Avocado Tree

[macuu222]

I was just wondering what I'm doing wrong. I purchased an Avocado tree (Sharwil) about 7 years ago from Plant it Hawaii and dug a large hole like they said with excellent drainage and (trucked in cinder soil mix). They said it should start producing fruit in about 3 to 4 years. I fertilized it about 3 times a year ( using triple 8). It's now about 15 feet tall...a beautiful looking tree with dark green healthy leaves. It also is in an area that gets full sun all day. So why doesn't it produce fruit?

It actually has been producing small buds but the tree drops them all before getting to any appreciable size.

Any ideas I might try to get it to produce sizeable fruit?

[robguz]

I know there are two types of avocados A and B types. Different parts of the flowers are open at different times, so if you've got all B types, and there are no A types around, they won't get pollinated. Or by small buds do you mean actual little fruits that then fall off? If so, then pollination wouldn't be the issue. I've had 4 types of avos 3-7 years and none of them have ever fruited in Seaview. One type got small fruits once but they fell off before they were even golf ball size. Wish I knew the answer for you!

[macuu222]

They were little fruits (about the size of a nickel) and then were all dropped.

[steve1]

Do any of your neighbors have avocado trees that bear fruit? If not, you may either be lacking a pollinator for your tree or perhaps you live too close to the ocean. Avocados really dislike salt and if you don't have any nearby neighbors with bearing trees there is probably a reason for that.

As Robguz points out you do need at least 2 trees with different flower types for successful pollination and you also need bees to transfer the pollen. Sharwil has type "B" flowering. You could try planting an "A" like "Greengold" or some other "A" variety. Alternately, you could graft a branch (or more than one of different varieties) onto your tree to provide you with different pollen sources and also to see how different varieties might perform in your particular microclimate.

Those small fruits that drop off early are called avocado "cukes", "fingers" or "cocktail avocados" and they result from inadequate fertilization. I had one pre-existant avocado that produced then when we bought a house about midway up HPP a few years ago then I planted 3 more avocados and now we get a regular crop off that tree.

I found a mention of problems with fruit set specifically on the variety "Sharwil". Here's a link: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/fb/avocado_cultural.html
UH CTAHR (college of tropical agriculture) actually has tons of info on Avocado growing you can access and download from their website. Like most bureaucracies you may have to poke around some to find what you are looking for but a good starting point might be here: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/fb/ first go to "fruits" in the upper left hand corner then click on "avocado" again in the upper left hand corner of the page.
The University of Cal also has some good general information but theirs, including recommended varieties is tailored for Cal not Hawaii. Still might be useful though. http://ucavo.ucr.edu/General/Answers.html

[Carey]

The Kona Avocado festival will be at the Keauhou Bach Resort Feb. 18, 10am -4pm...always a wealth of info there:
www.avocadofestival.org

[macuu222]

Thanks Steve1 and Carey. And actually my next door neighbor has an avocado tree (Sharwil) that produces hundreds of avo's every year. It's alittle older than mine and it's leaves are mostly gone unlike mine that's completely green and healthy looking. Maybe Im putting too much nitrogen into the soil when I fertilize. I notice he mulches his tree alot from the stuff you get at the Hilo dump. He also told me he goes out to the equestrian farm and shovels horse_ _ _ _....then uses that on the tree also. So I tried it recently...and Im hoping this spring it will make a difference.

[Larry T]

I have a Avocado that I planted from seed 3 years ago and this year it is about 25 foot high AND has blooms on it. I know that you don't get true from seeds, but blooms in 3 years?? Any ideas??

[mella l]

quote:

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Originally posted by Carey

The Kona Avocado festival will be at the Keauhou Bach Resort Feb. 18, 10am -4pm...always a wealth of info there:
www.avocadofestival.org

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What a wonderful resource and beautiful too! Thank you Carey![:0]

mella l

Art and Science Our Future

[url]http://www.bytheseasoaps.etsy.com/url]

[taropatch]

I am told that nitrogen should not be used on fruit trees when they are flowering as it could cause flower droppage. I go heavier on the nitrogen just as the fruit is about "pau".

[Frankie Stapleton]

Avocados grow so well here without any fertilization. I've had more than 3 months harvesting of the most flavorful, buttery avos the size of a baby's head with nothing more than my kitchen compost at its base! There are still avos on the tree and already it's blooming again.