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Jan 16, 2022 12:04 PM CST
Thread OP
MN
I'm hoping to have a dwarf avocado indoors to grow my own fruits. I have some root stocks i've started from seed. I'm looking for scion from Dwarf to graft. Will this work or am I just better buying a dwarf outright?
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Jan 16, 2022 4:39 PM CST
Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
Garden Sages Plant Identifier
Yes and no. Yes, the graft would be successful but no, you wouldn't get what you want. The rootstock may influence the eventual size of the tree and will definitely determine how vigorous the tree is.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost

President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada
Webmaster: osnnv.org
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Jan 17, 2022 10:14 AM CST
Thread OP
MN
DaisyI said:Yes and no. Yes, the graft would be successful but no, you wouldn't get what you want. The rootstock may influence the eventual size of the tree and will definitely determine how vigorous the tree is.



So the nursery I contacted said they use generic Avocado for root stock and graft Dwarf into it. They are advertising plants to grow Dwarf size. Seems contradicting to your post?
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Jan 17, 2022 12:53 PM CST
Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
Garden Sages Plant Identifier
The rootstock is very specific, depending upon what the growers are trying to accomplish and also a very hardy thick stemmed plant as it is the most important part of the graft pairing - if the roots can't support the tree or the stem isn't big enough to accommodate the graft, you won't have a tree. If you have grown your rootstock from grocery store pits, you won't know how hardy they are for quite a few years.

I assume you are growing a Wurtz avocado as it is the only true dwarf I know of. Dwarf is a relative word as full sized avocado trees often reach 80 feet or more. Your tree will still grow to 10 to 15 ft. tall and wide. Not exactly houseplant size.

It sounds like the nursery you have contacted is only interested in propagating dwarf avocado trees as you can't grow them from cuttings and they won't come true from seed. Is the nursery you are dealing with licensed to propagate and sell Wurtz avocado? I would assume there is a patent somewhere. It just seems very suspicious to me. Is this a well known nursery?

I really feel you have been led astray on quite a few fronts on this project. Getting an avocado to bloom and fruit indoors is going to be a major challenge unless you have a really big heated greenhouse. But I never say never.

I've shared my concerns and reasons but you will have to make the choices. Good luck and keep us posted.

Edited to add: Avocados are pollinated by bees. Lots and lots of bees.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost

President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada
Webmaster: osnnv.org
Last edited by DaisyI Jan 17, 2022 12:54 PM Icon for preview
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Jan 17, 2022 9:29 PM CST
Thread OP
MN
Here is link for reference: https://www.jacksonandperkins....
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Jan 18, 2022 11:54 AM CST
Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
Garden Sages Plant Identifier
Jackson and Perkins is a legitimate company. Is that who you are talking to? I know they graft their own roses but I suspect not the avocados so they may not know what the root stock is. Per your original question, I would buy a tree outright. You will only find scions if you know someone with a tree. Its been an interesting conversation in between though.

Here is what the University of California says about Wurtz:

https://mgorange.ucanr.edu/Edi...

Growing in containers - "Little Cado" dwarf avocado tree

The Wurtz avocado tree, sometimes referred to as Little Cado, is the only true dwarf variety of avocado and will consistently produce good fruit from May to September. Compared to other avocado trees, which can grow up to 80 feet, a Wurtz avocado tree grows to about 10 feet. Due to its small size, the Wurtz avocado tree can be grown in a large container (such as a half wine barrel) and is a good option for smaller front and back yards. The Wurtz avocado is a hybrid created from the Mexican and Guatemalan avocado species, and produces abundant fruits within one to two years of planting if it is a grafted tree, grown in the right conditions and properly taken care of. This is the best Avocado variety for containers.

A Wurtz avocado tree will do well in mild-winter areas of California. Avocados like loose, rich, well-draining soil. Plant in a container that has drainage holes, in good quality potting soil. The soil may need to be sandy to accommodate the tree's large roots and fast draining so that the roots do not succumb to root rot fungus. Avoid manure-based mixes, as these have a tendency to be too salty.

Dwarf varieties in containers need frequent watering, perhaps even daily during the summer months, to keep the soil lightly moist. While the Wurtz avocado tree can tolerate temperatures as low as 25 degrees F, it should be kept in a warm environment as much as possible with protection against strong winds and frost. A young tree, one that is less than 12 months old, requires shelter from direct summer sunlight or the stems and bark will burn. After a year or two, the tree will grow enough foliage to shade itself from the sun.

Fertilize with a well-balanced citrus and avocado food on a regular basis. Frequent pinching of young tree stems helps to keep the tree in the desired shape.

Flowers
If the Wurtz avocado tree is cared for properly, it will start growing flowers for pollination sometime between January and March within one to two years of planting, if it is a grafted tree. A grafted tree is a tree grown from seedling tissue that has been mixed with the tissue of a producing tree. Purchasing a grafted Wurtz avocado tree from a nursery is the easiest way for the home gardener to have a fruit-bearing tree. A tree grown directly from a seed will not start producing fruit until it is 8 to 20 years old.

Fruit
The Little Cado bears young. Once the flowers are pollinated, the Wurtz avocado tree bears fruit that ripens between May and September. The fruits are dark green and medium in size, ranging from 6 to 12 ounces. They have thin, shiny skin with small seeds. The fruits have been rated by growers as having a good and consistent flavor, with an oil content of 16 percent. Avocadoes will not ripen while still on the tree. Harvest when fruits are of mature size and still firm. They will ripen in one or two weeks at room temperature.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost

President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada
Webmaster: osnnv.org
Avatar for Adrian57
Dec 7, 2022 5:13 PM CST

Hi everyone, I live in Adelaide, South Australia and avocado trees grow well here despite our hot and dry desert climate,
Am just wondering if I plant a seed from a Wurtz avocado will it be a dwarf tree or are Wurtz scions grafted on to other types of dwarfing rootstock?

My plan is to graft multiple types of avocado scions onto Wurtz rootstock provided a Wurtz seedling is actually dwarfing rootstock.

Adrian.
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