QuestionI have grown a 3ft.high branched Haas avocado from a pip in a sheltered sunny spot in my garden for the past two years.
We live in Auckland, N.Island, New Zealand where it's possible to grow many sub-tropical plants and there are very few winter frosts. The soil is clay but I regularly condition it with homemade compost and fertilize with worm water.
My plant looks healthy, and branches regularly (which I prune back to maintain size and shape).
So far there have been no flowers.
Am I being impatient? Will my plant ever flower? When might that be? Will I need a second plant to crossfertilize and get fruit?
AnswerHi Audrey,
Thanx for your question. I love Haas avocodos and they are my favorite. I think it takes about 5 years for a seed grown avocado tree to produce fruit. I believe you need a pollinator too (another avacado tree nearby). Mature avocado trees are seldom damaged by infrequent frost of short duration. A good frost however, can severely damage a crop, while not killing or harming the tree itself. Avocados here in the US are like most of our fruit trees, grafted onto a stronger rootstock that generally isn't acceptable as a fruit producer. What that means, is like apples for instance, are grafted onto hardy wild apple or crabapple rootstock which are very strong and hardy. It makes a good host for the more fragile hybrid which then gains its strength and vigor from the rootstock. The rootstock by itself would produce unpalatable or low-quality fruit. Avocado trees are easy to find here. I live in a cold winter area and some nurseries sell subtropical and tropical fruit trees which we grow in pots and take indoors for the winter. I had a Haas tree for a couple years but didn't take care of it well...:o( Some of the other references say 7-15 years for fruit. Here are some links you may find interesting. I hope this helps.
Tom
http://www.willsavocados.com/index.php/grow-avocado-tree
http://www.avocado.org/grow-your-own-tree/
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/avocado/avocado2.html
