Carmen Avocado
The following thread was started by Stewart on July 17, 2010 at 8:55 am PST
If you were a good marketing man you could spin it a bit and say all Hass were ever bearing... Which they are (kinda) since they are always carrying a crop and for the very most of the year they are carrying two crops. But the lie about all this is that they still only flower once a year and you still only get one harvest a year. Since the fruit take so long to ripen it just means both crops are on the tree at once. I'd say that's your ever bearing Avocado you can't make an Avocado do what Avocados don't do and that's flower more than once a year
The above followup was added by Jason on July 18, 2010 at 5:42 am PST.
J....very well put! The good thing about MOST avocados is: harvests are spread out over many weeks...and, the best place to store the fruit is on the tree.
The above followup was added by Ed of Somis on July 18, 2010 at 7:59 am PST.
Brokaw Nursery carries the Carmen-Hass. It is they who patented it and propagate it. It has several bloom cycles throughout the year resulting in crops all year. It is supposed to be hardier than Hass with similar fruit. See the Brokaw Nursery web site under varieties for a more complete description including photos.
The above followup was added by Jack, Nipomo on July 18, 2010 at 1:25 pm PST.
I don't know about this, Avocados need a couple of weeks at least of cool temps to start making flower buds, then a few months to flower. Where you are going to fit in some normal buds for growth if it continuously thinks it should be flowering I don't know :). Looking at the pictures of it on the net it only really has two different size fruit on it, the same as any Hass does, none of the pictures look unique in anyway
The above followup was added by Jason on July 18, 2010 at 2:26 pm PST.
perhaps this Carmen has a more spread out bloom period...compared to many others. I know every Spring, my Pinkerton has avos the size of grapes or larger...and some the size of a matchhead....all at the same time. By learning how to "read" a ripe avo on the tree....you can pick the riper ones first.
The above followup was added by Ed of Somis on July 18, 2010 at 8:54 pm PST.
I am trying to find more info on this variety. I hear it blooms 3 different times a year, and is a genetic mutation of Hass. I found a source locally to get this variety, but its a little pricey and little is known on the productivity.
The above followup was added by stephen on July 28, 2010 at 3:54 pm PST.
Stephen I may be a little bit cynical with my theorys but :), the day that an Avocado variety arrives that is more productive than Hass and is able to match it's year in year out money making ability then you wont see Hass anymore. I'm not seeing Carmen avocados in the Supermarket so there's a pretty good (100%) chance it doesn't crop as well
The above followup was added by Jason on July 29, 2010 at 4:39 am PST.
J...those of us that grow multiple varieties of avocados ( I have 11 varieties ) have to laugh sometimes at all the hype surrounding Hass avocados. I do have 3 Hass trees....and the fruit is excellent. However, there are MANY varieties of avocados that are equally good. Keep in mind...the "California Avocado Growers Association" have done a great job advertising and promoting their product. Sometimes the reason a particular variety may not make it....can be as simple as the pear-shaped fruit does not pack well. My personal favorites right now are Pinkerton and Lamb Hass. A very subjective judgement...of course.
The above followup was added by Ed of Somis on July 29, 2010 at 7:22 am PST.
I know there's others that taste better than Hass, I actually rate Bacon better than Hass. But it's still even for me by far the biggest cropper so I can see why they don't want any other variety to be more popular with the public because it makes the most money :). If I had to make money growing Bacon fruit I'd be bankrupt :p
The above followup was added by Jason on July 29, 2010 at 9:11 am PST.
the parallel is not exact because Hass avocados are generally thought to taste good, still, would you eat a supermarket tomato? They have been selected for all kinds of "qualities" that growers and shippers want, but certainly not for taste. The same can be said for many other fruits (too-early picking is another issue).
For the home gardener who is not bent on selling and must often choose wisely so as not to be inundated with fruit, perhaps a tree that is not as reliably generous but may have other desirable points--and good tasting fruit--will be a better bet than a standard commercial variety.
Isn't that why many of us try to do what we do?
The above followup was added by Steve in Los Osos, 9a, Sunset 16/17 on July 29, 2010 at 11:35 am PST.
I'm interested in acquiring this particular cultivar because it's a dwarf.
I've heard that taste-wise, sharwil & jan boyce are good cultivars.
The above followup was added by Rodney Cerritos, CA on July 29, 2010 at 12:30 am PST.
R...I am not sure where you found info that Lamb Hass was a dwarf variety...it is not. My Lamb which I planted 3 years ago is around 12 feet tall. They are a very narrow/erect growing tree, however. Many people have raved about the taste of Jan Boyce. I need to find one of those for my collection!
The above followup was added by Ed of Somis on July 29, 2010 at 9:18 pm PST.