it happen ?
Hi Vrinda,
I have been told that a large wholesale grower who supplies places like Home Depot is now propagating GEM for home growers. This is secondhand information, but it does make me think that it’s possible that GEM trees will become more widely available to home growers in the near future.
Hi Greg,
Have you heard anything about GEMs being available in the LA area yet? I haven’t seen them at Home Depot yet.
Stacey, Mimosa Nursery LA sells Gems typically. They are in east LA, they have Kona Sharwill, Nimlioh, Nabal, GEM, Carmen Hass, Edrenol. Last I remember they were charging $50 each
Thank you so much for your wonderful posts and detailed instructions! I just stumbled on your site while researching avocado varieties and feel much better about making a decision. Plus you shifted me from a lambs to a Haas as our only avocado tree. So helpful!
Quick question: we live on the eastern border of La Mesa and the tree will live on a southwest-facing slope with no protection from wind. Will that work? When should I plant?
Hi June,
Thanks! Do you get Santa Anas strongly? Then you might end up losing a few pieces of fruit during those strong winds, but otherwise the tree should do fine. I’d plant in March, that would be easiest. You can plant earlier, but you’d then need to be on the lookout for any extreme cold that might hit over the upcoming winter months (although your site sounds like it isn’t very cold in winter because of the slope and the southwest orientation).
Thank you! We definitely get strong Santa Ana winds but our apple and peach trees have fared well enough in the same area.
Where can I go to find rare avocados to buy and eat? I want to try a few verietys before I plant more trees. I’m interested in Ardith, Jan Boyce, Kahaluu, Green Gold, Lisa, Gwen and Gem. I live in Lakeside.
Hi Monty,
I’m sorry but I have no good answer to that question. I’ve searched for years for the same thing to no avail, but this is a question that is very near to my heart.
The situation seems to be this: Almost all avocado farms grow only Hass in a quantity sufficient for retail sale, with a few exceptions. A few farms have a sufficient amount of Reed, Fuerte, Pinkerton, and Lamb to sell. A few farms also sell fruit from their pollenizer trees at farmers markets: Bacon, Zutano, Ettinger. Even fewer farms have Gwen and GEM to sell at farmers markets, but that’s about where it ends.
I’ve never seen the fruit of Ardith, Jan Boyce, Kahaluu, Green Gold, or Lisa for sale anywhere in California.
I’ve found other varieties at farmers markets here and there, but not in a reliable way. One week they’re there, the next they’re gone.
I’ve wanted to help with this situation for years. The main problem is that very few people have trees of these varieties that are big enough to produce a commercial crop, and everyone I know who does is perfectly capable of eating it all within their own family and friends network.
I’m trying to help in a few ways. First, I’m growing as many worthy varieties as I can on my own property, and as the trees mature I’ll offer fruit for sale online as well as at nearby farmstands like Farmstand 67 in Ramona. Second, I have a friend growing many of these uncommon varieties at a larger scale than me, and as his trees reach maturity I will help him get this fruit connected to people like you. Third, I also want to find a way to connect all California avocado growers of varieties other than Hass to avocado eaters.
The way to do this, I think, is through the internet. I imagine being able to post the availability of different varieties from different farmers or home growers on my website, and then one can either find that fruit at a particular farmstand or farmers market, or have it shipped to the front door. I know that I would love to use such a service so I would love to be able to make such a service real.
In the meantime, I’ll conclude by noting that the closest location to Lakeside that I know of Gwen and GEM avocados being sold is up in Fallbrook at Eli’s Farmstand. GEM avocados might become available there in the spring, and Gwens in late spring.
By the way, I did write a post about buying good avocados of all varieties here: “Where and how to buy good avocados.”
I love your idea to make different varieties of avocados available through the internet. For now, Maybe you can create a network of people to report what varieties they found and where they are. For instance I found mayo avocados a few months ago. I think they were at Eli’s in Fallbrook. I bought a few and they were excellent! Easily equals to the best Hass I’ve had. I can see why they are not commercial though. They were very difficult to tell when they were ripe and the skin was thin and flimsy like wet tissue paper.
Great idea, Walter. I’ll work on it.
In the meantime, often on Eli’s Farm’s Facebook page it is listed which avocados are currently available: https://www.facebook.com/ElisFarms/
Thanks for the link. Looks like they have Pinkertons and “Duarte? “ for sale right now. Think I’ll head out there tomorrow and pick some up. Do you think Duarte is Fuerte misspelled?
Hi Walter,
Yes, I think you’re right. They do have Fuerte right now.
They were indeed Pinkerton and Fuertes. Bought several and they taste great
Do you know of any reasonably priced avocado tree nurseries in Central or Northern California that aren’t simply buying wholesale and marking them up like CRAZY? I’m looking to buy a bunch that are something like 6’+. Thanks so much!
Hi Charlotte,
I don’t know much about the pricing of avocado trees at nurseries in Central and Northern California, but I do know that most if not all of them buy their trees from wholesale growers located down south.
An avocado tree that is grafted and is about six feet tall has been grown for two or three years already and is not going to be cheap because of the labor and materials put into such a tree. You can save a lot of money by buying a smaller tree, and remember that if you care for a small avocado tree well it can grow to six feet tall, or at least close, by the end of its first year in the ground.
Thank you for the info!
Where can i find someone to graft my avocado tree?
Hi Robert,
Contact your local chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers or ask at a local nursery.
Hi Greg! I have a small area I’d like to plant 3 or 4 avocado trees. Max height would be 10′ or so, and would like to have both Type A & B to maximize harvest. Seems like the dwarf or patio types are all Type A, so is there also a Type B that could produce and be kept w/in 10′ or so? Maybe even graft a Type B onto a Type A, if that would make sense? Thanks!
Hi Tom,
You can keep any avocado variety pruned down to 10 feet if you’re diligent. I can’t think of any B types that are as slow growing as some A types such as Holiday or Wertz. The B types that I have grown have all grown at normal to fast rates: Sharwil, Fuerte, Hellen, Edranol, Nabal, Nimlioh, Sir-Prize, Bacon, Zutano.
Hi Greg,
I recently purchased a reed avocado tree from four wind growers and noticed it has an avocado pit right below the stem. Do they grow them from pit seed?
Good question, NR. Yes and no. What they did was grow the rootstock tree from a seed. (Most commonly in California, Zutano is used for seedling rootstocks.) Then they grafted Reed onto that rootstock tree. But the seed that the rootstock tree came from often remains attached at the base of the trunk for a few years before it degrades or gets knocked away.
In Sonoma County. Zutano bought at Harmony farm Supply is a great producer for me about 6 miles inland at 400 feet.
Thank you for a very informative article. I truly appreciate your advice and comments on avocados. I wish I had found your posts before I went avocado tree shopping 🙂 Getting ready to plant a Lamb Hass and possibly one more for my yard.
I’ve been slowly converting my garden and balcony into food bearing plants and trees and will be back for more advice.
Thanks for the feedback, Elissa. I suspect that soon your garden and balcony will be a jungle of plants to snack on.
Hi,
I have 4 avocado pits that have sprouted, but have no where to plant them as I live in an apartment. I’ve been told in order for them to bear fruit, they have to be grafted with a male plant. Can I give it to one of these nurseries for grafting and sale? Any info you can provided is appreciated.
JP, Maybe contact your local California Rare Fruit Growers group. They have grafting demonstrations and Scion (cuttings of good, named varieties) exchanges. And BTW, all Avocado trees have flowers with both male and female parts, but there are two types; A & B, and they open as male or female at different times, on different days. Most Avocado trees, including those grown from seed, are self fertile but produce more fruit if there is a “pollinator” tree.
Anyone have an update on gem avocados? Adam tropics says sold out. Does anyone know if Eli’s still sells them?
Just bot a GEM and JB at Walter Anderson in Poway, they had two more of each. $49,95 each.
It seems like every time I go to Eli’s they have GEMs there. I would love to find a JB up in the Fallbrook/ temecula area though. I hardly ever find myself around Poway
Hi JP, There is no such thing as a male plant. There is such a thing as quality root stock, and a known mother plant. That’s what a nursery would / could do for you. I doubt they would want to take the time though, as when a avocado is taken from a grafted tree (100% of commercial trees are grafted as described above) then you won’t know what you are going to get from the seed. Enjoy them as house plant for awhile, and maybe your situation will change and you can plant them in a yard and see what you might get.
A more sure thing is to purchase one from a nursery of a known variety. But experimenting can be fun if you have the resources. Who knows, maybe you will get the next variety that will be better than Hass.
Have to say it was really nice watching your review of the Sharwil on YouTube. Probably an understated variety compared to the Hass. But it seems to be growing in popularity.
Thanks, Anthony. I’d guess that if Sharwil had an A-type flower and produced more consistently in a broader range of climates, it would be grown in abundance across the globe. Everyone I know who has eaten the fruit loves it. And it’s a tough tree. In my yard and other yards I know nearby, it really takes heat.
No relation to Colonel Frank Sharpe, right Anthony? Just checking.
Yes, Sir Frank Sharpe was my Grandfather.
Send me your email. Will ping you a 1961 California avocado society paper Interesting read if you are so inclined
Gosh, anybody know where I can find Russel avocados? I’m in Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley.
Hi Travis,
Sorry, I’ve never seen Russell avocados for sale in Southern California, and I don’t know anyone who grows them here.
If you’re interested in the shape, you might try Pinkerton or the longer-necked version of Pinkerton called Sport.
I’ve been looking for a Gwen the past few weeks and finally found one today at Louie’s Nursery in Riverside. As far as I could tell they were the nearest retailer to LA that carried them. They actually had a fairly large number of varieties, though sadly no GEMs. Here’s their list: https://www.louiesnursery.com/plants/avocado-trees/
I’ve always found this website so helpful. I hope this bit of info is of benefit to your readers.
Hi Joe,
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been meaning to make it up to this nursery for the last few months because I’ve been told of their stock of many varieties. I hope I get a chance soon. I’d just like to do some looking around myself and inquire as to who is propagating the trees and where the scion wood is coming from, and if all seems legitimate I’ll add it to the post above.
Happy for you and the Gwen. I’ve been eating quite a few lately, and they sure taste awesome. Please tell me how your Gwen tree does for you.
The tags didn’t give any indication of where they sourced it from and I didn’t think to check at the nursery. For what it’s worth, I’m a landscaper and felt the avocado trees were very healthy and robust looking.
They also had some rarer tropical fruit trees. I bought a 5 gallon mango. When I planted them today, I was frustrated to find that I had been sold a 1 gallon plant in a 5 gallon container…and at a 5 gallon price. Very frustrating to pull it out of the pot and see how small the root ball was. This didn’t happen with the Avocado tree and walked the entire nursery and was generally impressed with their other products. I think it’d be worth your time to check it out despite this red flag.
Thanks for the report and the details. Hope to visit in the next couple weeks.
Sir can I give Avocado Scion for sale
Hi Tajelsir,
You would like to buy avocado scions? I recommend posting that request on Tropical Fruit Forum: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php
I just wish Atkins answered their phones. I’ve tried calling them probably 30 times in the past two years, and they’ve never answered once.
Hi Jake, try call Atkins early morning between 8-11:30am you might have better luck. I got lucky this last month. They answered the phone twice around 10:30am. I place my order with them. Waiting for them to call me back when the trees are in. Good Luck.
Hi Greg,
Do you have any suggestions for finding a Sir-Prize avocado trees in Santa Barbara or Ventura county? If possible I’d like to avoid driving to Subtropica in Fallbrook or shipping them in. I expect to need to wait until next Spring, but I’d like to be proactive in my search and have some good leads tracked down. Thanks for your expertise.
Hi Jason,
Try contacting nurseries near you and asking them if they can order trees from Durling. Durling has grown Sir-Prize avocado trees in the past, and maybe a local nursery can special order one for you.
Armstrong has been good at doing this kind of thing for me before. Try the Armstrong in Thousand Oaks if you don’t find another nursery closer to you that can help: https://www.armstronggarden.com/armstrong-garden-centers-thousand-oaks
Thanks Greg! I’ll definitely see if I can get some help ordering from Durling or try Armstrong.
I actually had some luck after calling around in Ventura – Green Thumb Nursery came through for me. They had a lot of Sir-Prize, and even some Reed that I was excited to find. I bought two of each to hold onto until Spring when I have a spot in the yard prepared for them. I also have a small Hass that is already in the ground.
However, I was a little surprised to see that it looks like they were grown from seed – is that possible? I had thought all nursery avocado would be grafted to ensure it stayed true to the parent plant. The Reed plants were grown by Menlo Growers, and the Sir-Prize came from Otto & Sons Nursery in Filmore. Do you recognize them as reputable growers? I started to wonder if the selection was too good to be true. Do you think the trees are worth keeping?
Thanks again for your expertise!
Hi Jason,
Don’t worry about seeing a seed at the base of the trunk. Almost certainly, that seed is from the rootstock, and the Sir-Prize and Reed were grafted on so you’ve got the true type that will fruit on top. Almost all avocado trees sold in retail nurseries like Green Thumb are made that way, with a seedling rootstock and a grafted scion on top; and the rootstock often comes from a Zutano seed.
Hi Greg, we live in poway, CA and the Gem Avocado (which was kindly given to us by my brother) didn’t survive the recent heat wave. We are trying to purchase another Gem and was wondering if you could please help us locate one.
Thank you,
Matt and Cathy
Hi Matt and Cathy,
Sorry to hear about your GEM. The heat has been terrible lately. Looks like it is finally relenting.
You might stop by Walter Andersen’s to ask if they can get GEM trees, but as far as I know they haven’t started carrying them. Maddock Nursery in Fallbrook told me about a month ago that they might have some GEM trees available around early November. But your best bet for a GEM tree as soon as possible, and as close to home as possible, is probably Subtropica in Fallbrook. Give them a call or email before you drive up. Their contact info is linked in the post above.
First of all, Greg, what an awesome site! Thank you so much for sharing all of your information. I have a lot of fruit trees but have not grown avocados. This site has been a great resource.
I recently cut down a large tree on a retaining wall that was used for privacy and would love to plant 2 large 24″ box avocados in its place. Although elevated on the retaining wall, the dirt is not the best so I think I would also create a small mound if possible.
I am thinking of Hass and Reed (or Lamb Hass). My priorities would be something that is harder to kill and consistent production. I’d sacrifice taste for those two qualities. Any advice? I’d also love to grow a Valencia Pride mango as they are supposed to grow fast? I live about 15 minutes from the ocean in San Diego.
Hi Don,
First be sure to do a quick drainage test where you’ll be planting these trees. See this post for how to do that: https://gregalder.com/yardposts/how-to-plant-and-stake-an-avocado-tree/
In your area, you’re not likely to deal with dangerous cold or dangerous heat. So as long as your drainage is acceptable and you water correctly, you can easily grow any variety that is normally grown in Southern California. But as far as production goes, Hass, Lamb, and Reed all make the grade. I can suggest other good producers if you are interested.
I don’t know anything about the relative growth rate of Valencia Pride compared to other mango varieties. But if you grow a grafted mango variety of any kind it won’t be an extremely fast grower. Grafted mangos do a bunch of flowering and don’t do as much vegetative growing as one might hope here in Southern California. Don’t expect any grafted mango tree to grow large in a short amount of time. A grafted avocado, for example, will grow a million times faster.
If you want a mango tree to grow as fast as possible, plant a seedling. La Verne Nursery sells Manila seedlings. You can buy them at any garden center.
You can always graft Valencia Pride to the seedling a couple years down the road.
Thanks Greg, I appreciate the information. I would love your suggestion on other good producers if you have the time. I am going to make my purchase sometime in the morning tomorrow. You may not have time to respond before that, but I appreciate it anyways. Thanks for steering me clear of the mango.
Hi Don,
You can’t go wrong with Hass and Reed, but some other good producers that you’d probably be satisfied with include Pinkerton, Gwen, and GEM.
Hello Greg,
I recently purchased a Reed Avocado. What small Avocado tree do I need to ensure fruit from the Reed??
I live in Glendora, CA
Hi Gloria,
I grew up in Glendora. Wonderful place. Your Reed should produce plenty of avocados without another avocado tree nearby. Reed trees are especially known for being self-fertile. Commercial farmers that I know never plant additional avocado varieties within their groves of Reed.
Hi Greg,
I want to piggyback on the question above. I also want to get a Reed because I love the taste. What other B type tree would grow about the same rate and size as the Reed? I’m considering and looking around for Sir prize, Stuart or Bacon.
I also want to plant them on either side of a walkway and have the canopies meet over top of an arbor. Do you think that would work or would it be impractical?
I love the info you provide here by the way. Super helpful.
Thank You!
Hi Nicole,
Thank you. You could definitely form your trees to arch over the top of an arbor. As for B types, Sir-Prize would work. Bacon would work although it would likely grow a bit faster than the Reed. Nabal would also work but it has the same harvest season (summer) as Reed. Sharwil has a more spreading growth habit than Reed but it would complement the Reed harvest perfectly, as Sharwil is a winter-spring fruit. (Same goes for Fuerte.)
Hi
I bought 3 Gem and 3 Zutano last yr. I tepotted them in larger containers
The Gems did beautifully this year. I’m in the Central valley, no frost damage to them. The Zutanos one didn’t fair yo well bit I think it will be ok.Other two did great.
Question
When would be a good time to put these in the ground…Feb now.
Thanks for another wonderful post, Greg. Such helpful info. Can you tell me please if I have to have a second avocado tree for cross pollination if I plant a Hass? It would be between two apple trees (each 15-20 feet away, roughly, if that matters.
Thanks!
Thanks, June. Hass will fruit fine on their own. No need for a second avocado tree.
Thanks much, Greg!
Great info. I got a Queen and Nimlioh at Atkins but have never seen a Covocado anywhere. Any idea where I should look?
When did you get Queen & Nimlioh ??? Was it this year? What month ? I live in Central Coast, been looking for Queen & Nimlioh plus other rare varieties avocados like Daily 11, Helen, Nabal Gem, Endranol, Don Gillogly
Hi Martin,
Subtropica Nurseries in Fallbrook has many Mayo / Covocado avocado trees for sale right now.
Oh wow, thanks for the info! They did not respond to my email inquiries.
I drove down and picked up a Mayo. They expect Sir Prize in early July.
Excellent. Glad you got your tree.
Have you happened to notice if Subtropica has Sir Prize yet? They said early July, but it’s a long drive for me if they don’t have them.
Hi Martin,
Didn’t see any Sir-Prize when I was there a week ago. I’ll let you know here in the comments if any are ready later this week.
What’s a good pollenizer to have in a container next to my Fuerte?
I just read about your experiment and sounds like a good way to go!
I’m south of you in the Spring Valley area. I have a Hass in the front yard and my Fuerte is in the back yard….the Fuerte does set fruit, but drops most of it and maybe a pollenizer next to it might help with more fruit set.
Hi Karen,
Hass has proven to be a good pollenizer for Fuerte. Since you already have a Hass, you could try one of many other good A types: Pinkerton, Gwen, Lamb, Reed, etc.
Okay, which, in your opinion, is the best tasting type “A”, Gem, Gwen, or Reed?
Those are all cream of the crop varieties. I might give a slight nod to Gwen, but GEM and Reed are also amazing.
Very cool of you. I understand Atkins might have Sir-Prize in August but they can be hard to reach also. Thanks!
Greg, do you do any home visits? We have a Hass tree that is struggling and I’ve done all that I can think of to bring it back to health. It’s been a great producing tree and it’s about 15-20’ tall. We would like someone to come to our house and evaluate what the problem is.
Hi Kathleen,
I’ll send you an email about possibly visiting.
Hello Greg, I had spoke with you many years ago. Have some land in downtown San Diego and grow Fuerte and Reed. I usually research before I purchase and would like to know your opinion on different root stocks. Clonal verses other root stocks in regards to fruit yield. I’ve seen Bender’s graph’s of various root stocks and yield numbers. I’m still new at this and my question is how do you know what root stock with high yield grows best in certain soils? As far as I know I can change certain properties of soil to take care of certain issues? Always clonal is the way to go and know it’s more expensive due to research. Do commercial growers usually produce more fruit on their trees? Thanks Greg
Hi Joe,
Have a read through this post on avocado rootstocks. There’s a chart at the end that you might find especially helpful: https://gregalder.com/yardposts/avocado-rootstocks-what-do-they-matter/
If any of your questions aren’t answered there, let me know in that post’s comments section.
Hi Greg. Can you please connect me with a nursery able to ship a Gem avocado tree to New York please.
Hi Bernardo,
I’m sorry but I don’t know of any nurseries that grow GEM and ship unless the orders are huge (like over 100 trees).
Hey Greg, I’ve got a tip for folks in northern LA or Ventura county areas: Paradise Nursery (https://paradisenursery.com). They have almost exclusively 15gal. and 24″ box avocado trees, and many varieties. I saw Hass, Lamb Hass, Wurtz, Sir Prize, Reed, GEM, and Fuerte. The trees looked good, starting to flush out new leaves, and are at least 5′-6′ tall (not including the pot). 15 gal. trees sell for $150, and the 24″box are $495. They also have many citrus and stone fruit varieties too. Your post regarding “should I buy a big or small tree” applies, but for those of us wanting quick (er) gratification, worth checking out!
For the NorCal people, GEM trees are available at Golden Palm Nursery. You will pay a lot more than you would in San Diego, but you can find them and many other varieties.
https://www.goldengatepalms.com/
I live near Sacramento: summer daytime highs 105 and summer lows in low 60’s, arid climate. In Dec-Feb, low temperatures get down to high 20’s a few days a year. I planted a Mexicola Grande (from Four Winds Nursery) 4 years ago, selected for its cold tolerance. I fertilize and water lightly and tree seems very healthy. Last year got 10-15 clusters of flowers and ~8 fruitlets that got to about 1/4 inch before dropping off. Tree was 8 feet then. This year I have HUNDREDS of flowers and it has grown to about 12 feet. I have surrounded tree with bee-friendly herbs and am planning this year to resort to hand fertilization with a brush to try to get an actual crop, fingers crossed. I hope this fertilization method would not be an on-going necessity if I had an appropriate Type B avocado varietal for cross pollination. I’m leaning towards a Fuerte but fully open to your suggestion that would lead to a climate-appropriate fertile pair of trees. Could you also comment on tree-to-tree distance for pollinizers? MUCH THANKS
Hi Steve,
Two days ago, I visited a yard with a single avocado tree, a Mex. Grande, and it is productive. You might also find that yours produces fine on its own.
Fuerte is a great variety, and it should bloom early enough to partly overlap with the Mex. Grande (which is even earlier than Fuerte usually).
The closer the trees the better for cross-pollination purposes. Branches touching is ideal. But even if they’re 100 feet apart you’ll get some cross-pollination.
Hi Greg. Love your site. I live in N Hollywood & tried planting a haas avocado a few years ago but every summer the tree would get badly burned & a lot of leaves would turn black. I even tried shading the tree with old bedsheets the entire summer last year but still the tree looked pitiful with lots of black leaves & several black branches….and of course zero fruit. Is my area simply too hot or is there something I’m doing wrong? Any tips would be appreciated. Thx.
Hi Jeff,
North Hollywood is definitely not too hot, but since it is hotter than avocados prefer it’s easiest to get them started right now in March. This gives them a little time to root out and become more resilient before the heat hits.
But mainly, the key is watering sufficiently from day one. See my post on watering newly planted avocado trees and see if you can get better results from following the schedule within: https://gregalder.com/yardposts/how-to-water-a-newly-planted-avocado-tree/
Looking for a Gwen Dwarf Avocado tree. Based on our research, we are drawn to the gwen because of the tree size and fruit harvest time from planting to harvest. We live in the San Fernando Valley where it does get very warm during the summer.
Questions, whats your take on our tree selection and have any recommendations on finding one ?
Since writing this article 4 years ago, are there any better resources/ nurseries now to buy a mature GEM avocado tree in the southern california area?
Hi Mark,
I actually continually update this post even though I first wrote it in 2018. The most recent addition of sources for GEM trees is La Verne Nursery, which is a wholesale nursery that sells to lots of independent retail nurseries and places like Home Depot.
The best place to get Avocado trees is Brokaw Nursery, they have a patent on the colonal root stock and that is what every farmer buys, they have Gems!
They produce 350,000 trees a year, in one year they will grow over 3ft and produce fruit the first year.
The root stocks from these other nurseries are typical Mexican root stock.
Hi Allen,
Brokaw is a very good nursery, but let me correct a few things in your comment.
Brokaw does not own patents on any clonal rootstocks at this time that I’m aware of; they are, however, licensed to propagate and sell certain rootstocks that have been patented by others.
While Brokaw is the largest avocado tree nursery, many farmers buy avocado trees from other good nurseries too.
Many nurseries other than Brokaw propagate and sell GEM avocado trees.
Any given avocado tree will only grow according to the care the tree is given — Brokaw’s trees included.
How early a tree will produce has much to do with the scion variety and rootstock variety, in addition to the care given to the tree. It has little to do with the nursery which grew the tree. And I’ve observed thousands of trees from Brokaw that have not produced fruit the first year. Producing fruit the first year is often not desirable anyway.
Most nurseries that make trees for home gardeners use Zutano seeds for their rootstocks. Brokaw nursery also uses Zutano seeds for the rootstocks of most trees that they make for home gardeners.
Most nurseries additionally use other seeds or other clonal varieties for rootstocks. For example, Maddock often uses G6 seeds for rootstock. But Maddock also makes trees on clonal rootstocks, especially for farmers.
Brokaw is one of many good nurseries from which a California grower can buy trees. I think that one should choose where to buy an avocado tree based on many factors, including the desired rootstock and scion variety, proximity to a nursery, and quantity of trees needed. Brokaw will be the best choice for some and not for others.
Thanks for all the great information as always!
A number of my trees are older and I was told they are suffering from root rot. It was suggested that I cut them down and plant new trees that are genetically less at risk to root rot. It was suggested that Brokaw was the place to go. Any thoughts?
Is there anywhere in the San Diego area that sells Brokaw?
Thanks!
Greg, since you are directing people to nurseries that sell avocado trees, I hope you don’t mind me offering 2 Nabal trees for sale that I grafted. In 5 gallon containers.
Grafted in 2019, later put in the ground. It didn’t do well where I put it so I dug it up and put it in the 5 gallon container. It’s doing nicely now – $75.
Grafted in 2020 – very strong should grow into a massive tree – $200
No shipping – pickup in San Diego near SDSU
info@uniquedynamicsinc.com
Hi Greg. This bought a Gem Avocado at four winds growers for 50 plus shipping
total cost 65.52. its on a maxicola seeding. do you have experience on this root stock.
We bought a Hass or so the tag said, but, we don’t have full size avocados till Oct – Dec. If Hass ripens April – July what do I have?
Hi Ajey,
The size of the avocados isn’t the best indicator of maturity. They can be full size months before they’re ready to pick. It’s possible that you do have a Hass after all.
Here’s more about when to pick avocados: https://gregalder.com/yardposts/when-to-pick-avocados/
I’m in North California, about 80 – 90 miles from Oregon. I recently received a Lamb and a Gem from Four Winds. Healthy trees, great customer service, solid and fairly quick shipping, healthy plants. They didn’t have a Sharwil Supposed to be a great tasting B) and I couldn’t find one online but Etsy had one. The shipping took a long time, came via USPO. (For plants i much prefer UPS because they take a little better care.) The tree was about a foot and a half but the leaves on top half were pale, very weak while those on the bottom, though smaller, were dark green and healthy. I checked the stem and found right above the last healthy leaf I saw a very fine thin brown line that circled the main stem. I cut the stem there and looking at the end of the cut off stem, the core was white but around that it looked brown. If that’s the cambium layer, it looked to be rotting. Will Not buy from ETSY again.
I’m determined to grow avocados up here.. Our untypical winter had several days in the mid 20’s, days in the mid 40’s. The Hass (5 yrs) lost all but maybe 10 leaves barely hanging on, but it is coming back and gaining speed. The Wurtz (6 yrs) lost some leaves, but came through no problem. The Mexicola (2 yrs) no problem The Stewart (3 yrs) lost some leaves but quickly has bushed out, but it hasn’t grown in height much. The tiny Zutano (1 yr) lost most its leaves but is slowly coming back. I’m thinking of getting a Reed and/or a Carman. As you might tell, I’ve got the Avocado bug and bad.
Thanks for your experience and videos. Very interesting, informative, to the point but still casual.thanks!
Larry, you might want to look at epicenter nursery. They specialize in avo trees that are more likely to thrive in NorCal. My d’arturo and Bonny doon are growing much better than my Reed, Pinkerton, lamb and Carmen.
Danp, thanks for the reply. I’ve been looking at Epicenter, wanted both the d’arturo and and the Bonny Doon (I used to live in the Santa Cruz area) but both are sold out. I think they might have more in the fall, but not giving them a season to adjust has me holding back. So i ordered a Pinkerton and Sir Prize from Four Winds. If Epicenter has those two in the spring, I’ll go for them. Have you heard of Joey? I think it’s an East Coast B supposed to survive 18 degrees. Haven’t heard of them around the West Coast.
Epicenter always sells out. And for a good reason! Most nurseries are creating trees for the regions where avocados thrive (San Diego to Santa Barbara) because that’s where they see the most demand. Epicenter is the only nursery I know of that focuses on more marginal areas like NorCal.
They take orders starting new years day and deliver them in the spring. If you don’t have your order in pretty much right away, they will run out of stock. I wanted a palo d’oro and set a reminder for Jan 2… Having tried to grow trees that are marginal for this region, I am firmly in the camp that only bacon, zutano, palo, bonny doon and d’arturo are a good fit for where i live (close to the ocean, just south of SF). And in 5-10 years, I’ll be able to tell you how well they have done!
Danp, Thanks for the Epicenter dates. They have the best prices and people seem to be happy with the trees they get from Epicenter, so I’ll have to get on the list.
Thanks for sharing this, Larry. Many people have a misconception that avocados do not grow well north of about Santa Barbara, but I’ve seen many old trees that produce well throughout the Bay Area and in the Central Valley, and way up the 101 (in Cloverdale, e.g.). And there are nooks near the coast all the way up to the Oregon border that can keep an avocado tree happy in most years. I’m glad you’ve caught the bug and that you’re giving these trees a go. I look forward to hearing updates.
Larry, you might want to check Avocado Tree Growers as well. They have lots of rare varieties.
I have planted a Palo d’Oro tree that is growing really fast it even flowered this spring and set tiny fruits, Big Black (Negro Grande) is also very hardy and worth having they call it Super Mexicola as it’s fruit is double the size of Mexicola Grande’s fruit and taste very good, also I found out that Reed is pretty hardy it’s always the first to recover!
Hi, I am interested in buying i about 200 gem trees I know this post is old, but if there is any chance you may know a place located here in California I would greatly appreciate it. I have already contacted brokaw and Nursery. But I am looking for other available outlets that I may be able to contact if there’s any help that you can give me a greatly appreciate it. Thank you have a great day.
Hi Michelle,
Other than Brokaw, you can also try Subtropica in Fallbrook and Maddock in Fallbrook. Both make GEM trees and can fulfill large orders.
Who sells brokaw nursery trees? I live in La Habra Heights. Thanks.
Hey! Went to Eli’s farms this weekend, their location has changed. It is now 705 Shady Ln, Fallbrook, CA 92028. Thank you for the information! I was able to get some avocado trees on some rootstock! 😎
Hi Laf,
Ach! I’ve been meaning to update this. Thanks for the reminder.