cloning avocados

[cravin morehead]

my next door neighbor has the best avocados, on his tree, that i ever tasted. i know its better to clone from it to insure i'll get the same avocados. how do i do it??? its got new fresh shoots all over right now. i figure pretty much just like cloning mj. i'll take a whole new branch/shoot, strip a few lower internodes and put in Power Clone gel, then im thinking into some lc's #1 mix (w/out the ferts added) and wait... sound right to you??? i can take at least 30 of the cuttings without bothering the tree at all... so what do you think??? i can add pics if you would like them...

thanks
cm

 

[dragongrower]

trees root slower than the MJ, but if you can take 30 cuttings, at least one should make it. But it will probably take longer than with mj..

 

[rambone]

research "grafting," essentially what you would do is germinate an avocado seed, once the seedling reaches 18 inches cut the top of and make a cleft in the stem, remove the branch from the avocado tree you wish to clone and strip the hard tissue from the base of the branch and insert into the cleft, use some twine to hold it all together

 

[RoomRaider]

I like to get a 2-3gal pot, then fill it with wet perlite, half burying the cuttings. Then I put that into a bucket and fill the water to around halfway up the pot with cuttings in it.

I leave it for 2-3 weeks, making sure to top off water when needed. Most of them root, and I have done it with a bunch of other trees/shrubs.

The trick is to completely ignore it for at least two weeks, would be better to wait 3 or 4 weeks before poking around looking for shoots. Perlite acts as a wick, sucking up water and releasing moisture into the air, the pot inside the bucket creats a nice humid environment for rooting (depending on location you might need to cover it to retain moisture, just remember to allow airflow or else they will die) Once you you pull up the cutting its really hard to get them back in there and any small shoots will be stunted. The benefit to it is you can cram a whole lotta cuttings in there and they all root fine and pull apart easy. Just make sure when you pull one out, they are all ready.

 

[dubwise]

Wow, that's pretty good information. I've got an avacado going right now and would love to get more going.

 

[cravin morehead]

rambone- thanks for the reply... gonna be grafting here shortly...

room raider- thanks to you too... that sounds just my speed... gonna try that starting this weekend.

i'll try both methods and post here if anyone is interested in it...

thanks alot,
cm

 

[supervaca]

I will

 

[Budmentor]

Problem with cloning from a cutting is the roots will never get strong enough and the tree will eventually die, maybe not until it flowers for the first time. Grafting is the only way to propagate avocado. Grow an avocado seed until the trunk diameter is about 3/4 of an inch. Lope off the top about 6-12 inches from the ground. Strip off all the leaves. Split down center of cleft for 1 1/2 inches. Take the end of a branch from your friends tree just as the growing tip is swelling but before the bud breaks (opens). << This part is very important. Remove most leaves and cut the rest in half. Make two angled cuts so the tip will fit into the split on the root stock. Make sure the cambium on both pieces are touching. This is undiferentiated tissue and will grow together. wrap in surgical wax and cover the whole thing in a clear bag and put in the shade. After two weeks start cutting a slit in the bag, an inch every 3 days for a month or so. When you see a good flush of new leaves take off the bag and acclimate to full sun over a month long peroid. This technique should give about 90% success.

 

[Johnny Rotten]

Why don't you find out what type he is growing and buy your own? If they don't know, you can usually find out by the fruit shape/seed size/tree characteristics/month of harvest if you do a bit of research. Contact your local extension agent or your local university that has an agriculture program. It could just be a seed grown out but the chances of it being excellent tasting are slim.

I've successfully grafted mangoes and avocados and it can be tricky. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are good with your hands and pay close attention to details.