by Greg Alder | Mar 22, 2017 | Avocados, Fruit |
Kids grow fast, as do avocado trees — especially when planted over a power-packed placenta. Oddly, prior to looking through the retrospective below, I had felt rushed for both of them to hit some developmental marks even faster. As of today, Cass can legibly...
by Greg Alder | Feb 21, 2017 | Avocados, Fruit |
I just planted the avocado tree in the photo above, on February 10, 2017. It’s a Hass from a five-gallon container. How long can I expect to wait for an avocado tree like this to bear fruit? Short answer: three to four years. I get such an expectation from the...
by Greg Alder | Jan 26, 2017 | Avocados, Fruit |
My grandpa once asked me when to start picking fruit from his Hass avocado tree. I said February. But it’s true that I’ve been picking one every now and then from my Hass tree since November. They’ve tasted acceptable, but I know that from...
by Greg Alder | Dec 6, 2016 | Avocados, Fruit |
(Last updated May 26, 2021) The answer is yes. My aunt asked me about this yesterday. Her yard space is well-spoken for, but her husband would really like to have an avocado tree. “They get big,” she said. They do indeed. Most varieties will exceed 30...
by Greg Alder | Oct 11, 2016 | Avocados, Resources |
While there isn’t a great single resource for growing avocados at home, the best of what’s available is a handbook written for commercial farmers that is edited by Gary Bender, former farm advisor in San Diego County. He taught my Master Gardener class on...
by Greg Alder | Oct 7, 2016 | Avocados, Watering |
Let’s say you just planted an avocado tree from a five-gallon container, the typical size available at nurseries. How should you water this tree? First, immediately after planting you should water lavishly, making sure that all of the container soil is wet and also...
by Greg Alder | Mar 7, 2016 | Avocados, Resources |
Here is the best overall resource on grafting avocados that I’m aware of. Written by some of the most experienced people in the world, and specific to California conditions, it is a publication called “Propagating Avocados” from the University of...
by Greg Alder | Feb 25, 2016 | Avocados |
The California avocado industry was originally built on the quality of one variety: Fuerte. And yet, despite its fame and importance, the commonly repeated story about how Fuerte got its name is dubious. Here’s a summary of the story that is told: A freeze hit...
by Greg Alder | Feb 10, 2016 | Avocados, Fruit |
This is the last avocado from Mexico that I will ever buy. This is one too many rotten Mexican avocados that I have bought over the years, and I’m vowing to myself that I will never pay another dollar for one of these carelessly harvested and handled pieces of...
by Greg Alder | Jan 29, 2016 | Avocados |
You don’t need more than one avocado tree to get fruit production, but having two trees and allowing for cross pollination can never hurt. And there are some studies showing increased yield when two different avocado varieties are growing in proximity. The idea...
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