Avocado

Overview

Avocado is one of the most valuable fruit trees for home growers in Hawaiʻi. Different varieties ripen at different times of year, so planting two or three can give you avocados over many months.

History

Avocado is native to Mexico and Central America. Many varieties have been selected in Hawaiʻi, including Sharwil, the state’s main commercial variety.

Growing on Kauaʻi

• Drainage is critical. Avocado roots are very prone to rot in wet, heavy soil. On wet sites, plant on a broad mound.
• Choose varieties for your elevation; some do better in warm lowlands, others at cooler upland sites. Ask local nurseries what does well near you.
• Shelter young trees from strong wind and protect the trunk from sunburn until the canopy fills in.

Planting and propagation

• Buy grafted trees of named varieties. Trees grown from seed take longer to fruit and the fruit is unpredictable.
• Plant at the start of the rainy season, at the same depth as in the pot, in a wide, shallow hole.
• Mulch a wide ring with coarse wood chips, keeping it off the trunk.

Care and maintenance

• Water deeply but infrequently; never let water stand around the roots.
• Keep a thick layer of coarse mulch; avocado has shallow feeder roots that love leaf litter.
• Prune lightly after harvest to keep the tree a manageable height.

Role in the guild

Avocado works as a sub-canopy or canopy tree in its own guild. Surround it with pigeon pea or gliricidia for mulch and shelter, comfrey at the drip line, and ground covers like sissoo spinach. Avoid planting thirsty, water-hungry plants right against its trunk.

Harvest

Avocados don’t soften on the tree. Pick mature fruit when it reaches full size and the skin changes slightly in color or sheen (it varies by variety), then let it ripen at room temperature for a few days. Test one before picking many.

Uses

• Food: fresh, in salads, spreads, and smoothies.
• Soil: fallen leaves form a thick natural mulch; leave them under the tree.

Problems to watch

• Phytophthora root rot in poorly drained soil, the biggest killer of avocado trees.
• Chinese rose beetle chewing young leaves at night.
• Fruit flies on overripe and fallen fruit.

Learn more

• UH CTAHR publications

General guidance for Kauaʻi; conditions vary by site. Check any new plant at plantpono.org before planting.