Growing Hall Avocado Trees in the Northeast Florida Landscape
Hall Avocado Trees / Persea americana Origins:
– Hall avocado is a Guatemalan x West Indian cross that has a Type B flowering schedule. Originally from Miami Florida, Hall is a selected in 1937 from Willis Hall and Named after him. It has a high oil content 12-16% and excellent cold tolerance making it an ideal selection for Florida backyard avocado growers.
Hall Avocado Tree Exposure:
– Hall avocado trees should be planted into a full sun or afternoon sun location in the Northeast Florida landscape.
Hall Foliage and Winter Cold Tolerance:
– Large light to medium green foliage, non scented. Remains evergreen in the winter.
Hall avocado trees have a high cold tolerance and can withstand short periods of temperatures that drop to 20° F once they have matured.
Hall 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.
Hall Avocado Tree Size Variance and Growth Habit:
– Hall avocado trees are considered a medium moderate growing cultivar for Northeast Florida’s landscapes. They reach 15-20 ft in height and have an 10-15 ft width. They will produce fruit best when kept to an open center by removing the central leader where sunlight can penetrate 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.
Choquette 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. Hall is going to be on the lower side of that range.
Hall Avocado Tree Blooms and Fruit:
Hall avocado trees follow the type B flowering schedule that open as female in the afternoon 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 morning of the second day.
–Hall avocados are grown for their prolific bearing of large pear shaped bright green glossy 20-30 oz fruits with a high oil content (12-16 %). The flesh is dense thick and the trees are heavy bearers. They are considered an alternate bearing tree or a biennial bearer, producing extra large crops every other year.
All avocado fruit ripens once it has fallen from the tree or has been picked. Once your Choquette avocado tree fruit has reached mature size you can pick them from November to December 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 ripen then you know 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 a non irrigated garden location.
Care of Hall Avocado Trees in the Northeast Florida Landscape:
– Its always best to trim an avocado just after harvesting. With late bearing avocado varieties like Hall, you may want to wait until early spring to prune so that you don’t cause a flush of new growth that will be susceptible to cold damage during winter.
– 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