Avocado farming has witnessed a surge in popularity lately due to the growing global demand for this nutritious fruit. However, just like any other agricultural practice, it’s important to prioritize sustainability to make sure that avocado cultivation remains viable in the long run. Precision agriculture platforms can greatly increase farming productivity without harming the environment. By using data-driven decision-making, managing water and nutrients effectively, and adopting eco-friendly pest and disease control methods, we can make farming avocados more sustainable and economically viable.
Growing avocado plants and harvesting the delicious fruits is a rewarding endeavor for any gardener. With proper timing and techniques, you can ensure a successful avocado harvest season after season In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore when and how to harvest avocados for maximum flavor and yield.
When is the Best Time to Harvest Avocados?
Determining the perfect time to pick avocados can be tricky. Unlike many other fruits, avocados do not continue to ripen once picked from the tree. For ideal taste and texture, timing is everything. Here are some tips on identifying peak ripeness:
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Variety – The harvest window varies significantly depending on the avocado cultivar, Early season types like Mexicola and Fuerte are ready starting in February, Mid-season varieties like Hass and Lamb Hass ripen from April through September Late season options like Reed and Stewart can hang on the tree into October or November,
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Days on Tree – After flowering, most avocado varieties take 4-6 months to mature Smaller types may be ready a little sooner Counting days from the flowering date can help gauge when to start testing for ripeness.
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Color Change – As avocados near maturity, their skin transitions from green to purplish-black. This color shift is a good indicator ripening will soon follow. The precise color depends on variety.
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Firmness – Mature avocados will yield slightly when squeezed, but remain firm. If the fruit is mushy soft or shriveled, it is overripe. Underripe fruit will be rock hard. The perfect firmness is right on the cusp of softening.
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Stem – A dried out, cracked stem signals the fruit is past ripe. A fresh green stem indicates under-ripeness. The ideal stem is intact but flexible.
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Weather – Hot weather accelerates ripening. Fruit matures faster some years based on temperatures and should be checked more frequently in heat waves.
With experience harvesting each variety, you will dial in the perfect timing for plump, delicious avocados every season.
How to Harvest Avocados
Once your avocados pass the ripeness tests, it’s time to carefully pick the ripe fruits. Here are some harvesting techniques:
Hand Harvesting
For short trees, hand picking is straightforward. Use the following methods:
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Snapping Stems – Grasp the stem and snap it cleanly from the branch. Avoid pulling and breaking branches.
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Cut Stems – Use pruners, loppers or a sharp knife to cut the stem 1-2 inches from the fruit.
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Leave Stems – Some people prefer to leave short stem stubs so ripeness is easy to gauge by wiggling the stem.
Pole Harvesting
Taller trees call for pole harvesters. Select from:
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Basket Pickers – This pole tool has an adjustable basket to surround and detach the fruit. It causes minimal damage to branches.
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Clipper Pickers – Blades on this type of picker sever the stem for clean removal. It offers a tidier looking stem cut.
No matter which method you choose, handle avocados gently to avoid bruising. Never harvest in wet conditions, and bring fruit immediately into a cool place.
Storing the Avocado Harvest
Within a day or two of picking, avocados will be ripe and ready to enjoy. For longer storage:
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Counters – Keep unripe avocados at room temperature. They will ripen within 4-7 days.
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Paper Bag – To hasten ripening, place avocados in a bag with an apple or banana, which emits ethylene gas.
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Refrigerator – Ripe avocados can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Allow to come to room temp before eating.
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Freezer – Puréed avocado flesh can be frozen for 6-8 months. Thaw before using.
With proper harvesting techniques and post-harvest storage, you can enjoy perfect avocados year-round.
Troubleshooting the Avocado Harvest
Even experienced growers can run into issues with harvesting avocados. Here are some common challenges and solutions:
Problem: Fruit won’t soften after picking
Solution: Harvest at earliest signs of ripeness. Avocados left too long on tree may not ripen later.
Problem: Ripe avocados spoil quickly
Solution: Pick more frequently so fruit doesn’t get overripe. Store at room temp only 1-2 days.
Problem: Skin stays green when ripe
Solution: Some varieties like Reed turn purplish-black. Others like Hass remain green when ripe.
Problem: Hard, pale flesh around seed
Solution: Pick sooner. The flesh should be soft and greenish-yellow when perfectly ripe.
Problem: Avocados drop before ripe
Solution: Can indicate overwatering, disease, pest damage or temperatures that are too cold.
With attentive harvesting habits and swift post-harvest storage, your avocados will be ever-plentiful and ever-delicious. Let the avocado-eating commence!
Heat Stress Prevention and Control
Extreme heat can cause serious harm to avocado farming. Near the end of summer, when the trees bloom and produce fruit, heat waves and hot winds bring about the biggest problems with avocado trees. Necrosis of flowers and fruit drop in avocados under heat stress in plants can lead to serious yield losses.
Mature trees rarely experience sunburn. However, you should be aware of how to protect young avocado trees from sunburn while they grow. There are common farming practices to cover young trees with a shade net, paint trunks white, and intersperse overstory rows within the rows of avocados to shield them from the sun’s harmful rays.
Weather risk notifications from EOSDA Crop Monitoring can help you prepare for the probable heat stress on plants. Setting threshold values allows you to be notified before indicators surpass their safe limits for farming. You will get a warning email if there is any danger. With this heads-up, you may take precautions to prevent sunscald and other heat-related damage to your plants.
Emailing at the first sign of heat stress helps you prevent or at least mitigate the damage to your plants.
Avocado Trees Growing Conditions
Farming avocados requires warm, subhumid environments, such as those found in the tropics and the Mediterranean, where temperatures are consistently high throughout the year.
Although the original avocado-growing zones were Mexico and Central America, the fruit is currently cultivated in many other parts of the world. The most popular varieties thrive in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11. However, with proper precautions, farming is also possible in Zone 8.
Just a reminder that different varieties have their specific growing and farming requirements. Plant the best-suited variety for your land after carefully considering any environmental issues and potential growth constraints.
Most modern avocado varieties prefer warm growing climates and can withstand temperatures as low as 25°F (-4°C). However, both low temperatures and sharp temperature swings seriously restrict the farming of this warm-loving tropical plant. Also, avocado trees, especially young ones, are particularly vulnerable to the stresses of temperatures above 104°F (40°C).
Avocado plants thrive in soil temperatures between 68 and 77°F (20 and 25°C), whereas temperatures below 50°F (10°C) and above 86°F (30°C) significantly impede root growth. To bloom, these trees require a minimum of four weeks of cool weather in the fall and winter. However, temperatures below 50°F (10°C) may stunt blossoming. The ideal growing conditions vary depending on the plant variety and its growth stage. While mature trees can survive temperatures around 28 °F (-2°C), younger trees (up to 3–5 years old) can’t.
Last but not least, how much sunlight do avocado trees need? Most cultivars need between six and eight hours of sunlight per day. Healthy growth and fruit production rely on photosynthesis, which requires regular exposure to sunlight.
The avocado tree is known for its high water consumption. The actual amount of water required for fruitful avocados farming will vary based on factors such as climate, soil type, and tree age. A mature tree requires between 40 and 50 inches (1,000 and 1,300 millimeters) of rain every year, on average Irrigating Avocado Trees. (2013, April 25). California Avocado Commission. .
A favorable humidity level for farming avocado trees is between 60 and 80 percent. Farming is still doable in 40% humidity or less, provided other growing conditions are acceptable, but there is a risk of water stress, increased susceptibility to pests, and flower and fruit drop.
However, too much humidity can lead to the spread of fungal diseases. Therefore, the ideal conditions for farming will include just the right amount of humidity and air circulation. Maintaining a balanced ecosystem for avocado farming requires attention to details like tree spacing, pruning for better airflow, and avoiding waterlogging.
Although avocado farming is possible in different types of soil, these plants cannot survive in waterlogged environments. They also have a low tolerance for soil salinization. The ideal pH for growing avocados is between 5 and 7. Avocado farming will bring the best results in somewhat acidic soils (pH 6-7), but it’s also feasible in alkaline soils if they drain well.
Successful avocado farming calls for a lot of organic matter, which keeps the soil moist and supplies the plant with the required minerals, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Poor soils can benefit from the addition of aged manure or compost. Organic matter added to compacted soil reduces the negative effects of overwatering by improving root growth and oxygenation.
(7) HASS Avocado GROWING TIPS you should know! – plus 1st Harvest on new tree by the beach in SoCal
FAQ
Do you pick avocados or wait for them to drop?
How many times should I cut my avocado plant?
How to harvest an avocado plant?
Here are some tips to follow when harvesting your avocado plant: Before you start harvesting your avocado plant, gather all the necessary tools such as a ladder or stool, pruning shears or a sharp knife, and a basket or bag to collect the fruits. Carefully climb the ladder or stool to reach the top branches of your avocado tree.
How to harvest avocados in a bucket?
The Hoss Tools Over-the-Shoulder Harvesting Bucket is an excellent solution for harvesting avocados. Instead of tossing avocados in a bucket and hoisting it down the ladder, you can gently place them in this sturdy harvesting bucket. Avocados continue to ripen at room temperature.
How do you grow avocados?
Plant avocados in full sun. Grow avocados in humus-rich, well-drained soil. Wet soil can lead to root rot. Avocados prefer a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. Plant avocados sheltered from prevailing breezes or wind. Avoid planting avocados in low spots where cold air and frost can settle.
How long does it take to grow an avocado tree?
An avocado tree grown from a pit can take 10 to 15 years to bear fruit. On the other hand, you can expect to be harvesting your first home grown avocados from a nursery tree within the first few years – depending on the size, variety, and age of the tree you purchase.