Growing Joey Avocado in the Northeast Florida Landscape
Joey Avocado / Persea americana Origins:
– Joey (Type B) is an excellent super cold tolerant variety of avocado grown by Joey Ricers in Texas. It is currently being grown for backyard production in Florida and I tasted my first Joey avocado in 2024 and LOVED IT. My new tree only bore a few fruit last season so I only got to eat one, gave the other good one to my best friend because she HAD to try it once I had tasted it…there were dog teeth marks on the others, (my Newfoundland likes to test the avocados for me, thank you Norbert…) It was the best avocado I have tasted yet. It was super rich and creamy and really very buttery. Like the Brogden the skin of Joey is thin black shiny and edible. The fruit are small and what I consider lunchbox size perfect for single portions for slicing on a sandwich, or just eating out of hand. Yes, they are that good, the cute little avocado you could eat with a spoon! I can not wait for my tree to get big and have hundreds of thee hanging around ready to eat!
Joey Avocado Tree Exposure:
– Joey Avocado trees should be planted into a full sun or afternoon sun location in the Northeast Florida landscape.
Joey Avocado Foliage and Winter Tolerance:
– large green leaves typical of the species, non scented, remains evergreen in winter.
Joey avocado trees have a super high cold tolerance known to survive winter temperatures in the upper teens 15-17°F without fail! It is an excellent option for a no fuss avocado tree for our Northeast Florida landscape.
Joey Avocado Soil Preference / Salt tolerance:
-Avocado trees need well drained soils. They are not tolerant of overly moist soils, avoid planting in areas that remain wet for days after heavy rains, plant in raised beds or berms in areas with a high water table. when planted into well drained soils avocados are well suited to the native sandy soils of Florida and do not require amendment at the time of planting.
– low salt tolerance not suitable for coastal gardens.
Joey Avocado Size Variance and Growth Habit:
– Joey avocado trees can reach 20-30ft in height in the Northeast Florida Landscape. They will produce fruit best when kept to an open center where sunlight can penetrate into the branch structure. It is recommended that after few years of growth in the home landscape that they be cut back to 10-15 ft from the ground removing the central leader, this helps keep the trees fruit where you can easily reach it, keeps get sunlight and air circulation into the inner branch structure and helps with any pest / leaf treatments you may need.
Pruning with avocados in Northeast Florida can be a bit tricky. Joey is an late bloomer so you may want to wait to prune in the early spring to avoid winter damage on new shoots and leaves that follow pruning.
Joey Avocado Tree Growth Rate:
– Avocado trees are considered a moderate to fast growing plant selection. Once established into the landscape expect 1-3 ft of foliage growth in a season.
Joey Avocado Tree Blooms and Fruit:
Joey avocado trees follow the type B flowering schedule. Individual blooms will open as female the afternoon of their first day remain open for a few hours close up and open again the next morning functioning as male flowers.
– Joey avocados are smaller 6-10 oz fruits with a very thin edible shiny black skin and a rounded interior pit in the center. The egg shaped fruits are creamy and have a really excellent texture, and high oil content and a nice buttery taste.
All avocado fruit ripens once it has fallen from the tree or has been picked. Once Joey has reached mature size and deepens in color to that shiny black you can pick them and let them ripen indoors at will and leave them on the tree until you need them!
Begin harvesting your Joey avocado tree from August – October here in Northeast Florida.
Avocado Water Requirements:
– Although much more durable once established in the landscape, regular water is necessary to get the plant rooted and growing on its own after being planted in the ground from an S & J Nursery container. Use supplemental irrigation when planted in full sun or in extremely sandy soil.
– Water generously during droughts at least once or twice a week for best results if
planted into an non irrigated garden location.
Care of Joey Avocado Trees in the Northeast Florida Landscape:
– Trim your Joey avocado tree immediately after harvesting to avoid new growth sprouting before a freeze after pruning. Make sure to fertilize at the same time you prune and water well for the next few weeks to ensure the tree has everything it needs to get growing.
– Avocado trees will need good water during the establishment period and
supplemental irrigation during dry spells or particularly hot dry summers, especially when planted into sandy soils.
– Fertilize every other month through the year with a good tropical plant food or a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote. This is especially important on newly planted and younger trees. Once the trees are well established and have been growing for a few years in your landscape you can reduce that to once a season, or 4 times a year.
– Keep the area below the foliage free of grass and other vegetation that will compete for nutrients. Mulch thickly in a circle around the tree under the foliage canopy being sure to keep it thinner not letting it pile up right at the base of the trunk. Start with at least a 4 ft wide circle on a young tree and you can keep expanding the mulch bed area to the foliage line as your tree grows. Arborist chips are ideal, you can also use leaf litter from surrounding landscape trees, pine straw or pine bark all good sustainable options that will both help regulate soil moisture and break down into nutrition for your trees.