Tropical Fruit-A-Week Series: Essential Avocados

HOLY GUACAMOLE, there’s an avocado among us!! And if there isn’t an avocado among your garden, there should be! It’s great to walk out and pick fruit from your own avocado tree. It’s what living in South Florida is all about.

Avocados are easy to grow. The trees like to be planted in well drained soil (never to be flooded for any extended time) and the trees can grow to 30 feet overall but can be maintained at 15-20 feet by trimming, after finished fruiting. Use a fruit tree fertilizer 3-4 times a year to keep yours happy. If insect control is necessary, insects can be managed organically with the use of neem oil or soaps. Copper is typically one of the better fungicides and can be used on all your fruit trees once or twice each year.

There are two options when deciding on the type of fruit you like to eat. There is the oily Mexican variety that is small in size (8-10 oz.) but packed with flavor. These are typically used to make guacamole. The trees can tolerate temperatures to 22 degrees. They fruit late Summer to Fall.

The Guatemalan cross has larger fruit (20-30 oz.), but not as much oil. They fruit late Fall into Winter. They are great to eat in a salad, to make guacamole with, or just to slice, add salt and pepper, and enjoy. They are a little more sensitive to the cold, as they cannot take temperatures below 25-28 degrees, but they will tolerate the temperatures we typically have here.

There are some issues around pollination with avocados, having type A and B trees where the female (stigma) and the male (stamen) become receptive or viable at different times of the day is important. For good fruit set you should have an A and a B type planted close by. Typically with only one tree, you depend on other trees in the neighborhood for pollination which accounts for a lower fruit set.

Our Avocado Flyer is the place to find great information on different varieties you can grow. The freeze-sensitive varieties are a little iffy in this area, but are grown successfully further South.  There may not be a better tree to grow!