Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cramer NC Zn7 on April 8, 2012 at 7:33am

Kay, are you looking to produce avocados for consumption or do you just want a plant to look at and know it is an avocado?  The reason I ask this is that it makes a difference in the method you use for propagation.

Permalink Reply by Kay Zone9a/TX on April 8, 2012 at 9:55am

Really?!  Now I am curious and want to know what the difference is and why.  

I would like to someday harvest from it. 

Permalink Reply by Cramer NC Zn7 on April 8, 2012 at 6:55pm

Well, if you just want to start one from seed an it is not important that the fruit be of good quality then you just start the seed and grow the plant.  If you want fruit of good quality then you will grow or buy a suitable rootstock and graft a known variety onto it.

From the "Manual of Tropical and Sub-tropical Fruits"

Avocados do not come true from seed; that is, a tree grown from a seed of the Trapp variety will not produce Trapp fruits, although it may produce fruits similar in character. For commercial purposes it is necessary to propagate the trees by budding or grafting, in order to insure good fruit of uniform quality and to eliminate sparse bearers, or trees otherwise undesirable.

Seedling avocados are often grown, especially in the tropics. While named varieties cannot be propagated in this way, if the seed is taken from good fruit the tree which it produces is likely to bear such fruit. But occasionally seedling trees do not bear, and some have other undesirable qualities, so that it is always best to plant a budded tree. Seedlings can only be recommended, in fact, where a tree is desired for the dooryard merely, in which case the ornamental appearance of the avocado makes it eminently satisfactory. If such trees do not bear well no special loss is entailed.

Permalink Reply by Kay Zone9a/TX on April 10, 2012 at 2:00pm

Thanks, good to know! 

Permalink Reply by Minako Sargent Fukuda on April 28, 2012 at 11:42pm

Hi will read up in my book and send it to you I usually just took the seed and put it in the pot, but I look into my gardening book specially for the avocado, it will be a little while my homepc died only library accsses at this time,can you send your email add? regardsMiko