People also often say “do I need to have two trees to get fruit, and the answer is no, but if you have two trees you will increase your chances of getting more fruit. The reason for this is that avocado trees actually have male and female flowers on the same plant.
A single avocado tree can successfully produce fruit on its own. Usually, there will be both flower sexes present on a single plant simultaneously and self-pollination will occur.
Don't toss that avocado pit — with a little patience, you can sprout the seed to plant and grow an avocado tree. It'll make a lovely houseplant that may someday pay you back with fruit.
Factors that will make your avocado tree fruit earlier
While trees typically bear in three to four years, you may get fruit earlier or later for a few reasons. One reason you might get fruit earlier is if you buy a bigger tree — 15-gallon size or more.
It's possible to plant avocado trees even closer than 10 or 7.5 feet apart and keep them productive and healthy, especially if you're planting only a pair. Below are two avocado trees that look like a single tree.
You certainly can. The best example I've ever seen of an avocado tree kept small for decades is a Fuerte in the yard of some friends who live in National City, just south of San Diego.
The Wurtz avocado tree, sometimes referred to as Little Cado, is the only true dwarf variety of avocado and will consistently produce good fruit from May to September. Compared to other avocado trees, which can grow up to 80 feet, a Wurtz avocado tree grows to about 10 feet.
Queensland continues to dominate Australia's avocado production followed by Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, with a small amount of production in Tasmania and one known orchard in the Northern Territory. Orchard areas are expanding in almost every growing region.
Choose a site with full sun and excellent drainage, protected from winds and frost. Allow plenty of room for the tree's mature size. Containers restrict plant size, but avocados can grow 40 feet tall or more in the ground.
Avocado trees (Persea americana) can grow indoors in any hardiness zone, which makes them great low-maintenance houseplants. However, it can take up to 10 years for the tree to bear fruit in its natural growing conditions, and it can reach over 40 feet tall when grown outside.
Avocado trees must have well-aerated soil. They cannot tolerate heavy or waterlogged soil, so it's important to monitor the trees and soil as part of your irrigation process. Avocado trees that don't get enough water can experience: summer stress resulting in early flowering and poor fruit set.
Avocados in Australia
Avocados are a perennial fruit and Australian premium produce is available all year round because of the widespread and climatically diverse growing regions. The highest volume of fruit is available between March and November.
Type A avocados bloom with their female reproductive parts available first, and do so in the morning. Type B avocado flowers also open in the morning, but in their male phase. Then, each of them pull a switcheroo – and the flowers open as the opposite sex the following day in the afternoon.
Plant More Than One Avocado Tree
Avocado trees are self-fertile. This means that, technically, you only need one tree in order to produce fruit. The flowers on your avocado tree are able to pollinate each other. While that may be the case, planting a second avocado tree will really help to boost fruiting.
In New Zealand and Australia flowering is typically spread over six to eight weeks.
Plant your tree in March through June. If you plant during the summer, there is always the risk of sun damage, because avocado trees don't absorb water very well when they're young. Plant it in a non-lawn area and away from sidewalks and, if you can, plant it in a spot protected from wind and frost.
Apple trees and avocado trees
Their root systems are strong, and can be somewhat aggressive, but they tend not to venture too far from the tree. As long as they are planted at least two metres from a sewer pipe, they should not cause any damage.
Grafted avocado trees may start to bear fruit in the second year, but you generally won't harvest commercial quantities until the third year.
Each variety has its own age when avocado trees produce fruit, but if you're looking for the fastest growing variety, it's a tie between the Hass and Fuerte variety. Both avocado trees take around three to four years to produce fruit.
Avocado Trees
Trees can grow up to 60' tall and 35' wide, and they do require regular maintenance if you want to get the best crop yield from them.
Hass is the most widely planted variety in the world for good reason. If I had the space for only one avocado tree, I would plant a Hass. You might find this answer boring, in which case I'd be willing to bet that you don't already have a Hass tree in your yard.
Feed with a complete fertiliser, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser in spring and autumn. For an added nutrient boost, feed with Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food weekly during the flowering season.
Avocados thrive on rich, well-composted soil. Their shallow roots need moisture, but can be prone to fungal rootrot in saturated soils. Plant in a deep, well-drained soil with added compost. If you've inherited a healthy-looking yet barren tree, chances are it was grown from seed.