How To Pick An Avocado Tree

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Steve McShane here with a 'Nursery Note' on Avocados. [It is] One of the most popular fruit trees for the back yard, I can't tell you how good a performer it is along the coast in California even in the central valley in some places. Three of our most popular choices here.

One that everyone seems to know is the HAAS avocado. That's right, a really dark skin, nice rich, green flesh inside. The HAAS is actually a Central American variety; wouldn't be my first choice, because it's not as frost tolorant. This puppy here can only take it down to 29 or 30 degrees, anything less than that: it's gone, it's something to be sensitive to.

My better choice is actually a FUERTE. Where as the HAAS is more Central American, this variety here is more Mexican in it's origin. So it will actually be able to survive at a much cooler temperature. Like most good trees, it's going to have a graft and that graft is going to provide desease resistance and consistency of performance. A lot of people get an avocado at the market and they try to start it in their garden and it just doesn't do it for them. You gotta have the graft and you've gotta have the right variety.

Now, if it's not a FUERTE and it's not a HAAS; the other choice would be a BACON. A BACON avocado: a greener skin but a true, rich taste. Say if HAAS has the most oil in an avocado, FUERTE is up there too, BACON is up there as well. Three great performers, the BACON and the FUERTE a little better when it comes to frost. FUERTE, a little rougher when it comes to cold climate. So along the coast: FUERTE and maybe the BACON.

McShane's Nursery and Landscape Supply Copyright 2010
Landon Wolf Copyright 2010

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• Alvocado tree
• Monterey
• Salinas
• McShane's Nursery
• Alvocado
• Central Valley
• BACON
• FUERTE

[mcshanesnursery]

Avocados grown from seeds are sterile about 90% of the time, but are fine to graft to. Avocados are very challenging to graft, however. They don't go dormant and the tree would much rather keep growing the same variety, not the new one.

[Kozta111]

Hi, I have a 8 foot haas avocado growing in the ground in zone 9a, St.Augustine Florida. Do you think it will survive the winter? How can I protect it in the winter? Thanks

[snowmoon83]

i have 3ft avocado tree that i started from seed, what can i do with it??

keep the rootstock?? keep the top?? and if i have to graft the top, what are my rootstock options??

thanks

[tripvids420]

I have about a 10ft avocado tree that I started from seed from the grocery store. It will not produce avocados. Can I graft it? or will it never produce?