Wow.....hardy to 18 F.......that's impressive. Sorry, don't know where you can get plant material.....but I'll keep my eyes and ears open for you.

Yea 18 degrees is about what I need. Supposedly there is a mexican one on the UF campus that has been alive for many years unprotected. They usually get even a couple degrees colder than I do so I think it may do ok for me.

Hi jsvand5:
I've never seen Mexicola avocados for less than $60-$70 anywhere. I bought a 'Mexicola Grande' avocado tree from CA and it cost me around $100 (with shipping). It is ridiculous that the cold hardy avocados are so hard to find in Florida...

Anyway, I planted my 'Mexicola Grande' tree in the ground and it grew like crazy all year... Well, it also froze to the ground in the January freezes we had this year... That really hurts!

I know that it is possible to grow avocados in north Florida, but it seems that you have to provide the young trees with significant cold protection for the first three years or so... I visited Just Fruits and Exotics in December and they have a few very large avocado trees (30+ feet high) that looked beautiful. Their trees have survived many freezes down to 15F and have quickly recovered. So, it can be done...

I will probably try again in the future, but I want to buy my tree from them; that way, I can be sure that I am getting the real thing...

Thanks Mostro. I have actually heard that the mexicola was a bit more cold tolerant than mexicola grande so I want to get that one. I wish there was a way to get budwood from that tree at UF but I can't imagine that will happen. I'll have to email Just Fruits and see when they may get more Mexicola's in stock. I have ordered a few trees from them in the past and was very happy with them. They have nice stuff.

Checkout germplasm database. It says that they have Persea americana Mexicola available for distribution. But you have to contact them directly.

miata@ars-grin.gov

Tomas Ayala-Silva (Sub-Tropical Fruit & Nuts and Ornamentals) tomas.ayala-silva@ars.usda.gov

Mexicola Avocado

jsvand5:
You might be able to contact someone at UF and they would probably let you take budwood from their tree. You can graft the mexicola onto any avocado variety and then, plant the tree deep, completely burying the graft union in the ground. That strategy will prevent the rootstock from freezing and it will also allow your tree to regrow from the mexicola portion, if it freezes to the ground when young...
I did not know that when I planted my 'Mexicola Grande'. I think that what actually froze on my tree was the rootstock. There was not any signs of cold damage on the tree for a couple of days and then, the leaves started drying off and the wood starting showing signs of dehydration... On further investigation, it looks like the above ground part of the rootstock froze and that is what actually killed it. I too want to get a 'Mexicola' from Just Fruits, they got the budwood for their tree directly from the UF tree...
It is too bad that avocado breeding programs in Florida have largely abandoned the quest for a cold hardy, high quality hybrid avocado, using modern methods and technology...

Well, whatever, good luck...

Mostro,
What has been your experience planting avocado trees deep below the graft? How well has that worked out for you?

Hi murahilin:
I've actually never planted an avocado tree burying the graft union in the ground. As I said before, I think that is the reason that my 'Mexicola Grande' tree froze, it looks like the rootstock was the problem...

However, I have read that in California, Texas, and other colder locations, it is common practice to plant avocado trees burying the entire rootstock, in order to protect the rootstock from freezing... Of course, that is only in cases where cold tender rootstock is used... Apparently, deep planting of avocados does not create any problems for the tree...

Another strategy you can use is to bank soil around the trunk of your tree. The soil bank can be put up in the fall and removed in the spring...

The problem with rootstocks for avocados is that unless the rootstock is cloned, there is no guarantee that the seedling rootstock will be as hardy as the scion variety, it seems to be a good idea to either bank and/or plant deep your tree if maximum cold hardiness is the main goal...

I would like to read those articles regarding planting avocado trees deeply. Everything I know about grafted avocado trees goes completely against that idea. It would be interesting to learn otherwise.

I found an article stating the same thing you did about planting the tree deeply.

http://westtexasgardening.org/GardeningResources/hfp-Avocado.pdf

That was the only article I could find saying to plant the tree deeply. I found another 10 or so articles stating the complete opposite and to even plant on a mound. Maybe someone could do an experiment.

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Avocado

Rolling River and Rivers End both sell them. You can Google for their websites.

Thanks, I'll check them out.

Hello murahilin:
Yeah, it seems counter intuitive to plant an avocado tree with the budunion below the soil line, but apparently it is commonly practiced in certain areas. Here are a couple more articles that talk about it (these are reasonably good sources):

Home Fruit Production - Avocado: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/avocado/avocado2.html
INFLUENCE OF ROOTSTOCK ON COLD HARDINESS OF AVOCADOS: www.fshs.org/.../Password%20Protected/.../346-348%20(KREZDORN).pdf

In the past, I found an article that described the deep planting method in detail. It also analyzed the performance of avocado trees planted deeply. The article showed that there was no apparent problem with deep planting. However, I could not locate that article again...

You can plant your tree on a mound and still bury the budunion below the soil line, so that is not a problem. Also, avocados are commonly grafted very low on the rootstock, so burying the budunion will not result in your tree being planted way deep... Lastly, the avocado scion does not root into the soil, so that is not a problem like in citrus...

The thing to keep in mind is that there is no point in planting your avocado tree deep in south Florida... The only reason it is done, is to provide the rootstock with good freeze protection at no extra cost...

Caldwell Nursery in Rosenberg, TX has a few Mexicola. I bought an Opal (aka, Lola and Lula). Today I'm a bit frustrated because I waited to plant, and finally planted last week. Today we are having a "blue norther" (yes, another one) - I just put a tomato cage around the tree and wrapped that with freeze cloth. The poor tree has flowers all over it.

I did both planting practices, setting the rootball slightly above the soil line AND I mounded soil. I also watered well yesterday knowing that we would have this coming this weekend. Agrilife's website (which was cited in a previous post) does suggest that in the clay soil of our area to plant a bit higher to help with soil drainage, and after the horrible freeze we had earlier this year I wanted to protect my little tree.

I think I paid $60 for it. It is at least a 2 year tree. I just found this site http://www.nipahutgardens.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Lula_Avocado. It seems they do ship them, but they are very young trees (said 1 - 2 ft tall).

I just bought a Mexicola Grande which is about 4 feet tall and beautiful from Home Depot..for $16.98! Unreal!

^Nice deal! That even cheaper than the Brogdon I just bought from Lowes for 24 bucks.

Hello

I look for seeds avocado tree resisting the cold if you possess it to contact I.

Thank you for your help

Brazos Belle is reportedly more cold hardy than even Mexicola. This one goes down to 14F. Planting deep sounds like a good idea, that's what people do to grafted roses in colder regions.

My local Houston Home Depot had Brazos Belle, Mexicola Grande, and Lila in 5 gal for $39. No one seems to notice them. I'll probably wait til they go on sale and buy one of each, these are the three most cold tolerant varieties that I have researched.

I was in Tallahassee this weekend and found Mexicola and Gainesville avocados listed on the Craigslist for $25 each just outside of Tallahassee. I did not have time to check them out but will the next time I am in the Tallahassee area.

Ed Self
Apopka , Florida

I was in Tallahassee this weekend and found Mexicola and Gainesville avocados listed on the Craigslist for $25 each just outside of Tallahassee. I did not have time to check them out but will the next time I am in the Tallahassee area.

Ed Self
Apopka , Florida

I know this is an older thread but what about a raised bed or large container (maybe on caster wheels) for Avocado trees?, and you integrated a Radiant Heat System in the soil to use in the winter time. Radiant Heat Systems are used in flooring (Im a flooring contractor) but why couldn't they be used for Avocado soil to help in harsh winter days? see pic. Just found a link to a company that does this, see link below

Here is a link that might be useful: Someone is already doing it!