Its our favorite time: harvest time! Harvesting your avocados are the growing reward you have been waiting for since you planted your young tree from the nursery or first sprouted your starter seed. While you enjoy your creamy and versatile fruit, one thing to remember is the necessity of pruning your avocado tree. Today we’ll be discussing how to properly prune and harvest your avocados.
Pruning
As with any crop, hygiene is key! Make sure to clean your pruning tools on a regular basis. Sick and healthy trees should be pruned separately to avoid any spread of pathogens. Dispose of infected pruning responsibly.
How to Prune
Light pruning can be done at any time. Heavy pruning should be done in late winter or early spring. This is just before your tree’s active growing period. Pruning is important in order to keep the tree a manageable height and width for you. Each branch that is not cut can continue to grow and produce fruit for up to a century. Delicious as this sounds, avocado trees can easily grow past a maintainable size for a backyard. Pruning also maintains balance so your tree does not become lopsided or fall over. All that needs to be done to prevent this is to clear away any upright shoots or dead inner branches. Focus on branches thicker than your finger and be sure to clear branches that grow low to the ground. While pruning, remove dead wood as much as possible and space the main limbs three to four feet apart, as this allows access to inside of the tree. This makes for easier harvesting later.
Harvesting
While avocados mature before picking, they only soften after being picked off the tree. Different varieties mature at different times through the year, while the storage life on the tree vary from anywhere between two to eight months depending on the variety. Avocado fruit is usually ready to harvest in September although this also varies by variety. The harvested avocado should be green and slightly hard when picked.
Wrapping Up The Series
This brings us to the end of our avocado series! We hope you’ve enjoyed the series as much as we have enjoyed putting it together for you. Avocados are a versatile fruit that make a fantastic addition to any home garden. We hope this guide has helped answer questions and made the task of growing your own tree seem less daunting. For detailed recommendations, consult with your local JH Biotech representative or feel free to reach out to us here and on our social media pages.
