Season for Planting Hass Avocado

Planting

• Place your Hass avocado tree in a hole as deep as the root ball but approximately twice as wide. If necessary, clip any encircled roots, then backfill the planting hole with native soil. Cover soil with a thin layer of mulch. Avocado trees are generally shallow rooted and will grow best when mulched with coarse, woody mulch. Extend the mulch to the drip-line of the tree, but maintain at least 6 to 8 inches of space between the trunk and the mulch to discourage fungus growth. Once the tree is planted, generously soak the tree roots. This will provide moisture and will remove any remnant air pockets in the soil.

Site Selection

• Hass avocado trees require full sunlight for best growth and sustained fruit production. Well-drained soils with a pH between 6 and 6.5 are ideal. Wet or frequently flooded soils can cause decreased growth and fruit production, branch dieback and possibly death. Mature avocado trees can grow quite large, up to 65 feet in height, and branches are prone to breaking from very heavy crop loads or strong winds. Avoid planting too close to other trees, structures or power lines, but at the same time, try to provide some degree of protection from wind and frost.

First Year Irrigation and Watering

• During the first year of growth, fertilize Hass avocado trees at least once every other month, starting with 1/4 lb. of a balanced 6-6-6 fertilizer. Gradually increase this amount to about 1 lb. of balanced fertilizer per application. In addition, provide the young avocado tree with a zinc-rich nutritional spray at least once during the first year. For the first few months, water a newly planted avocado tree at least two or three times a week, allowing soil to dry out somewhat between waterings. Toward the end of the year, reduce watering frequency to once per week.

Propagation

• Hass avocado trees are not grown from seed. This is because Hass avocado seeds produce trees that are a cross between a Hass avocado and something else. Instead, Hass avocados are commonly propagated using a rather time-consuming and complicated clonal procedure known as the etiolation method. During this procedure, vigorous Mexican avocado tree seedlings, grown from seeds and used for rootstocks, are grafted onto scion material consisting of the terminals of leafy root rot-tolerant clonal shoots.