Avocado Blossoms
My goal is to have the first fruiting avocado tree in Houston north of I-10. If you know of someone who already has one, please send me an email, I'd love to see it (and take a cutting). Two years ago I planted Mexicola Grande and Fuerte avocado trees. The Fuerte was killed by the '09-'10 freeze, and the Mexicola took significant damage. I replaced the Fuerte with a Lila avocado. The bad freezes this year only slightly damaged the Lila, but the Mexicola was hit pretty hard again.
I was at Plants for All Seasons this weekend, and their avocados looked so good, I couldn't help myself. Plus, they were about $20 cheaper than I had seen them at other places. I picked up a Brazos Belle and a Poncho, both reputed to be especially cold hardy varieties. They were both in bloom, and really tall and skinny, so my guess is that they've been in a warm greenhouse all year. The environment in my backyard is a little more demanding, so I hope they can cope with our Houston winds and weather.
Several nurseries such as RCW now advertise cold hardy avocados, many varieties of which were developed by Devine Avocados near San Antonio, Texas. What they don't tell you is that often, these cold hardy cultivars are grafted onto Lula rootstock, a vigorous but frost-sensitive variety. So if you plant the cold hardy tree, but the rootstock is exposed, freezes can still kill it. To get around this, avocados need to be planted deep in order to bury the graft, and thus protect it from hard freezes.
My agreement with Dr. Wife is that I can plant whatever I want, as long as I don't take up any more real estate in the yard. Since I don't have any more room, I decided to plant the new avocados in 30-gallon pots under my big pine trees. The pots will ensure good drainage, and the pine trees will protect the young trees from sunburn.
I was at Plants for All Seasons this weekend, and their avocados looked so good, I couldn't help myself. Plus, they were about $20 cheaper than I had seen them at other places. I picked up a Brazos Belle and a Poncho, both reputed to be especially cold hardy varieties. They were both in bloom, and really tall and skinny, so my guess is that they've been in a warm greenhouse all year. The environment in my backyard is a little more demanding, so I hope they can cope with our Houston winds and weather.
Several nurseries such as RCW now advertise cold hardy avocados, many varieties of which were developed by Devine Avocados near San Antonio, Texas. What they don't tell you is that often, these cold hardy cultivars are grafted onto Lula rootstock, a vigorous but frost-sensitive variety. So if you plant the cold hardy tree, but the rootstock is exposed, freezes can still kill it. To get around this, avocados need to be planted deep in order to bury the graft, and thus protect it from hard freezes.
My agreement with Dr. Wife is that I can plant whatever I want, as long as I don't take up any more real estate in the yard. Since I don't have any more room, I decided to plant the new avocados in 30-gallon pots under my big pine trees. The pots will ensure good drainage, and the pine trees will protect the young trees from sunburn.
Brazos Belle and Poncho Avcoados
Graft Union
Buried Graft Union
Avocado planted in 30-gallon pot.
New growth on the freeze-damaged Mexicola Grande.
