The flower contains both female and male parts. Once matured, the female part opens first and the male parts open the following day. Due to the large number of flowers in a relatively small area, the avocado tree is prone to genetic variability. Domesticated honey bees Apis mellifera are the most economically important avocado pollinators; most growers usually keep honey bee hives in their avocado groves to increase pollination and fruit yield.
From pollination to maturity, avocados take at least six to seven months to mature. Mature fruits can stay on the tree for months without ripening; avocados do not ripen until after they are picked from the tree. In order for avocado trees to produce fruit, they require sugars, hormones, and mineral nutrients.
The type and amount of fertilizer applied depends mainly on the type of soil and age of the tree. In Florida, a formulation is applied six times a year during the first two years of establishment at a rate of one pound per tree.
An formulation is applied six times a year during the third to sixth years at a rate of two to three pounds per tree. The amount of fertilizer applied increases with the age of the trees.
Soils in south Florida are very alkaline pH above 6. The most common micro-nutrient applied every year in most avocado orchards is iron, which is applied once or twice a year in a chelated form.
A multi-nutrient, micro-nutrient blend, such as Keyplex, is also applied as part of the annual fertilization plan.
Since fruit can stay on the tree for long periods of time without ripening, harvesting may easily overlap from year to year. Harvest can begin in the late fall or early winter and may continue until the following fall.
Avocados are harvested by hand; pickers work from the ground, use ladders, or remove the fruit using a pole equipped with a pull-cord operated terminal blade and fruit catching bag. In Florida, avocados are harvested from late May through March. A professional picker can pluck about 3, avocados a day using the specially equipped pole.
When the fruit is picked off the tree, it is not ripe. As soon as it is picked, the ripening process begins. In advanced commercial processing plants, once avocados are transported from the field to the factory, they are brought up by conveyer belt where they are graded and sorted.
There are three grades of avocado. During peak production, processing facilities can produce about , pounds of avocado per day. Once the avocados are sorted, the U. At higher temperatures, fruit ripen unevenly and develop off-flavors.
After fruit ripen, they may be stored in the refrigerator. Pressurized, forced-air ripening rooms are specifically designed to ripen avocados at a faster rate. The ambient temperature is increased and about parts per million of ethylene is pumped into the room.
Ethylene is a naturally occurring ripening hormone that is artificially used in avocado processing facilities to speed up the process. The avocados in the ripening chamber become ripe in three days as opposed to seven or eight days. When the process is complete, the room is circulated with cold air to shock the fruit and prevent further ripening. After this step, the fruit are checked to ensure that they are at the desired ripeness.
They leave the ripening room on a conveyer belt and pass under a machine that shoots a blast of ultrasound waves through each avocado. The machine tells the computer how ripe each avocado is. Avocados that are over or under ripened are shot off the line. At full speed, each sensor can process up to six avocados per second. Place the avocado in your hand and squeeze with the fleshy part of your palm right below your thumb. It won't leave bruises like finger squeezes can.
Once avocados start to soften, you can slow the process by putting them in the refrigerator. To speed it up, put avocados in a paper bag with bananas. Then starting planning menus, from avocado toast and classic guacamole to your own avocado-inspired creations. Whether you start with a seed or a nursery tree, growing your own avocados puts fun and homegrown flavor on your table.
Pennington is committed to providing you with the finest in all-purpose and specialty fertilizers along with expert tips to help make your dreams of homegrown avocados and beautiful lawns and gardens come true. Always read the product label and follow instructions carefully. Do you enjoy the uplifting show of spring bulbs every year? During the winter months, as outdoor gardens and flower beds sit dormant, many gardeners truly miss tending to and nurturing their plants.
With flamboyant, whorled flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, hibiscus H. How to Grow an Avocado Tree. Growing your own avocados is a simple, satisfying project for experienced or beginning gardeners, from kids to adults.
Whether you start from seed or a nursery-grown tree, one essential for success is patience. Plant a tree, and you'll wait three to four years for fruit. Start with a seed, you may wait 13 years or more. Avocado trees are simple to start from seeds. Planting an Avocado Tree Outdoors Avocados are tropical plants; they tolerate very little cold. Container-grown avocados do well indoors. Caring for Your Avocado Trees Once established, avocados are simple to care for.
Avocado toast tastes better when it's homegrown. Pennington with design is a registered trademark of Pennington Seed, Inc. Sevin is a registered trademark of Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. Sources: 1. Nesbitt M. Stein and J. Pennington Fertilizer Resources. Remember that avocado trees do best at moderately warm temperatures 60 F to 85 F with moderate humidity.
They can tolerate temperatures, once established, of around 28 F to 32 F with minimal damage. Avoid freezing temperatures. Plant your tree in March through June. Plant it in a non-lawn area and away from sidewalks and, if you can, plant it in a spot protected from wind and frost. Remember, full sun is best. Dig a hole as deep as the current root ball and just as wide as the width plus a little extra so you can get your hands into the hole to plant it.
The avocado is a shallow-rooted tree with most of its feeder roots in the top 6 inches of soil, so give it good aeration. Its root system is very sensitive, and great care should be taken not to disturb it when transplanting. If the tree is root-bound, however, loosen up the soil around the edges and clip the roots that are going in circles. If you have a heavy clay soil, elevate the tree in a mound for better drainage.
Make the mound 1 to 2 feet high and 3 to 5 feet around. The sooner the roots get into the bulk soil, the better the tree will do. Trees typically need to be watered two to three times a week. As the roots reach out into the bulk soil, more water can be applied and the frequency of watering can diminish to about once a week after a year.
When watering the tree, soak the soil well, and then allow it to dry out somewhat before watering again. The rule of thumb for mature trees is about 20 gallons of water a day during the irrigation season. Seedlings will require quite a bit less water, of course. Check the soil before watering each time to make sure it has dried somewhat. If the soil from around the roots can hold the impression of a hand when squeezed, it has enough water.
Mulch with coarse yard mulch. Redwood bark or cocoa bean husks and shredded tree bark will work. Choose something that is woody and about 2 inches in diameter. Coarse yard mulch is available at some garden-supply centers and through tree-trimming operations. Use online search engines to find a local tree service. Put 20 pounds of gypsum spread around the tree base, and mulch the area with 6 inches of mulch, keeping the material about 6 to 8 inches away from the tree trunk. The other important nutrient for avocado trees is zinc.
Ordinary home fertilizer for houseplants will normally work. Be patient about seeing fruit. If you have purchased and planted a tree, you can probably expect to see your first fruit three to four years after planting. If you are growing from a seed, it can take anywhere from five to 13 years before the tree is mature enough to set fruit. When the tree does flower, expect a lot of flowers to fall without setting fruit. This is natural. A-type flowers open female in the morning and male in the afternoon, B-type are male in the morning and female in the afternoon.
Optimum fruit set occurs at temperatures between about 65 — 75 F. Cooler or warmer temperatures are less ideal. Under some conditions, you may get a fruit from a flower that did not pollinate properly. This is called fruit drop.
0コメント