Planting Avocado Trees

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Planting Avocado Trees

In Florida, Southern California and otherfrost-free regions, the avocado is a practicalfruit and shade tree for the home grounds,thriving either in or out of the lawn area. Aheavy mulch or cover crop should be main-tained beneath the tree to conserve soil mois-ture and keep weeds in check. Avocado flowersare borne in winter, when subfreezing tem-peratures will destroy the crop. Its bearing

habit is cyclical; heavy crops are invariablyfollowed by lighter yields. Protection must beprovided from strong winds and intense dryheat.

Planting: Avocados are planted fromNovember through May. The planting holeshould be at least twice as large as the rootball, to give the tender roots room to establishthemselves.

In the bottom of the hole place Iwo shov-elsful of well-rotted compost mixed with thesame quantity of good topsoil, preferably arich sandy loam. If the hole is three feet deep,these amounts could be increased. Add enoughtopsoil to bring the top of the ball of rootslevel with the ground. Place the tree on this inthe center of the hole and fill in with good soilin which some compost is mixed. This will puthumus in the soil. Firm the mixture aroundthe ball of roots as the filling in proceeds.When the hole is almost filled in, have a gentlestream of water from the hose run in to settlethe soil, so there will be no air pockets. Let thewater run long enough so it will reach downbelow the ball of roots, then fill in with moresoil to bring it up to ground level. Make a basinaround the tree to hold water. Give a thoroughwatering once or twice a week until the newlyplanted tree is established. When it has put outeight or nine inches of new growth, once intwo weeks should be enough to water unless thesoil has very free drainage and the weather isvery hot. Keep the water running from 45 to60 minutes. Temperatures and soil conditionsvary in different districts. No set of rules canbe given that will cover all sections, and a littleexperience will show what is the right amount.If there is good drainage any excess water willdrain away.

As the trees grow, additional feeding maybe given by applying a trowelful of blood meal and two of bone meal once in six weeks duringspring and summer. Do not apply after August,for the new growth may be nipped in sectionswhere there is danger of frost. Always givedeep watering after applying fertilizer.

Do not cut off lower branches. Theyprotect the trunk from sunburn. There arepreparations on the market with which to paintthe trunk for sun protection.

No pruning is required except to keep thetree in shape, well balanced and symmetricalin growth. In old trees keep all dead wood cutout. Never expose large bare branches to thesun as they are easily sunburned.

Cultivation should not be done near theroots, as they resent being disturbed. Keep amulch of compost, leaves or old steer manureon the ground around the trees throughout theyear. There will have to be several fresh ap-plications of compost, as it will wash into thesoil. The mulch should be three to four inchesdeep. Keep it several inches away from thetrunk of the tree. Water the trees well beforeputting on the mulch.

Varieties: The following are some goodvarieties for the home garden.

Duke is a hardy variety for interior valleysand colder districts. It has a green, oval fruitof pleasant flavor. The tree is large, wellbranched and is one of the fastest growingavocados, with the fruit ripening in Septemberand October.

Fuerte has a fruit of fine quality and isthe leading commercial variety. The tree islarge and spreading, and it grows well in theCalifornia coastal belt. It ripens in variouslocalities anywhere from November to May.

The fruit of the Edranal variety has a rich.nutty flavor, and does not discolor when full!,ripe. The tree is of upright growth, excellentfor the home garden, as it requires less roomthan other varieties. It has large fruit withsmall seed and ripens from May to August.

Anaheim has a large, green, oval fruitthat ripens from May to August. The tree isof upright growth and bears heavily.

Hass has one of the longest ripening sea-sons and produces a heavy crop each year.This purple black avocado is of fine flavor,and is perhaps the leading summer-ripeningavocado grown commercially. It is excellent inthe California coastal and foothill areas, ripen-ing from May through October.

Ryan has fruit of finest quality and ripensafter Fuerte, bearing a heavy crop each year.The fruit, pear shaped and green, ripens fromMay to October.

Nabal is particularly good in coastal areas.The fruit is round with seed and smooth skin.The flesh is rich and of exceptionally fineflavor, ripening from June to September.

Pueblo is a very fine home variety whichis hardy to frost. From November to Januarythe small trees bear heavy crops of large dark pear-shaped fruit with superior flavor.

Nutritional Value: Avocados are rich invitamins A, C and E. Other nutrients includethiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid,biotin, potassium, calcium, and iron. Avocadosare high in unsaturated fatty acids. Because oftheir high unsaturated fatty acid content, theyare credited with the ability to lower thecholesterol level in the bloodstream.

Avocados also make fine potted plants in-doors. To start the seed, place it large enddown in the mouth of a jar full of water.Insert toothpicks in the seed. When a rootforms and shoots appear, it is ready to pot.Grow near a sunny window, and pinch oftterminal growth to prevent spindliness

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