Citrus Growers Forum

PONTGTA · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 9 Location: FL 9A

I have a choice of brazos-belle , lila, and joey. I live in Z 9a..I think. I am 30 miles south of Orlando. Want cold hardines first, taste second.

Thanks

Malcolm_Manners · Posted: Sat 02 Apr, 2011 9:47 am

Why are those 3 the only possible choices? I've never seen nor heard of any of them in central Florida. On the other hand, we grow Brogdon, Gainesville, Duke, Mrs. Holland, and others grow numerous other cold-hardy varieties in the area (I'm in Lakeland). I'd highly recommend 'Brogdon' as the best flavored and largest-fruited of the bunch, and once established, it's hardy down into the mid-20s. Gainesville and Mrs. Holland are even more hardy (perhaps upper teens) and Mrs. Holland is also quite good-flavored (Gainesville is mediocre-flavored).

PONTGTA · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 9 Location: FL 9A

The reason why only those is becasue the nursery has only those 3 right now. The Lila seems to be good down to 14F..from what i have heard. I am also trying to get my hands on Brogdon, but the nursery that has them is a little further(i might stillhave to take a trip) .....If you are in lakeland...I am in haines city....do you have any budwood to spare?

avinyard · Posted: Sun 03 Apr, 2011 1:03 am

Lila and brazos belle are the most cold hardy, to the mid teens. Mexicola and mexicola grande are suposed to be good into the upper teens. I think joey is cold hardy into the low to mid twenties. I bought joey this spring without doing the research. Felt a little buyers remorse after I got home because the nursery had the other two varieties. If they're going outside I would go with the most hardy. Best chance for success. They won't be like hass. Smaller with thin dark skin.

mrtexas · Posted: Sun 03 Apr, 2011 1:44 am

avinyard wrote:

Lila and brazos belle are the most cold hardy, to the mid teens. Mexicola and mexicola grande are suposed to be good into the upper teens. I think joey is cold hardy into the low to mid twenties. I bought joey this spring without doing the research. Felt a little buyers remorse after I got home because the nursery had the other two varieties. If they're going outside I would go with the most hardy. Best chance for success. They won't be like hass. Smaller with thin dark skin.

I think you will be disappointed when your avocado freezes next winter in the Austin, TX area if planted in the ground. Avocados can be cold hardy if the cold weather is consistently cold for a few weeks and then a freeze occurs of short duration, like a few hours. This type of weather does not occur in upper coastal or central Texas.

I grew a few of the "cold" hardy selections including Gainesville and Mexicola here in Beaumont, TX in pots for a few years. They would slip bark all winter long=>they were not cold hardy here.

IMHO cold hardy avocado is a myth in Texas zone 8b or less. Some say Beaumont is in zone 9a but 30 miles south of Orlando is a lot more solid 9a.

Malcolm_Manners · Posted: Sun 03 Apr, 2011 12:32 pm

PONTGTA -- yes, we can share budwood. I don't think it's ripe enough at the moment, since the spring flush is just finishing up, but in a few weeks it should be fine. The best time to graft avocados here is November.
Malcolm

PONTGTA · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 9 Location: FL 9A

Malcolm_Manners wrote:

PONTGTA -- yes, we can share budwood. I don't think it's ripe enough at the moment, since the spring flush is just finishing up, but in a few weeks it should be fine. The best time to graft avocados here is November.
Malcolm

Sounds good i can wait til November if thats the best time.

I did buy the LILA after all becasue after some research i did it said it could do 14 degrees... I also think some call some call this variety or it a variety of the "opal"

avinyard · Posted: Mon 04 Apr, 2011 3:52 pm

@mrtexas

You're probably right about them freezing, especially if we have another winter like the last one. 2 days of 80s followed by 3 days where it didn't get above freezing and then 80s again. Everything in the yard was confused. With a little luck and protection they might make it a couple of years.

TRI · Posted: Mon 04 Apr, 2011 4:41 pm

Avacados may freeze but they are more vigorous than citrus and recover more quickly from freeze damage. The Mexicolas growing in Gainsville froze in 1962 but they regrew the large scaffold branches very quickly! Two years later they were producing fruit again. I think they continued fruit production until the 1980s freezes.

PONTGTA · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 9 Location: FL 9A

TRI wrote:

Avacados may freeze but they are more vigorous than citrus and recover more quickly from freeze damage. The Mexicolas growing in Gainsville froze in 1962 but they regrew the large scaffold branches very quickly! Two years later they were producing fruit again. I think they continued fruit production until the 1980s freezes.

This is what i am hoping for. I will protect it untill i can do no more, but do not want to baby it. I had an avacado i had grown from seed in my yard, and never covered it, i t got hurt, but would come back. I just do not want it to come back from the ground. I eventually got rid of it becasue of the disease(constant). So now, i will start from scratch, and hopefully have some avocados in a couple of years.