I don't recall how many times that people that know everything told me that avocado trees started from seeds will not produce fruit. And that info came from orchard or nursery stuff. I thought to myself, that does not sound quite right as every plant start from seeds produce vegetable, flower and fruits,
Througout my avocado growing journey, like the majority of the growers out there, I was everything but patient, I wanted to grow my own avodados in the shortest time possible. So I went to the nursery buying avocado trees, over and over again. The tree from the nurseries surely looked nice and tall, few of them even had avacado flowers on them. But as soon as they went to the ground, the leaves died off (can't sustain the N. CA summer); the bloomsom dropped . After the first winter, they died half way or down to the roots as soon as the frost set in. The one that survived half way, went through our desert heat in summer, grew very slowly, after the 2nd winter came, they dimeshed completely.
Alsi did numerous study on line (was not that diligent when in college) as well as listen to the pros in the nurseries that avocado trees need 2 different varieties in order to set fruits. It turns out, those were all false.
15 years ago, I ran into a fellow gardener that lives in a milder weather Bay Area that never freezes. He said he has "1" avocado tree in his yard that produces hundreds of avocados that he shared with the neighbors in a Home Depot 5 gallon buckets every year. I asked how as my avocado trees died every time. He said starting avocado trees from a seed like our ancesters do, that was how he did. After 15-20 years, you will have avocados on the tree.
So I planted a avocado seed in the yard, never really 'nourished' it or even an eyed on it. It did not even get automatic irrgation. Hand watered it when it's really hot when the nearby plants needed more water during heat waves. Winter came, frost 10-20 day from Dec to Feb, the cold did not affet it much. 15 years later, our seeded avocado tree produced some bloomsom last year, set a couple of avocados. This year, the tree is producing millions of avocado flowers. I think very soon, I will have buckets full of avocaldo to share with my friends and animals.
Ran into a few more avocaldo trees in Hayward and San Leandro, the owners told me these trees all started from seeds, some sort of seeds they got from Mexico.
So I realized I was deceived by modern horticulture, not so pro nursery staff and misleading hearsays. So next time if anyone mentiones that fruit trees started from seeds can't produce fruits, tell them to go read this post.
Plant the avocado tree now, you or your next generation will appreciate you later.
Comments