GB 113 Avocado Growing Advice. Plant of the Week: The Coral Yucca
26:52
SPEAKERS
Tom Spellman, Warren Roberts, Farmer Fred
Farmer Fred 00:00
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is brought to you by Smart Pots, the original lightweight, long lasting fabric plant container. it's made in the USA. Visit SmartPots.com slash Fred for more information and a special discount, that's SmartPots.com/Fred.
Farmer Fred 00:20
Welcome to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. If you're just a beginning gardener or you want good gardening information, you've come to the right spot.
Farmer Fred 00:32
If you live in USDA zone nine, chances are you have attempted to grow an avocado tree. Sure it's easy... if you live in Santa Barbara, Ventura, or San Diego, where the temperature ranges between 50 and 85 degrees usually. But for the rest of us, growing avocados is a challenge. Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery says he can make it a heck of a lot easier for you to grow backyard avocados throughout USDA Zone nine. He's got the tips. And the Plant of the Week is a low water use succulent that attracts squadrons of hummingbirds. It's the coral yucca. Warren Roberts of the UC Davis Arboretum tells us all about it. It's all on episode 113 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson nursery. And we'll do it all in under 30 minutes. Let's go.
Farmer Fred 01:24
If you live in USDA Zone nine, you may have had the dream of growing an avocado in your backyard. Can you? Maybe. it depends. Good luck. Well, people love avocados. And all that love kind of overrides the common sense of a lot of gardeners in USDA zone nine who are trying to grow avocados. Let's check in with Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery. He is not unfamiliar at all with avocado trees. And if he would wear a pompom dress, he would be the biggest cheerleader for growing avocados that are not in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. I think that's right, Tom.
Tom Spellman 02:12
That is absolutely true, Fred and no, I'm not gonna wear a pompom dress. But I am one of the world's biggest fans of growing avocados. And I think that, from my perspective, over the 40 years that I've been doing this, avocados are probably some of the most rewarding trees that I have ever, ever put in. I just absolutely love avocados, my wife and I try and eat an avocado or half an avocado every day. And you know, with a few different varieties, the nice thing about avocados is they hold on a tree for many, many months. So really with three or four varieties, you can pick avocados every single day of the year, which is absolutely wonderful because at $1 apiece, or $1.50 apiece, or I've even seen some varieties like Reed in the farmers market for $5. And that's getting expensive. You know, being able to go out and look at those on your tree is very, very rewarding. There are definitely some challenges with growing avocados, even in Zone nine. So one of the things that people really need to be aware of is avocados need fast, fast draining soil. And that's why, when you look at the commercial groves, when they plan a new commercial avocado grow, they they will run their north south rows, about three to four feet high and plant up on the berm of those rows or they'll create an individual mound that's two or three or four feet high for each tree, because they want to get that top root above the grade level. If you plant an avocado below grade, or even at grade, if your soil's even slightly heavy, you're probably going to lose that tree in a year to two years. And that's an investment. You don't want to lose that investment. So you want to make sure that either you have really fast draining soil, or you're planting on some kind of a rise., Create a raised bed.Just create a mound. Just keep that top root up above your native grade level so that top root can oxygenate and breathe and you'll have a healthy avocado tree.
Farmer Fred 04:29
Yeah, if you've got the weather that cooperates with you.
Tom Spellman 04:33
Absolutely. So that's probably the number one most important concern is making sure that you have the drainage, making sure you have that, that top root aeration. Another thing that people don't really realize is avocados are very susceptible to sunscald and sunburn damage. So when you look at a young avocado tree, the bark is green. It's very, very tender. I mean the wood is very fleshy it's not like the wood of an apple tree or the wood of a peach tree or something like that. You can break it very easily, you can damage it very easily. So it is very susceptible to sunburn. So, this time of year is a good time to make sure that you're protecting that tree from sun damage through the summer months. And I don't mean by putting an umbrella over it or putting a shade canopy over it. You don't want to shade the tree, you want to protect the bark. So, whitewash is is coming into play. When I say whitewash, I mean you can buy over the counter products at most retail garden centers, you can buy a tree trunk white or Arizona tree paint, there are several brands out there. In fact, not even all of them are white anymore, you can buy beige, if you want. It just needs to be a light, neutral color. And typically, if I'm using either just a water base, latex type paint, or if I'm using one of those, over the counter tree protectors, I am going to lighten that product up by two thirds with water, two thirds. 1/3 paint, two thirds water. You're not painting the house or painting a fence, all you're doing is putting a light coating on all of that young, tender green exposed bark. Now the commercial guys, I was just looking at an avocado grove the other day, up in Santa Barbara County, where they just planted many, many acres of new trees. And instead of going through and whitewashing the structure itself, they used, I believe it was. kaolin clay. And they diluted it with with water and ran it through with some sort of a filter and they actually applied it with a sprayer to the foliage and to the trunk, concentrating very, very heavily on the south west base. I mean that's, that's the area where that hot afternoon sun is coming in and doing most of the damage to avocados. It's not being damaged on the east side from morning sun, not being damaged on the north side where there's really not much sun exposure. It's that hot afternoon sun in July, August and September. So it's coming in from that, that hot afternoon exposure from the southwest. So that is the area that needs to be protected the most against sunburn.
Farmer Fred 07:28
We should point out for the do it yourselfers that if you're making your own whitewash, that paint, that white latex paint, should be interior white latex paint, not exterior white latex paint mixed with 66% water.
Tom Spellman 07:43
Yeah, make sure that it's not an oil base or not an acrylic base, it needs to be strictly water base. And like I said, you're not painting the fence so you can cut it by 50% or for me two thirds with water and apply it that way. So I'm not trying to make it look like it's this you know, pure white tree. I just want to protect that that bark from that hot afternoon sun exposure.
Farmer Fred 08:07
What are the best varieties for those who don't live in Santa Barbara, San Diego Ventura, and want to grow some avocados that in areas of USDA zone nine where there's more variability in the temperatures? When you're talking Santa Barbara, that's like Sunset zone 24, where the temperature very seldom varies between what, 50 and 80 or whatever? And exactly if you live in an area of USDA zone nine where temperatures can get up to 100 degrees or down to 32 or 35 degrees and while that may require protection, but are there varieties that can take a wider temperature range?
Tom Spellman 08:44
Absolutely, Fred. The Mexican varieties are typically hardier in both their susceptibility to frost issues and also their susceptibilities to heat issues. So a lot of varieties like Mexicola or Mexicola Grande or Stewart are probably the top three and then you have other varieties like Bacon or Zutano that have some Mexican parentage. So those varieties are going to take temperature extremes on the high side and on the low side better than the true Guatemalan type. But the true Guatemalan type would be like a Hass, that's one that you can certainly grow it in areas where you get 32 degrees in the winter and 100 degrees in summer, but it's going to require a little more protection, where the Mexican types are normally much less susceptible to that severe weather. they seem to have a tougher leaf, and they're less susceptible to wind damage as well. Those are good varieties to consider. And honestly, Stewart, I think, is one of my favorite avocado varieties. It's a little compact grower, it only gets about 15 to 20 feet, maybe a little bit bigger than that if it's kept unchecked. But again, you can easily size-manage it to a size that's manageable for you. And it is just a deep green leaf it, it blooms for a long period of time, it's a good sized fruit up to about a pound, and the seed is not all that large. So it's a smooth, dark skin variety. Very, very creamy. I have been picking Stewart's beginning about the end of October. And I picked my last one about March 15. All right, and that was developed a long season.
Farmer Fred 10:41
The Stewart was developed in San Bernardino County. And in San Bernardino County, you can get really hot in the summertime. Absolutely.
Tom Spellman 10:49
So that you know that's a good selection. But you know, the thing you want to consider with avocados, if you're in a zone where you can be successful with them, is grow some successive ripening varieties, you know, you don't want to limit yourself, for one, although almost any varieties going to give you three months, four months, five months worth of fruit. But if you were to plant say, a Hass that's ripe right now you're going to get fruit, March April into mid to late summer. And then follow that with a Reed. So you're going to get Reed, starting in early summer, and producing right up until about October or November. And then you have one of those Mexican types like a Stewart or maybe a Bacon or Zutano. So now you've got fruit in the fall, it's going to be late August into September and holding on the tree until January and then you put in a fourth day or for a Pinkerton or a variety like that, that's going to give you that wintertime fruit beginning in December, January and producing right up until mid season when the Hoss is done. So with four varieties, successive ripening varieties, and you've got your A-type and your B-type flowers in there for good cross pollenization. Now you can go out and pick at least two varieties of fruit almost every day of the year. And there's nothing better than fresh avocados out of your backyard, especially if the ones you're buying in the store aren't very good quality and you're paying a buck apiece.
Farmer Fred 12:17
Avocado trees that I have seen succeed here in Sacramento County, have some commonalities. And that is placement. And usually it's in an area that's getting reflected heat in the wintertime from a south or a west facing wall. Plus, it's surrounded by a patio, some sort of concrete surface that also reflects heat. And there's also protection from the wind as well. And it never gets bigger than the house to give you an idea of where it gets affected by the colder temperatures. But that makes sense to me. And that's to basically grow it as a tall shrub and not necessarily a 50 foot tree.
Tom Spellman 12:55
Absolutely, you know you don't need a shade tree that you're gonna hang a hammock on, and you want something that you can manage. Now, another nice thing about avocados, as opposed to a peach or a plum and nectarine is, they do hold on the tree for a long time. And I found early on when I first started planting avocado trees and in my landscape, the neighbors are always looking over the fence: "those Fuertes are looking pretty good." And you know, every time my daughter comes over, she's got the Trader Joe's bag in her hand and she walks right out to the backyard and picks a few fruit. She was here yesterday and she picked about a dozen of my Reed even before I'm really happy with them. B Yeah, it's like it's a coveted fruit and, and I found that an eight foot tree didn't really give me enough. But I also found that a 10 foot pole with a basket picker gave me the ability to go out once a week and pick six or eight or 10 fruit and take them in and ripen them up on the kitchen counter. And that tree now was easy to manage. If I had to go out and pick 500 plums with a 10 foot basket picker, that would be another story. But eight or 10 avocados takes a minute. And now I've got avocados for a week. So my management philosophy on size management with avocados and things that hold on the tree for a long time. That just increased dramatically. Now I can go out and manage a 15 foot tree with a 10 foot pole and a basket picker just as easy as I could manage an eight-foot plum tree.
Farmer Fred 14:33
Where is the best place to store them after you've picked them? On the counter or in the refrigerator?
Tom Spellman 14:38
I find that if you put them in the refrigerator as soon as you pick them, it takes a lot longer for them to begin to physically mature and soften. If you leave them on the kitchen counter for a few days, and let them begin to soften I don't want them to get to the point where they're starting to spoil. But you can just feel a little give. That's when I'm going to put them into the refrigerator, and then I can take them out anytime. And one more day on the counter, and they're ready to go,
Farmer Fred 15:06
The one thing we didn't talk about, and we should talk about, is winter protection. We talked about summer protection with whitewash. What are the best ways to protect avocados when temperatures in the wintertime might drop below 40 degrees?
Tom Spellman 15:20
If you have a low canopy tree, like the backyard orchard philosophy that we've discussed so many times, then you can easily throw a Tyvek sheet over it or some plastic or something like that, and keep it protected during the winter. And what I found a lot of people are doing, is they're actually just running some lights up through the canopy of that tree during the winter months. And this is a great use for your antiquated Christmas lights that you haven't put up in 10 years anyway. So you can run some of those up and around your tree. So you're creating just enough warmth to keep that low frost off of the tree and frost always settles straight down. So if you can keep some lights up in the top third of the tree, you're going to allow for enough heat distribution there to keep that tree from freezing and it works incredibly well. Just be safe. You know, you don't want that out there plugged in on a rainy night, and you want to make sure that you're respecting the cords and things like that. But I've probably found more people having success using some sort of lighting than anything else as far as winter protection.
Farmer Fred 16:35
And these are bulbs that actually emanate some heat like the old C7 or C9 Christmas tree bulbs. I've even known people who have hung shop lights in the trees.
Tom Spellman 16:44
Sure. Yeah. I mean, you know, anything just to break that nighttime chill. That's all you really have to do. And it only has to be from that point where you're, you know, I've never even done it at 31 or 32. But once you get down into the 20s, that's when you want to make sure that you're protecting. I think that's when the damage is really going to be done. If you're in an area where you can get down into the teens, then maybe avocados aren't your thing to begin.
Farmer Fred 17:14
There we go. Yes, indeed. It's Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery, wholesale grower of fruit and nut trees. But Tom...not avocados.
Tom Spellman 17:22
No, Dave Wilson doesn't do avocados. But you know, that's a part of my history growing up in this industry and avocados and citrus will always be a passion of mine.
Farmer Fred 17:33
I love it. I love it. Tom Spellman. Thanks so much for the avocado lessons.
Tom Spellman 17:38
Thanks for the opportunity, Fred.
Farmer Fred 17:44
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Farmer Fred 19:08
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Farmer Fred 19:51
Every week we like to talk with Warren Roberts. He's the superintendent emeritus of the University of California Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. He knows his plants. He always does a great plant for us every week. And people love the succulents these days and here is one from the agave family that I think is going to do quite well for much of the United States. Especially if you're below the Mason-Dixon line and or up into the Mid Atlantic coast states, and certainly here in California, it's the...Warren, you tell us. What plant is this?
Warren Roberts 20:25
Well, I call it the coral yucca, it's sometimes called Red yucca. And it's Hesperaloe parviflora. "Hesperaloe" means, by the way, the aloe from the west. And in this case, it's native to Texas, New Mexico, down into Mexico, and is a very tough plant, like many succulents, it is doesn't need a lot of water. It does best in well drained soil, but it's not that's the leaves look ferocious. They look like their spine tipped, in fact, you can use it as a barrier. But if somebody happens to fall in it, they're not going to get wounded. It's bark is worse than its bite, I guess you might say. The flowers are typically coral colored. And the nice flowering stem comes up out of the ground, kind of like a pink asparagus spike. And then it grows taller and branches. Usually it doesn't grow straight up, it kind of curves one way or the other. And then produces branchlets which develops the flowers. This is probably one of the best of all Hummingbird plants. In fact, one of the common names in Spanish speaking parts of the world is Yuca Calibri. Sorry, Yuca Colibri. Colibri is a common name for "Hummingbird" in the Spanish speaking parts of the world, or Yuca chuparosa or Yuca chupamirto. So these are all Spanish names for this plant. Another Spanish name is samandoque rojo. Whatever we call it, a red yucca by any other name would be the same I guess. And I've seen it in mass plantings which are very effective. It's kind of new in cultivation in California. I think I saw my first one back in the 1970s and fell in love with it right away. It was growing across the street from where I lived and found out what it was. It's used a lot in Arizona in horticulture. You see mass plantings in the divider strips in highways. And there are some select forms that have been done. Mountain States Nursery has done some selection for shorter flower stems and more pure red flowers. I think there's one called stoplight. It's just a beautiful bright red. And there's also a very pale yellow one that's been developed and it's easy to plant, easy to divide. And I remember when they didn't seem to be doing very well in the Arboretum and I dug it up and actually the ground squirrels had eaten out the inside of it. So the tufts of leaves, I simply took them, stripped off leaves down to the bare stem, and stuck them in the ground and like boom, took off fine. So you can plant it, even without roots. I got my start from, I believe, Margaret Williams in Sparks, Nevada. One of my sisters was living in what was this town? I can't remember the name now but a very harsh climate town. And I asked Margaret. Tonopah! There we go.
Farmer Fred 23:41
Tonopah is halfway between Reno and Vegas.
Warren Roberts 23:46
That's right. The Nez Pa hotel. At any rate,, Margaret gave me some plants for my sister's garden. And one of them was red yucca. So I, I forget how many that she gave me but I took one. And rather than plant it in my sister's garden, I planted in my own yard,, and I fell in love with it. Incidentally, if the stem gets broken, the flowering stem gets broken, don't take it out. Cut it back to where some small leaves clasping the stems. Cut it back to one of those small leaves and it will branch out in bloom again. So you could even take it as a cut flower but don't take the whole thing. Just take the top part and it will bloom again in that season. With us, it starts blooming, starts showing color in early spring, and then blooms until frost. And actually in mild areas it seems to bloom all year. But the thing is, don't cut off the flowering stems if they show any green at all. Cut it back a little bit and they'll produce flowers again for you.
Farmer Fred 24:51
And whenever you see a plant description that says the plant requires moderate to little water, that means it doesn't want to be planted in an area where drainage is too slow. So you may want to plant this one on a mound or, or even in a large container.
Warren Roberts 25:06
And in areas that have dry summers once it's established, you probably only need to water it every two or three weeks. And it's still will look good.
Farmer Fred 25:16
It's the hesperaloe parvaflora, also known as...I was hoping you would fill it in.
Warren Roberts 25:24
Oh, also known as, as red yucca, or, more accurately, coral yucca.
Farmer Fred 25:31
The coral yucca. Hesperaloe parviflora. What a great plant of the week. A low water use plant that attracts hummingbirds, beautiful flowers. And those spikes on those flowers can reach what eight or nine feet tall?
Warren Roberts 25:44
I guess they could, although most of the time, they get about four feet tall. And you don't want to plant it too close to a path because the leaves get to be about three feet long sometimes. So you need a bit of room for it. Easy to grow.
Farmer Fred 25:59
All right, Hesperaloe parviflora.Warren Roberts is the superintendent emeritus of the University of California Davis Arboretum and public garden. If you don't live in Davis, heck, you can visit the Arboretum online. Find out about all their wonderful plants at arboretum.ucdavis.edu . Warren, thanks so much for the Plant of the Week.
Warren Roberts 26:21
You're welcome Fred.
Farmer Fred 26:25
Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday and is brought to you by Smart Pots. It’s available just about anywhere podcasts are handed out. And that includes Apple podcasts, I Heart Radio, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Podcast Addict, CastBox and Google podcasts. And for Northern California gardeners, check out this podcast: the Green Acres Garden Podcast with Farmer Fred, also available wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving comments. We appreciate it.
