Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 8 Jun 2019

Chosing a good avocado tree

TopTropicals.com

Q: I'm in coastal Broward County. I'm putting together an order on your web site, and one thing that I would like is an avocado tree. I'd like to have something as close to true "Hass" as possible. Which cultivar does well here in SE Florida, and is most like Hass in texture, creaminess, and flavor? I'm not a big fan of the yellow watery Florida avocados.

A: Mexican type of Avocado have dark skin and buttery texture, while Florida green fruit types (West Indian type, with smooth skin), have lots of delicious melting pulp, so it is a matter of preference.
In coastal Broward county you can grow a wide range of varieties since your climate is very mild, so you don't have select cold-hardy varieties like Winter Mexican, Brazos Belle or Joey, etc. Yet there are many interesting varieties that rare and much more exclusive than Hass, with the same, or even better, quality buttery fruit.

One of the most popular varieties - Brogdon, with red-purple colored pear-shaped fruit, very thin skin, and yellow buttery flesh. It is also very cold hardy.

Very interesting exotic avocado is Kampong - Sushi Avocado - see photo above. The flavor of this fruit very nice, oily, creamy, nutty, reminds of almonds. At the same time, it has solid consistency and if you cut a square it remains a shape of the square. It is the best Sushi Avocado! It tastes great as an appetizer when cut in squares with some shrimp cocktail sauce.

Three collectible varieties:
Anise - leaves that smell like Anise, very rare, the fruit is of excellent quality, creamy and buttery.
Bacon - a large Mexican variety with dark-skinned medium-sized fruits, and a rich creamy flavor. It has exceptional fruit that ripen in late fall and into spring, they are easy to peel and have a light, subtle flavor. Another outstanding feature of the Bacon avocado tree is its angelic sweeping branches which helps keep the tree shorter and easier to pick its fruit.
Nishikawa is a very hot seller! Oval fruit somewhat resembles Hass, but larger, and has very high oil content.

See all Avocado trees from our store


Recommended fertilizers:
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster

Date: 13 Aug 2024

Healthy breakfast, lunch or snack: Avocado sandwich

Avocado toast

Avocado toast

Healthy breakfast, lunch or snack: Avocado sandwich



Avocado toast is creamy, crisp and so satisfying. It’s a delicious and simple breakfast, snack or light meal!

Ingredients (makes 1 toast):

◾️ 1 slice of bread (thick-sliced whole-grain or rye bread is the best)
◾️ ½ ripe avocado
◾️ Pinch of salt and black pepper

📝 Instructions:

• Toast your slice of bread until golden and firm.
• Remove the pit from your avocado. Use a big spoon to scoop out the flesh.
• Spread avocado on top of your toast.
• Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

🍿 Enjoy!

🛒 Grow your own Avocado

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 24 Oct 2024

Lula Avocado The Winter Warrior of Florida

Lula Avocado The Winter Warrior of Florida

Lula Avocado – The Winter Warrior of Florida



🟢 Lula is an avocado variety that's tougher than most! Known for its frost resistance, this cultivar is perfect for homeowners and gardeners in Central Florida and around Orlando. In fact, it was once the top commercial avocado in South Florida, thanks to its ability to endure chilly winters and produce heavily even when other varieties might struggle.

🟢 Lula fruits are medium to large, pear-shaped, and sometimes feature a slender neck. Their skin is smooth, with a greenish tint, enclosing pale to greenish-yellow flesh. With a 12-16% oil content, the Lula offers a creamy, rich flavor that’s a delight in guacamole or straight from the fruit. The large, tightly held seed also makes it a reliable producer, minimizing seed sprouting issues during the harvest.

🟢 The harvesting season runs from November to December, offering a long production window that stands out among other avocado varieties. Originally developed from a tree planted by Mrs. Lula Cellon in 1915 near Miami, this variety has proven its early bearing nature and heavy yields, making it ideal for both home gardeners and small orchard owners.

🟢 If you're looking for an avocado tree that thrives in Central Florida's conditions, bears flavorful fruit, and can withstand the cold, Lula is your go-to! Just give it plenty of space to grow tall and enjoy years of delicious harvests.

📚 Learn more about Avocado varieties

🛒 Plant Avocado Lula

#Food_Forest #Avocado

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Date: 19 Jan 2022

Avocado Q & A

Sensation: Avocado 2.5 y.o seedling just bloomed!

Ed's Avocado seedling blooming at age 2.5 years old... Go figure!

Q: Can I plant a seed from a store bought avocado and expect it to bear fruit?

A: Avocados grown from seed do not always come true, meaning being the same as the avocado that produced the seed being planted. Also, avocados grown from seed will take upwards of 8 years to flower and bear fruit unless grown by Ed Jones and his witchcraft. Ed Jones, the Avocado Guy... Yes, he is also the Mango Guy, and the Booster Guy... We don't know how he does it. He grows the most beautiful fruit trees, many of them from seed and they all seem to flower within two years! (See his blogs about his Star Fruit, Olive trees, and video about Shaping Mango Trees). All we know for sure, he uses Sunshine Boosters for all his plant experiments.
As far as Avocado , we recommend a grafted variety, where a scion, or branch tip, of a known cultivar is grafted to good rootstock. These trees will usually flower right away and bear good amount of fruit within a couple of years of being planted in the ground.
It's a good chance now to get a good grafted Avocado on our special Happy Value Sale while supply lasts, for only $59.95.

Date: 13 Aug 2020

Healthy Plant Food

Q&A from Mr Booster

Establishing Avocado Tree

Q: I received my avocado Wurtz tree yesterday. Per instructions I have put the tree in a pot first. However I am having difficulty deciding what to trim off. Yesterday I removed obvious damaged leaves. However as you can see, the leaves are lighter in some areas and contain yellow and red in some spots. What would you advise? Given this is a critical state as I do not want to shock the tree after the trip, I would like to do everything possible to protect it and ensure viability.

A: Your Avocado tree looks great and healthy overall. You've done excellent job planting it. Wurtz is a good, vigorous variety, while the tree is somewhat dwarf, great for containers.
You are right, it is the best for the tree to leave it alone and do not trim or remove leaves any more, until it starts showing new growth. Then it will be obvious what needs to be trimmed. Reddish/orange color of young leaves is normal. If any spots or dots - no need to remove those leaves yet. Wait until the plant grows more leaves. It needs them for photosynthesis, in order to become stronger.

Keep the tree in bright shade and gradually move from filtered sun to full sun. Water daily. Within a week or two after planting, you can start applying mild fertilizer and micro-elements. We recommend at this growth stage:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
SUNSHINE SuperFood - Micro-element Plant Booster

SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster from Garden Series, or Combo Total Feed Collection - all nutrients in just one bottle, for fruit trees and edibles.