Seed Grown Avocado is No Good
Question from Bob:
Grew an REED avacado from seed tree is about two inches- two and a half inches at base, and 7 1/2 ‘ tall, when does start producing fruit and /or blooming ?
Answer from Pat:
Your tree may never produce flowers and fruit or if it ever does this most likely will not occur for 10 to 15 years or even longer. Also, the resultant plant will probably never be a good-looking tree and the fruit you get, if any, will most likely not be any good. As an example, across the street from my property is an avocado tree that was planted from a seed 35 or 40 years ago. It is not particularly good looking. The tips and edges of the leaves are always brown so it has no ornamental value. Furthermore, never in the last 35 or 40 years has it ever born a single flower or fruit. The brown tips on the leaves are caused by the lack of salt tolerance in seed-grown plants. The seeds people plant here are of Mexican or Gautamalan varieties and these varieties lack sodium-tolerance. Named varieties sold in California are grafted onto salt-tolerant root stocks. If you want to grow a good avocado tree, throw away the one you have got and go out and purchase a Reed avocado grafted onto a salt-tolerant rootstock.
Many people like to grow avocado’s for the fun of it by planting a seed. The reason is that this is an easy thing to do. They think they are going to get a free avocado tree. Though planting an avocado from seed is a fun thing to do I would discourage anyone from keeping the resultant plant longer than a year as a houseplant, then throwing it out and here is why: Avocado’s do not come true from seed. Thus, though you planted the seed from a Reed avocado you will not get a Reed avocado from it. If it ever gives you fruit, the fruit may be no good.
I’m sorry to have to tell you this but it is the straight truth.
Five years ago I planted a seed from a friend’s Fuerte tree.In the third year there were 4 fruit of Fuerte quality,in the second year 15 fruit and this year it’s fifth year the tree is 20 feet tall, is beautiful and has more than 100 fruit.I expect some fruit drop. My daughter is currently planting a seed from the friends Fuerte. Will she have the same luck? We’ll see.
It is heartening to hear that your avocado tree grown from a ‘Fuerte’ avocado seed bears good fruit and increasing abundance. It remains to be seen whether your daughter will have the same rate of success. On the other hand she might hit the jackpot. Though most seedling trees are duds, some are worthy backyard trees like yours, and a few turn out to to have unique characteristics worthy of founding a new variety. ‘Lula’, ‘Pinkerton’, and ‘Reed’ originated from chance seedlings. ‘Haas’—currently the world’s most popular and frequently grown variety—originated from a back-yard seedling planted by a mailman.
I bought my neighbors house and inherited his avocado tree from seed. It is a fuerte type. Largest yield a couple of years ago was over 170 avocados. The tree is over fifteen years old. Planted a reed seed four years ago. Strong trunk, good form and this year is the first flowering. I don’t know if it will fruit. If you don’t give enough water the leaves will brown and branches wither. This tree is in a pot and is about ten feet tall. I’m no gardener but these trees are very forgiving and seem to be doing quite well.
Thank you for reporting on your seed-grown trees. Apparently you or your neighbor are more of a gardener than you thought. Few people have as much success as you and he have had. You do not, however, mention the flavor of the fruit. Is it good or is it flavorless? Additionally I think you had better plant in the ground the one currently growing in a pot.
Hi Pat,
This is a good discussion about salt-tolerant rootstock. Thanks!
I am looking to try my hand at growing an avocado tree here in Chandler AZ (Zone 9a). I have read about the numerous difficulties (shade for young plant, full sun for mature, frost concerns, drainage, etc.) and have a good plan on constructing a mound with good drainage and erecting a shade screen to protect against noon and west sun while the plant is young and painting the bark white, etc.
My biggest concern is salt burn. We have very salty water here in Chandler/Phoenix. And I have been doing a bit of research on root stocks that have high salt tolerance. Many of the Florida Avocado nurseries use a West Indian salt tolerant root stock. But that is less of a concern in California, where you guys are more concerned with root rot (and salt burn in some locations).
I have been doing some more research and asking a bunch of questions and it seems like a Reed tree is the way I want to go: great flavor, vigorous, heavy bearing.
My question to you is: Are all Reeds naturally salt-tolerant? If I buy a Reed from a California nursery, will they typically be grafted on to a salt-tolerant rootstock or are they usually on seedling stock?
Can you recommend a good nursery that would carry a Reed on salt-tolerant root stock (Toro Canyon being a very good one from what I can gather)?
Thanks!
I live in Arizona and avocado is very sensitive to salt. Growing by seed is by far the most reliable way of growing avocado.
The avocado, a fruit that is nigh impossible to grow, fruited in a salt clay soil. This would shock the knowledge fruit grower who knows avocados just wither away here. The key is to grow fruits from seed. In fact, all the old producing avocados here have started from seed, like Aravaipa avocado. These avocados simply do better because the seeds that die wouldn’t have done well anyway, while the hardier ones survive to adulthood. The guy mentioned the the post above only grew one avocado from one seed, so you can imagine the results if we were to plant out multiple! Another point, a taproot is preferable in this climate (which attributes to mango success) because plants can dig deeper and store more water. If grown in a pot plants’ roots are hindered and the taproot is disrupted. In fact, on my usual planting guide on tastylandscape, the author specifically points out the necessity to reduce transplant shock. The way I see it, once a plant is setback from transplant shock, it never truly recovers before it is plunged into a new soil. Soil is the lifeblood of plants and even Datropicalman inoculates his planting holes for a few months before planting (with Island Gem fish fertilizer). With this in mind, growing plants from seed increases the time plants have a symbiotic relationship with beneficial microbes and fungi. When plants are stressed, a strong microbe ‘immune system’ will allow it to bounce back. In addition, the habitat accustoms to the plant as the plants accustoms to is environment. All the bad stuff in the soil like free calcium would be depleted. The plants is also less likely to get hurt from salt during summer heat because as time progresses, the salt is leached out. Back to the Aravaipa avocado, it is not beneficial to waste time with a grafted plant, because a grafted avocado simply doesn’t have the soil immune system despite its genetic tolerance to salt.
Thank you for your many insights into the subjects of growing avocados from seeds. I agree they do not do well in pots and add that they usually will not bear fruit in pots. Some seed-grown plants, however, never bear fruit even if grown in the ground.
I disagree with Nate above. If the proper care is taken, a grafted tree purchased and planted can thrive here. I know this because i have two trees, one Aravaipa and one Brogdon, that I purchased as small trees (4′ tall), both of which, 3 years later, are over 8′ tall and thriving. It’s now late may, the Aravaipa has put on a foot of height in the past month, and the Brogdon is covered in new growth. I’m in central Phoenix, these are planted in Native soil, with abundant mulch over the top. I am on flood irrigation and do give them fish fert several times a year, and they are planted underneath (but not very close) to some mature spreading stone fruit trees that provide mottled shade all summer. These trees are very healthy grafted trees that are doing great. I did get a few flowers for the first time this year, they didn’t produce fruit. This will be the 4th summer and I’m pretty pleased with the results.
Thank you so much for your comment. I would also like to point out that salty soil may be less prevalent in Phoenix than here also the mulch on top most likely has a very beneficial acidifying quality.