Kem Ormond’s vegetable garden: How to grow avocados

While avocado trees can be sulky, Kem Ormond reckons they're worth the effort. Photo / 123rf

Kem Ormond is a features writer for The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s giving you tips on successfully growing an avocado tree.

If you love avocados, then the time will come when you are going to want to grow your own tree in your backyard.

I have been there, done that, and have learnt some lessons about growing and caring for avocados ... the hard way.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to do your homework, read up on how they need to be cared for, what they dislike, and choose one that is suitable for growing in your area.

The plants are not cheap to buy, and you can waste a lot of your hard-earned cash and time if you don’t study up about them beforehand.

Not only will they provide wonderful-tasting fruit, but they can also turn into wonderful canopy, shade-providing trees as they grow larger.

If you need further inspiration, avocados are one of the few fruits that are rich in monounsaturated fat, and they’re also a reliable source of potassium and fibre.

Avocado varieties

The more suitable avocado varieties to grow in New Zealand include hass, reed, carmen, maluma and fuerte, as they each offer unique characteristics suited to local conditions.

They can grow up to 5–10m plus, and there are also dwarf varieties available.

You need to make sure the tree you plant will be suitable for the space you have.

I read somewhere that cold-tolerant varieties will have a strong, aniseed-like smell to their foliage. I am sure no one will look at you as you are sniffing the trees at the garden centre!

While avocados can be self-pollinating, they will fruit better if cross-pollinated with a different variety.

Climatic conditions

In my book, avocado trees can be one of the sulkiest trees ever!

They like to be warm and extremely sheltered, with full sun and free-draining soil.

They are hungry feeders and like to be fed regularly with a balanced, controlled-release fertiliser.

Young trees require reliable watering while they are establishing.

Older trees may need extra watering in very dry periods.

One thing to note, avocado roots spread quite widely, so don’t plant an avocado near drains, buildings, swimming pools, paths, driveways or the like.

Caring for an avocado tree

Young trees need to be protected from extreme sun, frosts, and intense winds.

If necessary, make a screen with frost cloth and stakes. If frost is likely, it is good to cover the top as well.

The vast majority of problems that an avocado is likely to suffer relate to excess water and fungal disorders.

Even 48 hours in water is enough to kill a young avocado tree.

I know a friend who planted a sprouted avocado seed, and she ended up with a magnificent, well-producing tree, but you need to be prepared to wait about 10 years before a seed-grown tree bears fruit.

I am not that patient – I am all for purchasing a grown plant, which will fruit in half that time!

So, if you think you would like to plant an avocado tree, do your homework and soon you will be enjoying bowls of guacamole and avocado on toast ... bliss!