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 California.
Avocadosource.com makes “Propagating Avocados” freely available online HERE.
You might also like to read my post: “Where to get avocado scion wood.”
All of my Yard Posts are listed HERE
Hey Greg,
Love your stuff. I had a few questions regarding grafting.
I want to try the cleft graft on my avocado trees. I have a hass tree that grew from seed and multiple other trees that I bought grafted from nurseries. My plan is to graft a few branches from my nursery grown trees onto the Seed grown tree so I can have superior fruit. I tried one graft a couple of weeks ago, using the cleft technique and buddy tape. I wrapped the wound with the tape then placed a ziploc bag over the cut tip with a rubber band to retain moisture. Unfortunately yesterday I went out and saw the entire branch on the ground(including the branch that I had grafted onto). The wind fought the ziploc and broke the thing off the tree. I opened up the tap and it seems the graft seemed to be sticking but we’ll never know. My questions are:
1. Can I try this now if I see budding branches? Or should I wait until late winter/early spring? I am in the San Fernando valley in California. I read that avocado trees have two George stages, one in summer, and one in fall..are these leaf “buds” what you mean when you say it should have a few buds on there?
2. When wrapping with budding tape, should I wrap the entire branch, including the buds, or do you recommend sealing the cut with the tape and putting a ziploc with a rubber band over the branch, so the buds will not be disturbed by the tape?
Thanks for everything bud (pun intended).
Hi Ayven,
I think it’s cool that you’re experimenting with grafting. You can graft avocados right now, but it’s more challenging than in late winter and early spring. It’s easiest and very effective to just wrap the entire scion with the Buddy tape. The buds will break through the tape once they grow.
Thanks for the tip!
Hey Greg,
I would like to try grafting, how do you get avocado scions for grafting? Do you ever sell your from your own orchard?
Hi Sam,
Check out this post that I just wrote: https://gregalder.com/yardposts/where-to-get-avocado-scion-wood/
I don’t sell avocado scions at this time, sorry. That may change at some point in the future though. Best of luck with your grafting!
Hi Greg,
Thank you for your site, it’s an inspiration and a life changer! I started my backyard mini-grove in coastal Encinitas in March 2020 using mostly your info. I unfortunately had a transport mishap with a 5-gal Reed on Zutano rootstock from Atkins that broke off at the graft. I set the pot aside as a reminder to be careful and buy smaller, but now 7-months later that reminder is a healthy, 4′ tall Zutano sapling.
I currently have 4 avos planted in close 9′ spacing (Fuerte, Reed, Pinkerton, Hass). The plan if the hedge gets too crowded in later years is to sacrifice the Fuerte and Pinkerton to keep a full-sized Reed and Hass.
I have a site for one more avo. Do you see any value in planting this 5-gal ambitious Zutano? Perhaps as grafting practice to create a multi-tree? It has 4 main verticals coming out of the rootstock.
Thanks again for leading all of us stuck-at-home gardeners!
Hi Paul,
Thanks for this fun story! You have a great lineup of avocados growing. I like your plan.
The idea of multi-grafting the Zutano rootstock sounds like a fine one to me. I’ve done that in my yard and found it a worthwhile project. You get the grafting practice, you get to try out new varieties that you might not want a whole tree of, you get to see how the different varieties grow side by side, and eventually you get various avocados hanging right on the same stock.
Hi, Greg.
I really appreciate the information in your blog posts! Last year we were fortunate enough to purchase a house (North Park San Diego) that has a mature (>40 year old) avocado tree in the backyard, with a southern exposure. This tree was cut back a few years ago to a ~20′ diameter, but we’ll need to prune it back further this year to limit the canopy to our reach and keep it out of reach of squirrels, which jump onto it from neighbor’s fences, etc. We believe this is a Fuerte. We don’t have space to plant another avocado, so I’m thinking of grafting on some Type “A” branches soon, to boost pollination in the Fuerte and perhaps eventually bear fruit.
I’m new to grafting, and to avocado cultivation, so I’m looking through the materials you’ve posted online. We might not find a great variety of scions, but is there a particular variety of scion you’d recommend in this situation, or that you’d recommend against?
Hi Russ,
It’s so nice to get a mature avocado tree with a new house. I would just aim for grafting in a variety that has a harvest season different from Fuerte. That could be Hass or Gwen or Lamb or Reed or so many others. The only ones I wouldn’t bother with would be Bacon, Zutano, or other varieties that have early seasons like those. The harvest chart here might help guide you: https://gregalder.com/yardposts/when-to-pick-avocados/
Thank you, Greg!
Best wishes,
Hi Greg.
I’ve been looking everywhere on the internet to figure out what do I do on my grafted seedling. Somewhere I read that after your graft takes on your seedling, you should cut off the seedlings branch, and just leave the grafted Scion only on. Do I do that?
Also, I’m on short time with my mom going to pass, and we sale her home. She has a 80 yr old Stewart Avocado tree that give the best avocados I’ve ever had. So, I grafted 10 seedling from her tree and I had about 5 take. Then they didn’t make it. Actually 1 did. But the others turned black. But this ones leaves are actually grow larger that the other ever did. This was my first time doing this and I’m so excited to have her tree. Well that is if it survives. Keeping my fingers crossed. If you have any suggestions on keeping my baby Stewart alive please share with me.
Thank you
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Yes, at some point you do want to cut off everything that is not the grafted scion (besides the rootstock going into the ground with the root system, of course). Best of luck!
Hi Greg,
Thank you for that information.
I do have two more question, I found my gardener using weed killer on the ground right where I needed to plant my avocado tree ?ugh! Can I still plant it there, or do I need to wait months for it to evaporate? Also, can I plant my avocado during its newly growth?
Hi Michelle,
I would want to know which weed killer it was and how it kills. If it kills upon contact, then no big deal. But if it kills by moving into the plant system, then you might have a problem. Read the label on the herbicide to find out.
You can plant an avocado tree during any stage of its growth.
Hi Greg , so cool to see the booklet on propagating avocados , my uncle Alvin Lypps was a major contributor and the names listed brought back many memories, as a child I tied behind him for citrus grafting during the summers and remember his % of takes on grafts was in the 90-95% which was unheard of. Uncle Alvin was instrumental in helping many growers get their start and even some of the big nurseryman who are in business now owe much to his generosity. Uncle Alvin would come from hemet and pick me up and we would go to mr Jim Bacon s house and collect graft wood from the mother bacon tree for the next seasons grafting, I would get to trim the leaves off but was scolded if I nicked a bud eye lol. Many of the grafting tools he made were industry firsts and are in my collection from him. We now live on a ranch here in corona and planted 100 trees in his honor back in 2005 and have a antique swing dedicated to Al and Katie Lypps, two of the most generous people I ever have known. Take care lonnie scott
Hi Lonnie,
I’m so grateful you took the time to share those memories about your uncle. He is a giant name in California avocado history.
Hi Greg,
I’ve attempted 10 Cleft grafts from a Pinkerton to a Sir Prize, 4 of the grafts have new leaves from the end of the scion. The rest of the grafts are still somewhat green but , after 6 weeks I see no new leaves. I wrapped them all w a single layer of parafilm along their length to maintain moisture. At what point do I give up if there are no new leaves by now ? Thanks for your reply.