Growing Fantastic Avocado Trees in the Northeast Florida Landscape
Fantastic Avocado Trees / Persea americana Origins:
– Fantastic avocado is originally from a grower in Texas, it is a Mexican type avocado variety that has a Type A flowering schedule. It is a heavy bearer producing loads of small dark green bumpy thin skinned fruits with “fantastic” flavor and excellent cold hardiness making them an ideal plant selection for our Northeast Florida landscapes.
Fantastic Avocado Tree Exposure:
– Fantastic avocado trees should be planted into a full sun or afternoon sun location in the Northeast Florida landscape.
Fantastic Avocado Tree’s Foliage and Winter Cold Tolerance:
– Medium light to medium green foliage typical of Mexican type avocado trees with the typical strong anise like scent known to its Mexican type avocado heritage. Remains evergreen in the winter.
Fantastic avocado trees have a high cold tolerance once they have matured they can reportedly withstand temperatures down to 10-15°F on an established planting. Protect younger and newly planted trees from freezing temperatures.
Fantastic Avocado Tree 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.
Fantastic Avocado Tree Size Variance and Growth Habit:
– Fantastic avocado trees are considered a moderately fast growing cultivar for Northeast Florida’s landscapes. They reach 20-25ft in height and have an 8-15 ft width. They will produce fruit best when kept to an open center by removing the central leader where sunlight can penetrate into the branch structure. This helps keep the trees fruit where you can easily reach it, helps get sunlight and air circulation into the inner branch structure and aids with any pest / leaf treatments you may need.
Fantastic 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. Fantastic should be on the lower to middle side of that growth range.
Fantastic Avocado Tree Blooms and Fruit:
Fantastic avocado trees follow the type A flowering schedule that open as female in the morning of the first day, remain open for a few hours and close late that afternoon. Those same flowers will then reopen as male in the afternoon of the second day.
–Fantastic avocados are grown for their heavy production of high quality ‘Fantastic’ fruits. They have a high oil content and a rich nutty flavor and a smooth texture. Bright green oval to pear shaped lightly bumpy thin skin with an oval shape and a slightly oval but round pit.
All avocado fruit ripens once it has fallen from the tree or has been picked. Once your Fantastic avocado tree fruit has reached mature size you can pick them from August to October here in Northeast Florida and let them ripen indoors at will or leave them on the tree until you need them! If the fruit wrinkles up after letting them sit to to ripen the fruit was not finished maturing, leave them on the tree longer and try harvesting one again in a few weeks.
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 Fantastic Avocado Trees in the Northeast Florida Landscape:
– Its always best to trim an avocado just after harvesting. 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 your newly planted trees 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 other options like 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.
Bacon Avocado | Hardy to 24-26°F
Brazos Belle | Hardy to 15-18°F
Brogden Avocado | Hardy to 15°F
Choquette | Hardy to 22°F
Fantastic | Hardy to 15°F
Florida Haas | Hardy to 18°F
Fuerte Avocado | Hardy to 26° F
Hall Avocado | Hardy to 20°F
Joey Avocado | Hardy to 15°F
Lila Avocado | Hardy to 15°F
Lula Avocado | Hardy to 25°F
Marcus Pumpkin | Hardy to 20°F
Mexicola Grande | Hardy to 18°F
Monroe | Hardy to 25°F
Nishikawa Avocado | Hardy to unknown 25-28° F
Oro Negro Avocado | Hardy to 25-28°F rumor has it much lower
Pancho Avocado | Hardy to 15°F
Thompson Red | Hardy to 24°F
Winter Mexican Avoacado | Hardy to 18°F
Wurtz Avocado | hardy to 24°F