Is your avocado tree not quite meeting your expectations in terms of how much fruit it’s producing? Or perhaps you’re struggling to even harvest a single avocado from your tree. Either way, here’s what you need to do to ensure maximum yields.
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. The key is in making sure that you pick a different type/variety of avocado tree from the one you already have. Avocado tree varieties are usually split into either Type A or Type B, so plant one of each and watch those fruits swell!
Keep an Eye on Temperature
Temperature plays a huge role in how well an avocado tree fruits. For maximum pollination, and therefore maximum fruits, you need consistent temperatures of between 20-25°C. Anything higher or lower than this will affect your yields.
Wondering how to control temperature when your tree is growing outside? It’s not easy, but if you live in a region that rarely experiences ideal avocado fruiting temperatures, it may be worth growing your trees in pots instead. This way, you’ll be able to move them around your garden, and even into your house, as the temperature changes throughout the year. Go for a large but lightweight pot to make this easy, such as one made from GRC.
Be Careful When Pruning
Avocado trees don’t need much pruning. However, it’s always a good idea to remove any damaged or diseased branches each year, as these can affect growth. Spring is the best time of year to do this, but you need to be very careful when pruning.
If you accidentally cut away any branches that have buds or flowers forming on them, then you’re also pruning away your fruit for that year. Of course, accidents happen, but then you’ll need to be prepared to wait for a couple of seasons for your tree to recover.
Meet Your Tree’s Nutritional Requirements
Certain nutrients are needed for an avocado tree to thrive. If you haven’t been fertilising your avocado trees, then they could be dealing with nutritional deficiencies, which explains why you haven’t been seeing many fruits.
Young trees should be fed every two months with a balanced fertiliser. Once your tree is four or five years old, then you may also want to consider a nutritional spray. A formula containing zinc, boron, and manganese is especially beneficial. These are the minerals that avocado trees need for fruit production.
It may be worth testing your soil too. If it sits on the alkaline side of the scale, then this means that your tree could be iron-deficient. Make up for this by drenching your soil with iron chelate a couple of times a year.
Be Patient!
If you know that you’re already taking care of your avocado trees in the best way possible, then you’ll just have to practice some patience. Even in optimum conditions, it can take an avocado tree up to ten years to produce fruit. Keep giving your trees all that they need and your efforts will soon be rewarded!