Avocado FAQ
Hi there, we bought one of your avocados in 2002
and it has since grown to about 30ft - and has been
topped twice! It is next to a similarly happy seedling
avocado.
Now, I know you have to wait a while for an avo to
fruit but...our first fruit was last year and it was
only on one small branch right down the base of the
trunk. The entire body of the tree, as in 99% of it, had
flowers but no fruit. Right now we have 3 avos on this
tiny branch and nothing anywhere else.
This year, both trees are absolutely covered in flowers. We have
installed beehives. In the absence of any other information,
is there any chance this little branch is "confusing"
the tree? Should I cut it off? I wondered if it was a
graft and have left it to this point but I really want
some avocados now! Thanks for any help!
It sounds likes the rootstock has grown into the tree with maybe this one branch being part of the original grafted plant. If not I have no idea why this one branch is fruiting. Without seeing the plant in person it is all but impossible to establish why this is happening. If you are able to send photos of tree and the little branch it may help.
A grafted avocado tree will fruit about year 4-5.
A tree taking over 10 years to fruit even when it is flowering is a sign that pollination is not happening. Where do you live? A and B flowering (see web site) is more important in areas of warm climate as the flowering opens and closes quicker. Cooler climates tend to let the flowering stay open longer thereby overlapping. Are you exposed to heavy winds and or rain over the pollination time?
Another disappointing season. I choose carefully, ripen at home, then find they are full of brown strings. Is there a grower out there who can explain why this happens?
The symptoms describe I would suggest is Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides). It produces dark streaking of the water conducting tissue within the fruit. Avoid cool storage of immature fruit.