| I live in Brandon, FL. Our avocadoes are about 4 inches tall, when is the ideal time to harvest them? The tree is very tall, I heard it should never be topped off, is that true? Thank you! |
| Avocados are harvested depending upon their variety. For instance, Mexican avocados usually ripen June through October; Guatemalan are harvested September through January and West Indian May through September. If you don't know which kind you are growing, you'll have to guess about their ripeness. The easiest way to determine if your avocados are ready to harvest is to harvest one large fruit and place it on your kitchen counter top. A mature fruit ripens in 3 to 8 days after it is picked. If the fruit does not ripen properly (e.g., shrivels, becomes rubbery or exhibits stem end rot), select another fruit (again larger fruit are generally more mature than smaller fruit at the beginning of the season) and repeat the test. You should never top an avocado tree, but you can shorten the branches of the tree if it is growing too large. |
