The avocado tree, the source of our green gold. It is a perennial fruit tree that belongs to the Lauraceae family, native to Mexico, typical of mild climates.
At AgroGonzámex we have our own plants to provide you with the best quality avocados.
In this article you will learn the most important details of this precious tree and how the proper care will provide us with the tastiest fruits.
Characteristics of the avocado tree
Just like the fruit it bears, avocado trees have characteristics that attract the attention of anyone who comes across one. Discover the most common characteristics:
Size: can reach up to 24 meters in length.
Leaves: entire, smooth-edged, elliptical in shape. They have a golden leathery consistency when they sprout, light green when young and dark green when mature.
- Flowers: greenish, tiny, and grow in clusters or spikes.
- Fruit: the well-known avocado, with a rough green or black skin, a large seed in the center and soft pulp.
How to care for an avocado tree?
Like any plant, avocados deserve special attention to ensure strong growth. Mainly the weather in which they will grow will ensure a good production. Here are some tips on caring for your avocado tree:
It will not flower properly in chalky soil: Make sure it is neutral or slightly acidic.
- Wind and water in excess are negative: Excess would be detrimental at the time of fruit set because the tree would tend to sprout strong and would shed fruit.
- Prolonged drought causes it to lose leaves and fruitlets. It also causes the death of pollen.
- A strong seed will provide a strong tree. At AgroGonzámex we make sure to select the best avocado seeds so that the fruits of these plants develop with the optimal properties to grow healthy and strong.
Avocado trees can produce fruit as early as 3 years, some varieties can take up to 10 years, so don't get discouraged if you don't see fruit on your trees in the first few months.
Avocado tree pruning
Avocado trees require pruning in order to focus on fruiting and not just growing upwards. We must lighten the canopy so that light can reach all the leaves. Also, if we do not take care of their height at the moment of generating fruits, they will be unreachable to harvest easily.
There are 3 stages of pruning:
- Training pruning: it is carried out at the end of winter. The first year, it is cut at a low height (about 40cm above the graft), between 60 and 80cm total distance to the ground. This height is not compulsory but it is recommended so that it does not develop an excessively tall trunk.
Summer pruning: between mid-July and August.
We remove the suckers which are the branches that grow vertically, very vigorous and strong.
We also remove some other stems that grow too vigorously.
We also cut the stems that have already produced fruit by making a return cut through a twig before the fruit.
Winter pruning: between December and March, immediately after harvesting.
We eliminate branches stuck to the ground, weak and diseased stems, dry and broken branches, crossed branches and those that prevent light from entering.
We eliminate possible suckers and shoots
We recommend that you do not prune your tree when the flowers are already extended even if they have not yet opened, otherwise, it will produce a run to the wood and the tree will shed all the fruitlets. It is best not to touch it in autumn or spring.
If we follow all these recommendations and facts about avocado trees we can get our avocado to contain itself and produce good fruit.
If you have doubts about where to get an avocado plant in Mexico for your field, contact us. We are experts in avocado cultivation and their plants.
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