Amazing Avocados: How to Grow Your Very Own Avocado Tree

While we wait to see what happens with the property market, you might as well invest in an avocado tree.

Gardeners in Tasmania, especially in the southern region, are often discouraged from growing avocados due to our unpredictable weather patterns. And it’s true, as we’ve experienced this summer, we can experience cold snaps in even the warmest months of the year. But like most plants, avocados leave room for a bit of experimentation, as long as you plan ahead and prepare carefully.

Choosing avocado varieties

Many avocado varieties have self-pollinating tendencies in cooler climates and subtropical areas. Varieties such as Jala and Hass are known to self-pollinate, however, fruit yields are maximised when a Type A avocado is planted alongside a Type B avocado.

What’s the hype about type?

Avocados are dioecious, meaning they produce both female and male flowers on the same tree. That’s why they can self-pollinate. However, the flowers often open at different times, making pollination tricky on a single tree. In the morning, Type A avocados open their female flowers, which are receptive to pollen, while Type B avocados open their male flowers to release pollen. In the afternoon, the pattern is reversed.

Logically, you can plant two types together (A + A or B + B) and get a pretty productive yield, but combining types A + B maximises your timing for successful pollination.

We currently have three varieties available at the nursery. Call us to ensure your chosen variety is available now.

Jala — Giant Avocado

The Jala avocado is a relatively new addition to Australia. It produces heavy crops of large avocados—almost twice the size of supermarket varieties—with a pale, creamy-yellow colour. The fruit is slow to oxidise when cut and has the classic rich, nutty taste. Even better, the Jala avocado shows tendencies toward self-pollination. For maximum yields, it’s still recommended to plant at least two trees.

Pinkerton — Grafted Dwarf Avocado

Growing to a modest 5m, the Pinkerton avocado is ideal for small backyards. It is a reliable cropper, producing green-skinned fruit with a rich, creamy taste. Like the Jala, it is slow to oxidise when cut. It is also known to perform well in cooler climates, provided it has the right position, care, and maintenance.

Hass

The ever-popular Hass avocado is available at most grocery stores across the country. But how good would it be to grow your own? Hass is cold-tolerant and a reliable producer that can be pruned and kept to a height of around 3 m.

Preparing the site for your future avocado tree

When investing in an avocado tree, it’s important to choose your site carefully. Pick a spot that receives full sun throughout the day, is protected from wind, and has free-draining soil. Avocados are thirsty trees and require deep watering during the first three years to establish.

Like citrus, avocados are shallow-rooted and dislike wind. Work in well-rotted manure and plenty of organic matter into the planting area well in advance.

Planting

You’ve prepared your site and chosen the right tree from the nursery for your dreamy avocado toast. Before planting, fill a bucket with water and mix a weak solution of Seasol. Soak your tree overnight to reduce transplant shock. Choose a warm, overcast day for planting.

Dig your hole and fill it with water, then watch it drain away. Well-drained soil should clear within 10 minutes. Gently remove your plant from its pot, taking care to disturb the roots as little as possible. Add stakes to the hole before planting. Place your tree at soil level and backfill gradually, watering well at each stage to remove air pockets around the roots.

Tie your tree to the stakes, leaving enough flexibility for the trunk to strengthen naturally. Finally, mulch deeply with your choice of mulch, at least 100–150 mm thick.

Maintenance

Avocados are large trees, but they can be pruned to 2 m or 3 m to suit small backyards. Prune avocados in late winter or early spring, before flower buds begin to develop. During the first three years, while your young tree is establishing, apply high-quality nitrogenous fertiliser (such as Rapid Raiser, Organics Nitrogen Fertiliser or blood and bone) twice a year. Once your avocado tree begins to bear fruit, supplement its growth with at least 4 kg of fertiliser per year, applied in summer and again in autumn.

Harvest

Unlike most fruit, avocados continue to ripen after being picked. While you can leave avocados on the tree, doing so may encourage biennial bearing, causing the tree to crop only once every two years.

Growing avocados in the cold and wet

Sometimes, despite choosing the best position, conditions, and soil, Mother Nature has a way of reminding us who’s boss. Cold snaps in any season, warm winters, frosts well into spring, and winds strong enough to generate electricity for the entire country are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Tasmanian weather. Even cold-hardy avocados need plenty of care during their first two to three years, especially in winter. But if you don’t have a greenhouse, you can still grow avocados successfully.

Create a warm microclimate by providing overhead protection from frosts. You can secure an umbrella to stakes, place a piece of plywood over a cage for small trees, or drape horticultural fleece—or even old sheets—over saplings before a cold night. This helps prevent leaf burn and retains enough warmth to keep your avocado happy. It’s important to remove any coverings that block light the following morning.

Wet feet are arguably more problematic than cold weather, as avocados are highly prone to root rot. If you have heavy, clay soil, improve its structure before considering purchasing an avocado. Mound your planting site with good-quality soil, and plant your avocado tree slightly proud of the soil line. Waterlogging is a death sentence for avocado trees. Even short periods of waterlogging (under 48 hours) can have detrimental effects.

Come in to the Nursery and talk to one of our friendly garden experts today!