Akaroa has a brilliant micro climate. Inlaws lived over there, beautiful pocket of native bush.
harrislucinda,
Jan 2, 9:39pm
if you can keep them frost free give them a go
harm_less,
Jan 3, 2:21pm
Growing is one thing but producing fruit is a whole other challenge. Biggest hurdle is whether the area can reliably provide uninterrupted overnight low (spring) flowering temperatures of not less than 12 degrees C. If not the flowers may be pollinated but fruitset won't occur, and if fruitset is followed by colder nights fruitlets will probably be aborted.
brightlights60,
Jan 3, 3:20pm
Yes, its the consistency. With the way things are rapidly heating up down here it will not be long before we can grow things that this.
venna2,
Jan 3, 4:02pm
I'm in Wellington and I bury food scraps in the garden. There's a large avocado plant growing right now, but unless there's an exception this year, maybe because it's been so hot and dry, I'll never have an actual avocado.
harm_less,
Jan 3, 5:12pm
Does it actually flower? The likelihood of a chance seedling (from a discarded avocado pit) ever producing fruit is very remote.
autumnwinds,
Jan 3, 5:38pm
They fruit more consistently, and in far fewer years, if they're grafted plants, for sure. . But I have had one, grown from a seed, develop fruit - though it was near other trees, so that may have helped with cross-pollination.
harm_less,
Jan 3, 5:41pm
It sounds like you're one of the lucky few. By the way avocados don't require cross-pollination when grown under NZ's changeable weather conditions.
Looking good, how long has it taken to get this tall ? it seems to have a nice sheltered spot but I believe they grow quite large so perhaps it will be pressed for space eventually. No chance of them growing here !
opunakeite,
Jan 7, 2:18pm
Rip it out. Totally in the wrong place. You realise it will grow 10 mtrs across and even taller. Easier to do it now than when you have far more wood to deal with.
luckysnoop,
Jul 4, 7:44pm
Can anyone recommend an all purpose plant food.? I was using Miracle Gro but can’t seem to find it in any of the shops anymore. Thanks in advance.
luckysnoop,
Jul 4, 8:40pm
sorry wrong post
serendipity55,
Jul 5, 6:28pm
what alot of bollocks!Lucky mr hass never thought like that?nature is not in the habit of producing sterile things?
articferrit,
Jul 5, 7:07pm
I grew one on the port hills, grew for about 3 years, a very slight frost dealt to it completely.
harm_less,
Jul 6, 8:40am
Sterility isn't likely but a seedling avocado from an open pollinated seed is very likely to vary considerably from the 'mother' tree, which will almost certainly have been produced by way of vegetative propagation by way of grafting onto a phytophthora (root rot) resistant rootstock.
Only a select few avocado cultivars can be successfully grown and cropped in NZ's climate which is marginal for avocados. If a seedling avocado has modified reproductive characteristics (which 'crossed' avocados commonly do) the flowering, fruitset or fruit maturity timing may well be incompatible with NZ's seasonality, particularly so if the tree is grown in cooler regions of the country. Result: no flowering, no pollination/fruitset, fruitlet abortion or non-maturity of fruit.
cantabman1,
Jul 6, 8:42am
Not to fruiting; Only as a plant ;NO.
les6,
Jul 6, 3:38pm
yes,but it could also be better,could it not?As for grafting on to phytophthora resistant root stock,I think you are dreaming.All the nurseries I have seen get as many stones as they can from wherever they can,plant them up and graft onto them?
harm_less,
Jul 6, 5:03pm
The seeds used to produce rootstock used to most commonly be from Zutano avocados and many small nurseries still do it this way. Larger commercial nurseries are now often using clonal rootstocks in order to gain a phytophthora advantage. http://www.riversun.co.nz/avocados/stocklist-and-rootstock/
As for a beneficial mutation occurring, yes this can happen and the 'Lamb Hass', which is a Hass / Gwen cross is one such superior 'child' but the chance of such an occurence is very low especially in a fruit that has its ancestry in the jungles of Central America.
morticia,
Jul 6, 6:25pm
What year do you think they started bringing grafted avocado plants to the market as opposed to planting seedling grown ones?
harm_less,
Jul 6, 7:20pm
Grafting of avocados has been done from well before they started growing them in NZ.
morticia,
Oct 22, 11:14pm
Yeah, I just wondered whether ordinary folk in NZ were able to buy grafted ones 50+ years ago or whether they would have been more likely to plant a seedling struck from a stone.
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