Are Dwarf Avocado Trees Real? Little Cado, Holiday and the Pruning Option
Yes, true dwarf avocado trees exist — but they are not what most people picture, and you probably do not need one.…
Persea Mites on Avocado Trees: What They Look Like and What We Released
The predatory mite we released for persea mite is Neoseiulus californicus, bought from Arbico Organics as controlled-release sachets. How to identify persea…
The Banana in a Paper Bag Trick: Our Fuerte Test Came Out Backwards
Does putting a banana in a paper bag with your avocados make them ripen faster? It is one of the most repeated…
San Diego Avocado History: Why Escondido Needs Avocado Trees on City Property
Escondido has no avocado trees on city property, even though, as we found in our research, the first avocado tree in San…
Type A and Type B Avocados: How Hass, Fuerte and Bacon Share the Pollen
Avocados can self-pollinate and they can cross-pollinate. The catch is timing. A Hass flower opens as female in the morning, closes, and…
How Long Do Avocados Take to Ripen Off the Tree? The Natural Ripening Timeline
A freshly picked avocado usually takes about 7 to 10 days to ripen at room temperature, and up to two weeks in…
Alternate Bearing as Survival: Why a Fuerte Tree Floods the Forest With Fruit
Our favorite Fuerte tree is absolutely loaded this year. There is fruit just about everywhere you look. Next year, if she behaves…
Avocado Heat Stress: Managing Irrigation and Wilting Leaves During Extreme Temperatures
When an avocado tree’s leaves curl and wilt in a heat wave, the tree is losing water faster than its roots can…
Why Fuerte Lost California to Hass: Alternate Bearing and a Mail Carrier’s Tree
Why does everybody grow Hass? It was not always that way. For a long stretch, the avocado California growers planted was the…
The Sideways Fuerte: A Wind-Toppled Tree That Kept Growing
This tree used to stand upright like any other. Then a windstorm pushed it over, and its main trunk ended up lying…
