Taro & Ti Avocado

Avocados have been on my wish list for some time now. I’ve started dozens from seeds I’d save from lunches when I worked at the grocer. However, a seeded avocado is a serious commitment of time for something that may or may not taste good so I never really gave the seedlings much priority. But enough is enough - it’s time to scratch off that wish-list item and start down the path of avocado paradise.

The varietal decision was difficult tho. I’ve learned that there are avocados that bear fruit in the Spring, in late Summer and mid-Winter. Then there are Mexican and Guatamalan and West Indies avocados and hybrids of all. I can tell right away that just one avocado won’t work for me. But, just one will have to do for now - not only are there several varieties, they’re not cheap. No 4″ pots here - you get a 2 gallon or larger pot with a grafted avo ready to rock and roll - not only are avocados expensive, but shipping is pretty stiff too. But, for some like me, it’s worth it. A little spent now, and free avocados for life. An equitable exchange in my book.

I chose a Wurtz avocado from Jene’s Tropical Fruit - it’s an early bearer. I’ll get a mid and late bearer later on. Another reason why I chose the Wurtz is because it’s considered a dwarf. A regular avocado can certainly be pruned to size easily enough, but having a dwarf has its advantages too. A little slower growing, better suited for containers. This one is destined for a 25 gallon container once it settles in and starts showing active growth.

I got the avocado pretty promptly. The owner actually called me to confirm the shipping address since I was having it shipped to work. Naturally, it was hard to hang up - it was fun talking to another tropical fruits enthusiast. When the box arrived, I got very little work done. I think I’ll have to tell the staff to keep the plants away from me until it’s time to go home. It was very well packed, and the avocado had not shifted appreciably. It had a single tip broken off. I’ve had plants come in far worse shape and been pleased.

It sat in my East facing picture window for a week waiting for a cold snap to pass. The greenhouse would have been fine, but I was being extra paranoid about this solitary specimen. It did lose a few leaves tho - something I’m chalking up to travel shock. A week later and it’s out in the greenhouse, acclimatizing before I do the big potting up. Except for a few lost leaves, the plant is strong looking and healthy. Soil is kept moderately moist and I believe it’s much happier out in the greenhouse - I’m seeing signs of some growth.

Except, the growth I’m seeing - I’m not fully convinced that I’m seeing leaf buds. I may be wrong - but I’ve seen leaf buds in my seedling experiments and these don’t look like it. Take a gander at the picture and judge for yourself - these buds look like the beginnings of the flower racemes that avocados produce! I’ll know better here in the next few weeks - but I’m now at a quandary - do I pot it up and risk flower drop, or do I nip the flowers off, or do I leave it in it’s current pot? These are questions that I’ll face as I educate myself further on this avocado. And the answers will appear here in future posts.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 at 8:22 pm and is filed under Babble Column . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.