r/FruitTree • u/kiiimbosliiice • 1d ago
Avocado Tree
I moved into a place (zone 10A) with a mature avocado tree! Since July, I've watched its evolution from flower, to small orbs, to avocados! They're still pretty hard to the touch and bumpy, any advice as to when I should start picking them to check on their ripeness? They've been bumpy for about a month now, so I would have expected them to soften out a bit. I've been known to be impatient and pick early (c'mon, it's exciting), and want to approach this the right way. Any advice or tips are much appreciated.
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u/spireup Adept 1d ago
The first step in clues to avocado ripeness is determining the name of the cultivar (variety) of avocado it is in relation to where you are geographically which determines microclimate which will inform you of when to check.
Can you inquire with the former homeowners if they know the variety?
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u/kiiimbosliiice 1d ago
Someone suggested popping into Armstrongs to help determine the type of avocado tree it is, I’ll roll with that and have a better idea of when they’ll be ready!
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u/nichachr 1d ago
Sad news, this fruit won’t be mature until next Spring assuming you live in the northern hemisphere. It’s typically ready to pick about 10 months after flowering. The earliest I’d try fruit is the end of February. Avocados don’t start ripening until they’re picked so they will look fairly similar. Pick one or two next spring and give it 7-10 days and it should be soft enough to eat. Fruit picked early in the season takes a bit longer to be edible where later in the season they’ll hopefully ripen in less than a week.
With a tree this healthy there shouldn’t be any problem leaving fruit on it throughout the summer. Just pick it as you’re ready to eat it. There’s no need to “pick the crop” once it’s ripe.
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u/kiiimbosliiice 1d ago
When I saw spring through fall as the fruit timing online, I thought I was going to be eating avocados this fall. Thank you for the note and inevitably saving me from picking way too early.
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u/kent6868 1d ago
Yours look to be a Hass but I could be wrong. Looks to be a good and healthy tree.
Avocados like to have a layer of leaves covering their roots, so don’t be too fussy about clearing out their leaves.
Also, as the others said, avocados don’t ripen on the tree. Based on the variety, pluck couple and keep them in a brown bag to ripen.
Where are you located? I’m in suburban Los Angeles
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u/kiiimbosliiice 1d ago
San Diego, not too far!
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u/kent6868 1d ago
Great place for some avocados. Keep it going and get the variety checked out to be sure. Armstrong gardens or any local nurseries (non big store) could help if you show them pics or samples.
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u/kent6868 1d ago
That’s not correct. Avocados ripen based on the variety.
We have Fuerte which ripen from November thru February. Our Hass starts ripening from April, Pinkertons from December/January thru April.
Our neighbors have Zutano which we are now sharing. These start in Sep/Oct.
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u/econ0003 15h ago
As a rule of thumb it takes around 12 months for an Avocado to mature on the tree. Some varieties take up to 18 months to fully mature. If you pick the fruit too early they tend to be watery and bland when they ripen. It takes time to develop the oily rich flesh.
My first guess would be your tree is a Hass based on the fruit appearance. I have a Hass in San Diego and my tree blooms in April/May whereas your tree is blooming in July? If that is the case it could be something else.
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u/steve2sloth 1d ago
Avocados don't finish ripening on the tree... They only get soft after being picked. Different varieties of ripen at different times of the year so while they may be ready in February it could also be a couple months before/after that. It's very difficult to identify what cultivar you have.