Winter Mexican Avocado – Tree Farm & Nursery

Growing Winter Mexican Avocado in the Northeast Florida Landscape

Winter Mexican Avocado / Persea americana Origins:

– Winter Mexican ( Type B ) is thought to be a cross of Mexican Type Avocado and Guatemalan Type. It is known for both its heat and its cold tolerance making it an ideal cultivar for all areas of the state including the NE Florida landscape. Its productive, has excellent flavor and a high oil content.

Winter Mexican Avocado Tree Exposure:

– Winter Mexican is fairly tolerant of a range of sun exposures and is said to be equally as happy in a full sun or partial shade area, morning shade with afternoon sun would be preferable to the other way around for best fruit potential.

Winter Mexican Avocado Foliage and Winter Tolerance:

– large green leaves typical of the species, non scented, remains evergreen in winter.

Winter Mexican avocado trees are extremely cold tolerant and can tolerate temperatures down to 25°F so it is an excellent option for a no fuss avocado tree for our northeast Florida without damage.

Winter Mexican 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.

Winter Mexican Avocado Size Variance and Growth Habit:

– Winter Mexican avocado trees can reach 30-40ft 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. Winter Mexican 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.

Winter Mexican Avocado 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. I find Winter Mexican to be on the slower side of that scale but that may just be my sandy soil garden site.

Winter Mexican young fruit on left mature fruit on right

Winter Mexican Avocado Blooms and Fruit:

Winter Mexican 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.

– Winter Mexican avocados are large with a pointed interior seed in the center and a somewhat bumpy thin skin that ages to a deep dark green color. The fruits are creamy and delicious and have a high oil content, my trees fruits average 4-5″ in length and 3″ at its widest portion. They are great for slicing or guacamole.

All avocado fruit ripens once it has fallen from the tree or has been picked. Once Winter Mexican has reached mature size and deepens in color to that more ‘olive – like’ green, they will sort of ‘loose their shine’ you can pick and harvest at will and leave them on the tree until you need them!

Begin harvesting your Winter Mexican avocado tree from October to December here in NE 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 Winter Mexican Avocado in the Northeast Florida Landscape:

– Its always best to trim an avocado just after harvest but here in NE Florida with the later blooming and later harvesting avocado trees like Winter Mexican you may want to wait until spring to do any trimming and shaping to avoid new growth sprouting before a freeze after pruning. It wont be the end of the world if that happens you may just end up having to do a little cleanup pruning in the spring on leaves or stems that didn’t make it. 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.