Rise and rise of the avocado
One of the most popular fruit trees at the moment is the avocado. They have been recognised for their health benefits as well as a wide range of meal and snack options. The reporting of health benefits in the media too has driven avocado popularity. They are rich in mono-unsaturated oil, proteins, vitamins A and B, while being low in cholesterol and sugar and contain a large amount of minerals.
Now is the best time of year to plant an avocado tree in Whanganui. Planting now gives the maximum time to get established before next winter. Correct site selection is the biggest influencer of the success or failure when growing avocado trees. They grow best in a warm situation with fertile, well-drained soil in full sun and need protection from both strong winds and frost while the plants are young. Once they are established the trees can withstand frost to -2C or -3C.
Avocado trees need a good-sized area to grow. If left to their own devices they will eventually (after about 15-20 years) grow to a tree about 10-12 metres high and 4-6 metres wide.
For those who are keen, avocado trees grow easily from seed but will take up to 10 years to fruit. Trees that are grafted will produce fruit after about four years and after seven years should be producing 200 or more avocados annually.
Many homes do not have a spot large enough to have a tree of this size but by pruning each year a much smaller tree can be maintained. Intensive planting and pruning is now being practised by new commercial plantings where traditional tree spacings of 10 metres apart is now being halved to about 5 metres apart. Skilled pruning is undertaken to keep trees maintained at 3-4 metres high, while not removing the tree’s ability to fruit. This means fruit production is far closer to the ground, reducing the labour input at harvest. The high labour input to extract fruit from tall trees is one of the contributing factors to the high cost of avocado fruit relative to other fruits.
Many people know the avocado variety Hass and to a lesser extent Reed which are sold widely throughout NZ. There are also other varieties that should be considered for the home garden. By planting several varieties you will increase the flower pollination with better fruit set, and will have fruit throughout many months of the year as the varieties ripen at different times.
The varieties
● Hass: NZ’s favourite avocado, crocodile skinned tasty fruit, heavy cropper. Fruit mature from September to March, ‘A’ type flowering pattern, cross pollinated by Fuerte or Bacon.
● Reed: Large cannonball fruit, heavy cropper and very nutty flesh. Fruit mature from February to June, ‘A’ type flowering pattern, cross pollinated by Hashimoto, Fuerte and Bacon.
● Fuerte: Very vigorous green skin avocado with some cold tolerance. Fruit mature from September to December, ‘B’ type flowering pattern, cross pollinated by Hass or Reed.
● Bacon: Smooth-skinned green avocado, with fruit maturing July to September. ‘B’ type flowering pattern, cross pollinated by Hass or Reed.
● Hashimoto: Very vigorous green skin avocado with some cold tolerance. Fruit mature June and July, ‘B’ type flowering pattern, cross pollinated by Hass or Reed.
● Zutano: More cold hardy than Hass and the earliest to fruit, ripening in July and August. Fruit has a fibrous texture with a higher water content and a lower fat/oil content. Yields well with thin-skinned pearshaped fruit. ‘B’ type flowering pattern.
● Ettinger: Plentiful crops of smooth skin, pear-shaped fruit. Lime green flesh has a buttery texture and nutty taste. Fruit matures from August to October. ‘B’ type flowering pattern.
● Sharwil: Creamy mild rich flavour, not as nutty as Hass. Oval shaped fruit, the skin is hard. A major commercial variety in Hawaii due to its high quality, exceptional flavour and a smaller stone than other varieties. It fruits for a long time starting about August and into February. ‘B’ type flowering pattern.