DavidInAmity

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 100

Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:49 am

Climate Zone: USDA 8 in Amity Oregon

I just finished moving the avocados to their "temperate fall living quarters":



When winter storms hit they will be moved through the sliding glass door into the daylight basement (their winter "inclement" quarters; but only for the length of the storm and then back out they go. This seems to wreck havoc with the pest life cycles, as well as delaying bloom and new growth through the winter months.

Much to my delight, six avocados are still hanging on the trees! This is the biggest one, either a Hass or a Lamb Hass:



As far as I know, avocadoes have never been sucessfully fruited in Oregon. These have another six to eight months to go, so we shall see in a while if they make it!

Regards!

Gord

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 465

Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:27 pm

Climate Zone: USDA8a

Very nice, David. Not only do they produce delicious fruit, but they're gorgeous plants. You're doing something right!

DavidInAmity

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 100

Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:49 am

Climate Zone: USDA 8 in Amity Oregon

Thanks Gord.

Avocados, especially the Guatemalean strains, seem to really like our cool cloudy climate Spring/Summer/Fall. In fact right now there is a flush of new growth started that wont play out until next Spring. It takes just a tinch of chill and the avocado trees seem to say: "OK, I'm ready for Summer!" (Sort of like me, I guess.)

Reed is by far the most precoucious of the avocado trees I have. This last May they were blooming so hard as if to kill themselves.

May:



October:



However, of the six avocades still hanging on the trees, five are Reed; three of them on this one tree:



So, I am playing Scientist and just letting the trees do their thing.

We shall see how all this plays out too!

Regards!

midwest

 

Posts: 78

Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:24 pm

Location: Greensboro, NC

Climate Zone: 7b

Wow David,
That's awesome. Nice to see some avocados on trees a bit up north.
I live in NC, and hope to be getting some avocados from my trees.
This gives me hope.

I have to pull mine inside when temps go down also. I basically miss 4 months of the
growing season. It will be nice to see if you avos mature inside or resume maturing in the spring.

John

DavidInAmity

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 100

Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:49 am

Climate Zone: USDA 8 in Amity Oregon

Thanks midwest.

I am actually pretty far north - slighty above 45 latitude. Certainly further north than Bangor Maine on your side of the continent. And yet the climate here is a Mediterrean climate. Winter cold only dips below freezing when storms come through in the winter. I typically only pull the avocado and citrus trees indoors on a couple to five occasions, never lasting for more than two weeks. See:

http://www.cloudforest.com/cafe/palms/spring-update-citrus-trees-amity-oregon-t1303.html

for the short times they were indoors during the winter of 2010 -2011. Not very long! So, essentially all ripening is going to occur outdoors.

I do highly recommend Reed for early fruiting. The founder of Brokaw Nurseries ("The" avocado nursery in CA) also recommended that commercial people plant more Reed. Don't know how well it works on the right coast though!

Best of luck with your avocados!

midwest

 

Posts: 78

Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:24 pm

Location: Greensboro, NC

Climate Zone: 7b

I pretty much play it safe and bring them in. I could probably leave then out maybe until mid Dec, but at 50 bucks a pop to acquire replacements.......

I've also got a few citrus that continue to grow in a daylight window.
One is blooming like crazy right now,some calamondins developing.

Its pretty rewarding to pull off growing things outside of their natural environment and being successful at it..

saw your link, nice farm you have going on.

DavidInAmity

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 100

Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:49 am

Climate Zone: USDA 8 in Amity Oregon

Midwest:

Not quite sure what link you are referring to. I very rarely show pictures of "my farm"; most pictures are taken at my in-laws (where I feel rather of biblical age laboring in my father-in-laws vineyards and orchards!).

Here is my "home farm":



the land planted with olive trees, between the grapes in the foreground and the christmas trees in the background, is mine. In fact, you can see me roto-tilling in cover crop seed - photo taken at end of September.

So, olives are mainly what I am pursuing. And although olives are not considered to have commercial potential here in Oregon by "mainstream Ag", I an definitely pushing it to show it can be done! Speaking of which, olive harvest is coming up! Maybe I'll post some pictures in a new thread...

Regards!

http://www.oregonolives.com/
http://www.oregonolivetrees.com/
http://www.oregonoliveoil.com/

midwest

 

Posts: 78

Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:24 pm

Location: Greensboro, NC

Climate Zone: 7b

DavidInAmity wrote:Midwest:

Not quite sure what link you are referring to. I very rarely show pictures of "my farm"; most pictures are taken at my in-laws (where I feel rather of biblical age laboring in my father-in-laws vineyards and orchards!).

Here is my "home farm":



the land planted with olive trees, between the grapes in the foreground and the christmas trees in the background, is mine. In fact, you can see me roto-tilling in cover crop seed - photo taken at end of September.

So, olives are mainly what I am pursuing. And although olives are not considered to have commercial potential here in Oregon by "mainstream Ag", I an definitely pushing it to show it can be done! Speaking of which, olive harvest is coming up! Maybe I'll post some pictures in a new thread...

Regards!

http://www.oregonolives.com/
http://www.oregonolivetrees.com/
http://www.oregonoliveoil.com/

I meant farm in terms of how many avocados and citrus you had in link you provided in this thread.
Had no idea you actually have a real farm/orchard you tend to!
Nice pics , none the less.

Ask you a question about your avocados.?
are you finding a/b pollinators together is a huge help, or not?
I mean, any idea if they self polinated to set fruit, or got pollen from various other trees in the group?

DavidInAmity

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 100

Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:49 am

Climate Zone: USDA 8 in Amity Oregon

Hi midwest:

Here are a couple of old threads you may find of interest:

http://www.cloudforest.com/cafe/forum/55288.html
http://www.cloudforest.com/northwest/forum/20090392.html

My feelings on avocados and pollination have been heavily influenced by Ben (New Zealand) and Jason (Australia). To summarize: Type A will yield a lot more in cool growing climates; type A/B cross pollination are relatively unimportant in cool growing zones.

So, I don't know for sure that this is true (not enough experience yet), but do know the only trees that set fruit for me this year are Type A's.

Also not sure how much of this applies to you. The real problem with avocados and fruit set for Ben, Jason and I are low night time temperatures. Here is a comparison of yours and mine:



As you can see, I am much colder at night! Those type B flowers which open in nighttime have very low chance of successfull pollination. Also of course, very little chance of pollination of Type A flowers which open in noontime. But for you, being much more San Diego type of nights Type A / B cross pollination may be very important...

Isn't it great being a pioneer?!

Vlad Pomajzl

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 462

Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:34 pm

Climate Zone: 8

David, nice to hear from you and glad you are having success and are not giving up. Would love to get an update on your Olives. My "first year out" for the five Olive trees I planted in 2010 was not that great. The early frost in the second half of November 2010 (-8.4C, (17F) did some damage on the immature trees and although three trees bloomed none set any fruit this year. However, the lack of fruit could have also been due to cold spring and cold start to the summer we experienced in 2011 rather than the previous winter's frost damage. Now the NOAA's forecast calls for another below average winter so I am thinking of some sort of basic protection should another wave of sharp frost arrive.